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Tanker War: America’s First Conflict with Iran, 1987–88
In May 1987 the US frigate Stark, calmly sailing the waters of the Persian Gulf, was suddenly blown apart by an Exocet missile fired from a jet fighter of Iraq’s Saddam Hussein. A fifth of the ship’s crew were killed and many others horribly burned or wounded. This event jumpstarted one of the most mysterious conflicts in American “The Tanker War,” waged against Iran for control of the Persian Gulf.
This quasi-war took place at the climax of the mammoth Iran-Iraq War, during the last years of the Reagan administration. Losing on the battlefield, Ayatollah Khomeini’s Iran had decided to close the Persian Gulf against shipping from Iraq’s oil-rich backers, the emirate of Kuwait. The Kuwaitis appealed for help and America sent a fleet to the Gulf, raising the Stars and Stripes over Kuwait’s commercial tankers.
The result was a free-for-all, as the Iranians laid mines throughout the narrow passage and launched attack boats against both tankers and US warships. The sixth largest ship in the world, the tanker Bridgeton, hit an Iranian mine and flooded. The US Navy fought its largest surface battle since World War II against the Ayatollah’s assault boats.
Meanwhile, US Navy Seals had arrived in the Gulf, setting up shop aboard a mobile platform from which they would sally out in fast craft to combat the Iranians. As Saddam Hussein, who had instigated the conflict, looked on, Iranian gunners fired shore-based Silkworm missiles against US ships, actions which, if made known at the time, would have required the US Congress to declare war against Iran.
In July 1988, nervous sailors aboard the cruiser USS Vincennes shot an Iranian airliner out of the sky, killing 300 civilians. This event came one month before the end of the war, and may have been the final straw to influence the Ayatollah to finally drink from his “poisoned chalice.”
In Tanker War, Lee Allen Zatarain, employing recently released Pentagon documents, firsthand interviews, and a determination to get to the truth, has revealed a conflict that few recognized at the time, but which may have presaged further battles to come.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
1: THE STARK DISASTER
2: KUWAIT
3: RAISING QUESTIONS
4: OPERATION EARNEST WILL
5: AMBUSH
6: RETHINKING
7: THE INVISIBLE HAND STRIKES AGAIN
8: IN FLAGRANTE
9: FORT APACHE—THE GULF
10: “TURN AND ENGAGE”
11: “WE WILL COMMENCE FIRING”
12: “WE ARE THE BIG WINNERS IN THE GULF NOW”
13: “NO HIGHER HONOR”
14: “A ONE-DAY WAR”
15: “STOP, ABANDON SHIP, I INTEND TO SINK YOU”
16: “NONE OF THESE LADIES HAS A SCRATCH ON HER”
17: “MULTIPLE SILKWORMS INBOUND”
18: POLICEMAN OF THE GULF?
19: “UNKNOWN, ASSUMED HOSTILE”
20: “I DEEPLY REGRET THE RESULT, IF NOT THE DECISION
21: SEA OF LIES?
22: “GIVE ME THE KEY. GIVE ME THE KEY.”
23: “THEY DON’T FIGHT LIKE IRANIANS ANYMORE”
END NOTES
INDEX
This quasi-war took place at the climax of the mammoth Iran-Iraq War, during the last years of the Reagan administration. Losing on the battlefield, Ayatollah Khomeini’s Iran had decided to close the Persian Gulf against shipping from Iraq’s oil-rich backers, the emirate of Kuwait. The Kuwaitis appealed for help and America sent a fleet to the Gulf, raising the Stars and Stripes over Kuwait’s commercial tankers.
The result was a free-for-all, as the Iranians laid mines throughout the narrow passage and launched attack boats against both tankers and US warships. The sixth largest ship in the world, the tanker Bridgeton, hit an Iranian mine and flooded. The US Navy fought its largest surface battle since World War II against the Ayatollah’s assault boats.
