USS *Stark* (FFG-31)

USS *Stark* (FFG-31) was an ''Oliver Hazard Perry''-class guided-missile frigate of the United States Navy. Commissioned in 1982, the ship was named for World War II-era Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Harold Rainsford Stark. The vessel's operational career was permanently altered by a devastating attack during the Iran–Iraq War, which resulted in significant loss of life and major changes to U.S. Navy procedures in the Persian Gulf.

Service history

Following its commissioning ceremony at Naval Station Everett, USS *Stark* was assigned to the United States Atlantic Fleet. The frigate conducted routine deployments and exercises, including operations with NATO allies in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. In early 1987, *Stark* was deployed to the Middle East Force, a U.S. Navy unit tasked with maintaining a presence in the volatile Persian Gulf during the Iran–Iraq War. Under the command of Captain Glenn R. Brindel, the ship's mission was to ensure freedom of navigation and protect neutral shipping amidst the Tanker War, a phase of the conflict targeting international oil tankers.

Attack and damage

On the evening of 17 May 1987, while on patrol in international waters northeast of Qatar, *Stark* was attacked without warning by an Iraqi Air Force Mirage F1 fighter jet. The Iraqi aircraft fired two Aérospatiale AM 39 Exocet anti-ship missiles. The ship's AN/SLQ-32 electronic warfare system detected the launch, and the crew was alerted, but defensive measures were not initiated in time. The first missile struck the port side, failing to detonate but spraying burning rocket fuel. The second Exocet penetrated the hull near the combat information center and detonated, creating a massive fire that ravaged the ship's interior spaces, including the crew's berthing areas. The intense fires burned for over twenty hours before being extinguished, resulting in the deaths of 37 U.S. Navy sailors and injuries to 21 others.

Aftermath and investigation

The attack on USS *Stark* provoked immediate international condemnation and a major diplomatic crisis between the United States and Iraq, then a nominal ally. An official U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General investigation, along with a separate House Armed Services Committee inquiry, concluded the ship's crew failed to follow prescribed rules of engagement and defensive procedures. Captain Brindel and his combat information center officer were subsequently relieved of duty and received letters of reprimand. The government of Saddam Hussein claimed the attack was an accident, and the U.S. State Department ultimately accepted this explanation. The incident led directly to revised rules of engagement for the U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf and accelerated the deployment of improved defensive systems, including the Close-In Weapon System.

Decommissioning and fate

After extensive repairs at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, which cost approximately $142 million, USS *Stark* returned to limited service with the Atlantic Fleet in 1988. The ship never deployed to a combat zone again, spending its final years conducting training exercises and serving as a school ship for Surface Warfare Officer School in Newport, Rhode Island. The frigate was formally decommissioned at Naval Station Mayport in Florida on 7 May 1999. Stricken from the Naval Vessel Register the same day, the hulk was later used for live-fire exercises. USS *Stark* was finally sunk as a target in the Atlantic Ocean during a U.S. Navy SINKEX on 22 May 2006.

Category:Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates of the United States Navy Category:Ships sunk as targets Category:Naval ships attacked during the Iran–Iraq War