R. Lee Ermey's SOUND OFF Forum

[Squidly]

Where were you 18 April 1988?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1lylcpeIXc[/youtube]

I'm sure the Iranian Navy remembers this day.

http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor/

[Hardtimes]

That was really a nice show of force and im sure they remember.

[Batman47]

For those who don't have speakers or plug ins - great post

“In April 1988, USS Enterprise (CVN-65) was assigned to escort reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers in the Arabian Gulf while stationed in the North Arabian Sea.” (Ref. 1-Enterprise)

“On 18 April 1988, the United States retaliated against Iran following the 1 April incident in which USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) struck an Iranian mine in international waters. The retaliation involved both surface and air units. Carrier Air Wing 11 squadrons from USS Enterprise (CVN-65) were the major aviation participants while deployed in the North Arabian Sea.

Air Wing ELEVEN, in coordination with Battle Group FOXTROT, conducted a major strike against Iranian naval warships and facilities in the Persian Gulf. The attacks, launched in retaliation for Iranian mining of international waters and the subsequent damage to USS Samuel B. Roberts, were highly successful.

VAW-I 17s "Nighthawks" provided airborne early warning tracking and analysis of targets as air intercept control. The initial American strikes centered around a surface group action against two Iranian oil platforms that had been identified as support bases for Iranian attacks on merchant shipping. Elements of CVW-11 provided air support for the surface groups in the form of surface combat air patrols, flying A-6E Intruders and A-7E Corsair IIs, and combat air patrols with F-14 Tomcats.

Air Wing ELEVEN repelled a Boghammer fast attack boat raid on the Mubarak Oil Platform, sunk the Iranian frigate Sahand and severely damaged the frigate Sabalan. Carrier Air Wing ELEVEN was subsequently awarded the Joint Meritorious Unit Award for its actions.

The initial action began with coordinated strikes by two separate surface groups. One group, consisting of two destroyers and one amphibious ship, attacked the Sassan platform while the other group, comprising a guided missile cruiser and two frigates attacked the Sirri platform. Iranian response to the destruction of the two oil platforms involved the dispatching of numerous gunboats to prey on various targets in the Arabian Gulf. Following an attack by Iranian Boghammar speedboats on an American-flagged supply ship and a Panamanian-flagged ship, A-6Es from VA-95 were vectored in on the speedhoats by an American frigate. The aircraft dropped Rockeye cluster bombs on the speedboats, sinking one and damaging several others.

Action continued to escalate. Joshan, an Iranian Combattante II Kaman-class fast attack craft, challenged USS Wainwright (CG 28) and her surface group. The American ships responded to the challenge by sinking Joshan. Fighting continued when the Iranian frigate Sahand departed Bandar Abbas and challenged elements of an American surface group. She was observed by two VA-95 A-6Es while they were flying surface combat air patrol for USS Joseph Strauss (DDG 16).

Sahand launched missiles at the A-6Es, and the Intruders replied with launches of two Harpoons and four laser-guided Skipper bombs. This was followed by a Harpoon firing from Joseph Strauss. The weapons delivered against Sahand were successful.
Fires blazing on her decks eventually reached her magazines resulting in the final explosions that led to her sinking. The loss of Sahand, one of Iran's most modern ships. was not enough to stop the suicidal sorties of the Iranian navy. A sister ship, Sabalan, departed her port for operations in the Gulf. She fired on several A-6Es from VA-95 with a surface-to-air missile. One of the Intruders responded with a laser-guided bomb that hit Sabalan and stopped her dead in the water. The Iranian frigate was taken in tow by an Iranian tug with the stern partially submerged. VA-95's aircraft, as ordered, did not continue the attack. This action ended the retaliatory strikes against Iran that began as a result of Iranian mining in international waters” (Ref. 1-Enterprise).

[MeanMarine]

Oohrah President Reagan, he's a man who never took any @%#& from anybody. I wonder what happened to that Cobra they mentioned at the end though.