Meanwhile, US Navy Seals had arrived in the Gulf, setting up shop aboard a mobile platform from which they would sally out in fast craft to combat the Iranians. As Saddam Hussein, who had instigated the conflict, looked on, Iranian gunners fired shore-based Silkworm missiles against US ships, actions which, if made known at the time, would have required the US Congress to declare war against Iran.
In July 1988, nervous sailors aboard the cruiser USS Vincennes shot an Iranian airliner out of the sky, killing 300 civilians. This event came one month before the end of the war, and may have been the final straw to influence the Ayatollah to finally drink from his “poisoned chalice.”
In Tanker War, Lee Allen Zatarain, employing recently released Pentagon documents, firsthand interviews, and a determination to get to the truth, has revealed a conflict that few recognized at the time, but which may have presaged further battles to come.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
1: THE STARK DISASTER
2: KUWAIT
3: RAISING QUESTIONS
4: OPERATION EARNEST WILL
5: AMBUSH
6: RETHINKING
7: THE INVISIBLE HAND STRIKES AGAIN
8: IN FLAGRANTE
9: FORT APACHE—THE GULF
10: “TURN AND ENGAGE”
11: “WE WILL COMMENCE FIRING”
12: “WE ARE THE BIG WINNERS IN THE GULF NOW”
13: “NO HIGHER HONOR”
14: “A ONE-DAY WAR”
15: “STOP, ABANDON SHIP, I INTEND TO SINK YOU”
16: “NONE OF THESE LADIES HAS A SCRATCH ON HER”
17: “MULTIPLE SILKWORMS INBOUND”
18: POLICEMAN OF THE GULF?
19: “UNKNOWN, ASSUMED HOSTILE”
20: “I DEEPLY REGRET THE RESULT, IF NOT THE DECISION
21: SEA OF LIES?
22: “GIVE ME THE KEY. GIVE ME THE KEY.”
23: “THEY DON’T FIGHT LIKE IRANIANS ANYMORE”
END NOTES
INDEX
448 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2007
31 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 9, 2014
I had read bits and pieces of the "tanker war" in other books like Shadow Warriors and The Twilight War: The Secret History of America's Thirty-Year Conflict with Iran, and was excited to stumble upon a book-length account of this fascinating but forgotten topic.
"Tanker War" is unquestionably the definitive book about the events in the Persian Gulf in 1987-88. It is also just a darn good story, told well. I heartily applaud Mr. Zatarain's extraordinary accomplishment in the telling of the story of the Tanker War.
The book does an exceptional job laying out the geopolitical currents of the era and the background behind the seminal events. Against this tapestry, Mr. Zatarain tells the story of the U.S. Navy's largest, most complex and deadliest naval conflict since the end of WWII. This is the only time that some of the U.S. Navy's modern weapons systems have ever been used in combat. While subsequent history is replete with U.S. Navy involvement in land campaigns, at no other time in the modern era of radar guided missiles, modern data systems, electronic warfare, and jet aircraft and helicopters, has there been a head to head engagement of a modern armed force with the U.S. Navy carried out in an exclusively naval environment. However, even in the era of satellite communications and ubiquitous combat data links, the fog of war remained ever present. Whenever the fog of war intervenes there is subsequent controversy, and this is no exception. Mr. Zatarain gives a balanced presentation of these controversies and draws well reasoned conclusions about them.
The apex of the story is a detailed accounting of the events of April 18th 1988. On this day, the U.S. Navy fought a nine-hour long, wide open (what the Navy calls "red and free"), free-for-all engagement with the Iranian Navy, all over the Persian Gulf, in which a quarter of the Iranian Navy was sunk or disabled. One might well think that the result was a forgone conclusion given the size and abilities of the U.S. Navy, but what was little known until now is that the U.S. Navy faced catastrophe that day on at least four occasions and came out on the winning side each time. As in all military engagements, while the better trained and equipped forces often win, luck played a huge part. Victory was complete in the end but it was never certain. Disaster stalked the U.S. Navy all day that day and it makes for a gripping tale.
