Operation PRAYING MANTIS Combat Operations vs. Iran 1988

Operation Praying Mantis was an April 18, 1988 attack by U.S. naval forces in retaliation for the Iranian mining of the Persian Gulf and the subsequent damage to an American warship. The battle, the largest for American naval forces since World War II, sank two Iranian warships and three armed speedboats. It also marked the first surface-to-surface missile engagement in U.S. Navy history. On April 18, 1988, the Americans attacked with several groups of surface warships, plus aircraft from the carrier