Operation Praying Mantis: Sirri Oil Platform Attack

 military, historical layer / disappeared object

The Sirri Oil Platform was constructed in the 1970's to tap the submarine oil field known as Sirri-C. Eventually growing to a complex of seven drilling structures, the Sirri oil platforms gave steady output and performance which was otherwise unremarkable until the 1980's, when their location on the edge of Iran's Southern border in the Persian Gulf made their location strategically valuable to the Iranian Military.

With the outbreak of war with Iraq, Iran's oil infrastructure became a prime target for Iraqi ships and aircraft and after Iraq began attacking Iranian tankers at Kharg island in 1984 the oil platforms at Sirri and in the surrounding area were armed and garrisoned. Providing logistical support bases for naval operations, the oil platforms formed a new front line in the Iran-Iraq war as Iran began striking out against Iraqi and Kuwaiti merchant ships and oil tankers, using the Sirri and nearby Sassan oil platforms as staging areas and observation posts. In what would later be known as the "Tanker War", the Sirri and other oil platforms aided in the damaging of 546 commercial vessels and deaths of 430 civilian mariners by November 1986 at the hands of the Iranian Air Force and Navy.

US involvement at the behest of the Kuwaiti government began in July 1987 with the United States Navy engaged in the armed escort of reflagged US Oil Tankers, known as Operation Earnest Will. After an oil tanker was damaged by mines on the first day of the operation, the US launched Operation Prime Chance and covertly attempted to disrupt Iranian minelaying and small-boat attack activities. Tensions between the US and Iran quickly deteriorated through late 1987 after another US-flagged tanker was damaged by Iranian arms, and an Iranian Minelayer was captured and scuttled by US forces. Following the destruction of two Iranian oil platforms in the Rashadat oil field under suspicion they were orchestrating Iranian attacks on merchant shipping, US surveillance of the Sirri platform increased dramatically.

Through the end of 1987 and 1988 more and more small-boat attacks were seen to be mounted from the Sirri complex against merchant shipping in the Gulf. The US Navy was restrained from offensive operations against the facilities for a time, but this restraint was rescinded on April 14th, 1988 after the Frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) struck a mine laid in international waters near the Sirri Platforms. After confirming that other mines in the area were Iranian, four days later the US Navy launched Operation Praying Mantis to neutralize the threat posed by the Sirri and neighboring Sassan oil platforms.

Shortly after 0730hrs local time, troops stationed on the Sirri platform sighted the ships of Surface Action Group Charlie, consisting of the Guided missile cruiser USS Wainwright (CG-28) and the Frigates USS Bagley (FF-1069) and USS Simpson (FFG-56) approaching the platform at speed. Shortly afterwards, the US ships sent a uncoded message to the platform, informing the crews to abandon the platform before the ships opened fire. Instead of abandoning their positions, the Iranians called for assistance from the mainland and opened fire with their anti-aircraft guns shortly after 0800hrs. At 0805 all three US ships returned fire with their deck guns and quickly silenced the Iranian gun batteries on the platforms before they continued to shell the entire Sirri complex.

Within two hours of the first shots being fired, the battle was over for the Sirri Oil Platform. The US ships withdrew at 1030hrs leaving the seven platforms almost totally destroyed and with several fires burning out of control and an unknown number of Iranian Casualties. The fires eventually burned themselves out but the damage to the infrastructure forced the demolition of the Sirri platforms after the war. Today, the site is being built up again for oil production by French and Russian oil companies, after buying the drilling rights from the Iranian Government.


www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor/pic-prayingmantis.shtml