The author is a very capable writer who not only allows the subject matter to flow quite naturally, but he also offers sharp and much-welcomed analysis of all of the significant events in this little-known conflict.
I really enjoyed learning the details of the various command and diplomatic decisions that had to be made, how the US Army aviation elements were brought into the mix, how the various Special Ops units operated, the dynamics of modern shipboard operations, the capabilities of the various weapon systems and the details of the different engagements. The author came across as very thoughtful and refreshingly fair-minded. I actually enjoyed the final few chapters, which grind through a nitty-gritty, but still very interesting, analysis of the shooting down of Iranian Air Flight 655 by the USS Vincennes on July 3rd, 1988. Since I do not know enough to point out any flaws in the author's obviously well-informed analysis, I'll just say that it all certainly seemed well-argued, balanced and thoroughly detailed. Zatarain does not shy away from placing blame where he thinks it should be--either on the American or Iranian side. Hopefully all of his detailed analysis will offer some final closure to this very unfortunate civilian airliner incident. Although in hindsight, based largely on what I learned from this book, I think the Reagan administration might have handled the "PR" aspects of this incident a bit better, I also found it disgusting (although unsurprising) that the Iranians simply used the tragedy as a propaganda ploy in an attempt to tarnish the image of the (so-called) "Great Satan."
Overall, the author's in-depth coverage and analysis of all the actions and key decisions that were covered in the book came off as very astute. As far as I can tell, the book discusses every significant event that took place during this 1987-1988 conflict, including the various codenamed U.S. military operations (i.e. Operations Earnest Will, Prime Chance, Eager Glacier, Nimble Archer and Praying Mantis). Although I haven't read any other titles on the subject, I think 'Tanker War' clearly establishes itself as the definitive book on this period of conflict in the Persian Gulf, since I don't see how anyone could write a more thoughtful, balanced and well-researched account. Possibly a more informed and detailed book on this topic will be written one day, perhaps when more documents are declassified, but for now this is the one book to read for those who are sincerely interested.
See also Inside the Danger Zone: The U.S. Military in the Persian Gulf, 1987-1988.
"Tanker War" is unquestionably the definitive book about the events in the Persian Gulf in 1987-88. It is also just a darn good story, told well. I heartily applaud Mr. Zatarain's extraordinary accomplishment in the telling of the story of the Tanker War.
The book does an exceptional job laying out the geopolitical currents of the era and the background behind the seminal events. Against this tapestry, Mr. Zatarain tells the story of the U.S. Navy's largest, most complex and deadliest naval conflict since the end of WWII. This is the only time that some of the U.S. Navy's modern weapons systems have ever been used in combat. While subsequent history is replete with U.S. Navy involvement in land campaigns, at no other time in the modern era of radar guided missiles, modern data systems, electronic warfare, and jet aircraft and helicopters, has there been a head to head engagement of a modern armed force with the U.S. Navy carried out in an exclusively naval environment. However, even in the era of satellite communications and ubiquitous combat data links, the fog of war remained ever present. Whenever the fog of war intervenes there is subsequent controversy, and this is no exception. Mr. Zatarain gives a balanced presentation of these controversies and draws well reasoned conclusions about them.
The apex of the story is a detailed accounting of the events of April 18th 1988. On this day, the U.S. Navy fought a nine-hour long, wide open (what the Navy calls "red and free"), free-for-all engagement with the Iranian Navy, all over the Persian Gulf, in which a quarter of the Iranian Navy was sunk or disabled. One might well think that the result was a forgone conclusion given the size and abilities of the U.S. Navy, but what was little known until now is that the U.S. Navy faced catastrophe that day on at least four occasions and came out on the winning side each time. As in all military engagements, while the better trained and equipped forces often win, luck played a huge part. Victory was complete in the end but it was never certain. Disaster stalked the U.S. Navy all day that day and it makes for a gripping tale.
The author is a very capable writer who not only allows the subject matter to flow quite naturally, but he also offers sharp and much-welcomed analysis of all of the significant events in this little-known conflict.
