USS Stark incident

USS Stark incident

USS Stark listing after being struck by two Iraqi Exocet missiles in 1987.

Date	17 May 1987
Location	off Saudi Arabia, Persian Gulf
Result	United States frigate severely damaged by Iraqi aircraft

Belligerents

United States

Iraq

Commanders and leaders

Glenn R. Brindel

Unknown

Units involved

United States Navy

Iraqi Armed Forces

Strength

Sea:
1 frigate
Air:
1 aircraft

1 aircraft

Casualties and losses

37 killed
21 wounded
1 frigate damaged

None

The USS Stark incident occurred during the Iran–Iraq War on 17 May 1987, when an Iraqi jet aircraft fired missiles at the American frigate USS Stark. Thirty-seven United States Navy personnel were killed and twenty-one were wounded.

USS Stark was part of the Middle East Task Force assigned to patrol off the Saudi Arabian coast near the Iran–Iraq War exclusion boundary. An Iraqi pilot attacked USS Stark in a Dassault Falcon 50 modified business jet armed with two Exocet missiles. Even though it did not have the capability at the time, American Intelligence was convinced the attack was made with a Dassault Mirage F1. It took off from the airbase of Shaibah at 20:00 and headed south into the Persian Gulf also along the coast. The aircraft was flying 5,000 feet (1,500 m) above the water at 550 mi (890 km) per hour. An AWACS plane on patrol nearby, with an American and Saudi Arabian crew, first detected the incoming Iraqi jet and informed the Stark, which picked up the aircraft on radar, 200 miles (320 km) out. When it came within view just before 22:00, the attacker was off Stark's port side beam.

Initially not alarmed, at 22:09 Captain Brindel followed protocol and ordered a radioman to send the message: "Unknown aircraft, this is U.S. Navy warship on your 078 (degrees) for twelve miles. Request you identify yourself." The Iraqi Falcon pilot did not respond to the message. The ship's captain ordered a second message sent, to which there was no reply. At 22:10 hrs Captain Brindel was informed the Iraqi aircraft had targeted his ship, locking his Cyrano-IV fire-control radar onto Stark. The Falcon 50 then fired the first Exocet missile 22 miles (35 km) from the ship, and the second Exocet from 15 miles (24 km). The pilot then banked left and began to withdraw.

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