Iranian Vessel's Unexpected Attack Against an Insanely Armored US Warship

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Operation Praying Mantis, the ruthless US Navy response to the mining of USS Samuel B. Roberts by Iranian ships, had begun on April 18, 1988. The first dawn lights slowly illuminated the Persian Gulf when Vietnam War-era Belknap-class destroyer USS Wainwright surged forward to carry on with her mission.

The destroyer was the vanguard of the retaliation operation. Guided by the latest intelligence, Wainwright’s targeting systems locked onto the Sassan oil platform.

Coordinating with other ships, Wainwright’s missiles rocked the platform, engulfing it in an inferno of fire and smoke. As plumes reached the sky, Wainwright swiftly changed course, ready for the next target: the Sirri oil platform.

Her crew unleashed a barrage that led to more devastation. Victorious, the destroyer, and her crew made way for their next objective when the unexpected occurred.

The small Iranian Kaman-class fast attack craft Joshan decided to challenge her in single combat, spraying the American ship with machine-gun fire with the aim of taking down some American sailors.

USS Wainwright’s response was instant: she fixed her Mark 42 gun and Harpoon missile launchers for one lethal attack. The battle between a highly advanced behemoth of steel and a David-sized Iranian ship was about to begin.

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50 thoughts on “Iranian Vessel's Unexpected Attack Against an Insanely Armored US Warship”

  9. The age of naval power was incredibly glorious. On a par with the charge of the Light Brigade and not far from being just as out-dated.
    As Col Douglas McGregor pointed out, there are 2 types of naval vessels, submarines and targets. Targets that can't survive the missile age.

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  10. Every time I hear how stubborn US ships are to sink during live fire practice, I can't help but think we either A) build really tough ships these days or B) really really need better anti-ship weaponry

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  23. Your videos are poor. Your commentary is hideous. Your facts are way unbased and not checked. And you show. outdated footage.. Plus you're boring on interesting. Do yourself, no. Do us a favor and just stop. get a hobby, besides the one you have with both amadextrous hands and the third. god bless.

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  24. Oh. So the U.S invades another country and calls everyone there hostile. Sends a pop gun boat there and they say anything that isn't U.S is hostile.
    The Viet Nam War was an illegal,criminal war by the U.S with many people of high rank guilty of war crimes equal to and worse than WW2. Agent orange and napalm alone makes them the worst criminals in human history.
    Meanwhile the military complex extorts the population's taxes while the government passes the debt to their children who have no jobs now thanks to the industrialist shipping the work to off shore.
    This insane Ponzi scheme will fail.

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  28. What does "Insanely Armored US Warship" even mean here? How much armor does anyone think a 5,000 ton ship can have? How about – NONE. Dark Seas should do their homework before making these videos. Proud former destroyerman here, and I can tell you that most machine gun rounds can penetrate a destroyer's hull, almost anywhere they hit. Armor piercing rounds would go deeper into the ship, but simple solid rounds are going to go through the hull, and into work spaces.

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  30. THE ONLY REAL CRUISER YOU FAIL TO MENTION WAS THE USS LONG BEACH CGN-9 Wainright was built as a destroyer then converted to Cruiser… ha. sorry. no dice. USS LONG BEACH/STRIKE HARD-STRIKE HOME. The Last Cruiser

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  32. Another factually incorrect video from you…USS Wainright had been reclassified from DLG to CG (guided missile cruiser) 28 on 30 June 1975…well before Operation Praying Mantiss in April 1988.

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