I really enjoyed learning the details of the various command and diplomatic decisions that had to be made, how the US Army aviation elements were brought into the mix, how the various Special Ops units operated, the dynamics of modern shipboard operations, the capabilities of the various weapon systems and the details of the different engagements. The author came across as very thoughtful and refreshingly fair-minded. I actually enjoyed the final few chapters, which grind through a nitty-gritty, but still very interesting, analysis of the shooting down of Iranian Air Flight 655 by the USS Vincennes on July 3rd, 1988. Since I do not know enough to point out any flaws in the author's obviously well-informed analysis, I'll just say that it all certainly seemed well-argued, balanced and thoroughly detailed. Zatarain does not shy away from placing blame where he thinks it should be--either on the American or Iranian side. Hopefully all of his detailed analysis will offer some final closure to this very unfortunate civilian airliner incident. Although in hindsight, based largely on what I learned from this book, I think the Reagan administration might have handled the "PR" aspects of this incident a bit better, I also found it disgusting (although unsurprising) that the Iranians simply used the tragedy as a propaganda ploy in an attempt to tarnish the image of the (so-called) "Great Satan."
Overall, the author's in-depth coverage and analysis of all the actions and key decisions that were covered in the book came off as very astute. As far as I can tell, the book discusses every significant event that took place during this 1987-1988 conflict, including the various codenamed U.S. military operations (i.e. Operations Earnest Will, Prime Chance, Eager Glacier, Nimble Archer and Praying Mantis). Although I haven't read any other titles on the subject, I think 'Tanker War' clearly establishes itself as the definitive book on this period of conflict in the Persian Gulf, since I don't see how anyone could write a more thoughtful, balanced and well-researched account. Possibly a more informed and detailed book on this topic will be written one day, perhaps when more documents are declassified, but for now this is the one book to read for those who are sincerely interested.
See also Inside the Danger Zone: The U.S. Military in the Persian Gulf, 1987-1988.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2021
Does what it says on the tin, in style. All sides are presented as much as they can be. This along with One Hundred Days by Sandy Woodward encapsulate modern naval combat.
This book goes into depth about the early mining, cruise missile attacks, and the Vincennes shootdown. It sheds light on many less well-known aspects of the Persian Gulf conflict, such as the mobile sea bases, army helicopter involvement, and allied minesweeping efforts.
This book goes into depth about the early mining, cruise missile attacks, and the Vincennes shootdown. It sheds light on many less well-known aspects of the Persian Gulf conflict, such as the mobile sea bases, army helicopter involvement, and allied minesweeping efforts.
February 28, 2009
This is the definitive book on the 1987-1988 conflict in the Persian Gulf between forces of the United States of America and the so-called "Islamic Republic" of Iran. This conflict is often referred to as the "Tanker War" since it centered around attacks on oil tankers that were traversing the Gulf, and the efforts of US forces to prevent such attacks. The author, Lee Allen Zatarain, obviously gave this subject due diligence and performed a great deal of painstaking and thorough research, including numerous interviews with participants. The author does an outstanding job of covering the conflict at the diplomatic, senior command, and personal levels--and all points in between. Parts of the book are harrowing, such as the details of the Exocet missiles hitting the USS Stark and the ensuing damage control, and other parts are inspiring--including the USS Gary's heroic actions to defend itself and the mobile sea bases from inbound Silkworm missiles (and the author essentially proves that there were, indeed, inbound Silkworms on that day), as well as the determined efforts to save the USS Samuel B. Roberts after it struck an Iranian mine. The author is a very capable writer who not only allows the subject matter to flow quite naturally, but he also offers sharp and much-welcomed analysis of all of the significant events in this little-known conflict.
