Military Operations
Operation Praying Mantis
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Operation Praying Mantis was a United States Navy retaliatory operation on 18 April 1988 against Iranian military targets in the Persian Gulf, launched after the frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts struck an Iranian mine. Carrier-based aircraft and surface groups destroyed two Iranian oil platforms and sank or damaged several Iranian naval vessels, in the U.S. Navy's largest surface engagement since the Second World War.
Facts
Operation TypeNaval retaliatory strike 1 LocationPersian Gulf, Iranian territorial waters 1 ParticipantsUnited States Navy carrier battle group (USS Enterprise) and surface action groups, opposed by Iranian naval forces 1 ObjectiveRetaliate for Iran's mining of USS Samuel B. Roberts and degrade Iranian naval and intelligence facilities in the Gulf 1 OutcomeTwo Iranian oil platforms destroyed, one frigate and a gunboat sunk, one frigate damaged and three speedboats sunk; two U.S. Marine aviators killed in a helicopter crash 1 Sources
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