I really enjoyed learning the details of the various command and diplomatic decisions that had to be made, how the US Army aviation elements were brought into the mix, how the different Specials Ops units operated, some of the dynamics of shipboard operations, the capabilities of the various weapon systems and the details of the various engagements. The author came across as very thoughtful and fair-minded, which was very refreshing. I actually enjoyed the final few chapters, which grind through a nitty-gritty, but still very interesting, analysis of the shooting down of Iranian Air Flight 655 by the USS Vincennes on July 3rd, 1988. Since I don't know enough to point out any flaws in the author's obviously well-informed analysis, I'll just say that it all certainly seemed well-argued, balanced and thoroughly detailed. Zatarain does not shy away from placing blame where he thinks it should be--either on the American or Iranian side. Hopefully all of his detailed analysis will offer some final closure to this very unfortunate civilian airliner incident. Although in hindsight, based largely on what I learned from this book, I think the Reagan administration might have handled the "PR" aspects of this incident a bit better, I also found it disgusting (although unsurprising) that the Iranians simply used the tragedy as a propaganda ploy in an attempt to tarnish the image of the (so-called) "Great Satan."
Overall, the author's in-depth coverage and analysis of all the actions and key decisions that were covered in the book came off as very astute. As far as I can tell, the book discusses every significant event that took place during this 1987-1988 conflict, including the various codenamed U.S. military operations (i.e. Operations Earnest Will, Prime Chance, Eager Glacier, Nimble Archer and Praying Mantis). Although I haven't read any other titles on the subject, I think 'Tanker War' clearly establishes itself as the definitive book on this period of conflict in the Persian Gulf, since I don't see how anyone could write a more thoughtful, balanced and well-researched account. Possibly a more informed and detailed book on this topic will be written one day, perhaps when more documents are declassified, but for now this is the one book to read for those who are sincerely interested. Indeed, 'Tanker War' is the best book on naval history that I've read since 'Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway', by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully, and 'The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors', by James D. Hornfischer. It is exciting, thorough--without becoming repetitive and boring, and very well-written.
Finally, as someone who has lived and traveled extensively in the Middle East, Lee Allen Zatarain's comment, when discussing Iranian Air Flight 655 on page 309, that "airlines in the Middle East were notorious for their poor seat-belt discipline" also brought back some memories. If anything, I consider this comment of his as something of an understatement, since like so many things in that part of our planet, safety concerns are lackadaisical at best--seemingly due to a sad combination of general apathy, societal sloth, and a casual and unreflective disregard for human life that is often coupled with a religious mentality that encourages surrendering to fate. I feel that knowing all of this first-hand helped me to better appreciate and understand the deep tragedy that is painstakingly covered in the latter portions of this fine work.
If you are interested in the 1987-1988 "Tanker War" in the Persian Gulf, especially if you participated in this conflict, I encourage you to buy this book and read it. I'm very confident that you will not be disappointed.
I really enjoyed learning the details of the various command and diplomatic decisions that had to be made, how the US Army aviation elements were brought into the mix, how the different Specials Ops units operated, some of the dynamics of shipboard operations, the capabilities of the various weapon systems and the details of the various engagements. The author came across as very thoughtful and fair-minded, which was very refreshing. I actually enjoyed the final few chapters, which grind through a nitty-gritty, but still very interesting, analysis of the shooting down of Iranian Air Flight 655 by the USS Vincennes on July 3rd, 1988. Since I don't know enough to point out any flaws in the author's obviously well-informed analysis, I'll just say that it all certainly seemed well-argued, balanced and thoroughly detailed. Zatarain does not shy away from placing blame where he thinks it should be--either on the American or Iranian side. Hopefully all of his detailed analysis will offer some final closure to this very unfortunate civilian airliner incident. Although in hindsight, based largely on what I learned from this book, I think the Reagan administration might have handled the "PR" aspects of this incident a bit better, I also found it disgusting (although unsurprising) that the Iranians simply used the tragedy as a propaganda ploy in an attempt to tarnish the image of the (so-called) "Great Satan."
Overall, the author's in-depth coverage and analysis of all the actions and key decisions that were covered in the book came off as very astute. As far as I can tell, the book discusses every significant event that took place during this 1987-1988 conflict, including the various codenamed U.S. military operations (i.e. Operations Earnest Will, Prime Chance, Eager Glacier, Nimble Archer and Praying Mantis). Although I haven't read any other titles on the subject, I think 'Tanker War' clearly establishes itself as the definitive book on this period of conflict in the Persian Gulf, since I don't see how anyone could write a more thoughtful, balanced and well-researched account. Possibly a more informed and detailed book on this topic will be written one day, perhaps when more documents are declassified, but for now this is the one book to read for those who are sincerely interested. Indeed, 'Tanker War' is the best book on naval history that I've read since 'Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway', by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully, and 'The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors', by James D. Hornfischer. It is exciting, thorough--without becoming repetitive and boring, and very well-written.
Finally, as someone who has lived and traveled extensively in the Middle East, Lee Allen Zatarain's comment, when discussing Iranian Air Flight 655 on page 309, that "airlines in the Middle East were notorious for their poor seat-belt discipline" also brought back some memories. If anything, I consider this comment of his as something of an understatement, since like so many things in that part of our planet, safety concerns are lackadaisical at best--seemingly due to a sad combination of general apathy, societal sloth, and a casual and unreflective disregard for human life that is often coupled with a religious mentality that encourages surrendering to fate. I feel that knowing all of this first-hand helped me to better appreciate and understand the deep tragedy that is painstakingly covered in the latter portions of this fine work.
If you are interested in the 1987-1988 "Tanker War" in the Persian Gulf, especially if you participated in this conflict, I encourage you to buy this book and read it. I'm very confident that you will not be disappointed.
November 27, 2016
This book recounts the naval war that occurred in the Persian Gulf between 1987 and 1988. I was 15 when it started, and only vaguely remember talk of “problems” in the Gulf, bracketed by the deadly attack on the USS Stark and the shoot down of an Iranian commercial airliner a little more than a year later. (And perhaps, we could even extend it to the bombing of Pan Am 103.)
Between those two events (and shortly after) there was a raging tit-for-tat series of engagements employing everything from US Navy frigates, SEALs, Marines, Army special operations aviation, EOD personnel, and Special Boat Units.
The conflict took place in the larger context of the Iraq-Iran War, and dragged the US in after the Iraqis (ostensibly our allies) mistakenly took the Stark for Iranian shipping and nearly sank it. The Reagan administration hastily cobbled together a murky set of policy goals and agreed to escort reflagged Kuwaiti tankers through the Gulf to protect them from Iranian mine and small boat attacks which occurred with amazing frequency. (441 commercial ships were attacked during the Iran-Iraq conflict and 115 of these were sunk.)
Lee Allen Zatarain very skillfully details not only the foreign policy aspects of the conflict, but the nuts and bolts of naval surface operations (Earnest Will and Praying Mantis) with granular detail. The book illustrates the interplay between the plodding and complicated aspects of naval warfare and their international ramifications.
I haven’t been able to find any information on Zatarain, but he writes engaging sketches and portraits of the men involved from the deckplates on up. He has an incredible literary dexterity when describing the amazing multiplicity of factors that go into naval surface warfare, and the knowledge he demonstrates indicates he must (I strongly assume) be a former naval officer, or a long-time naval analyst with good access to the upper-reaches of the US Naval Surface Warfare community. (Edit: Apparently I'm wrong- but he did a damn good job of pulling all of this information together.)
Having never served in the military, I’ll admit I had to push through some of the more technical passages- but it was well worth the effort, as I’m intellectually richer for this glimpse into how complicated modern electronic-driven warfare at sea is- and how easy it is to get it wrong.
The “fog of war” and the problem of “signals to noise” are very evident in the incident of the mistaken shoot-down of Iran Air Flight 655. Accounting for roughly 25% of the text, Zatarain distills the official Navy report (1000 pages) and adds commentary from other actors involved or tangential to the event. Zatarain’s conclusion paints a picture of a perfect storm of factors that started as early as the moment the Vincennes was abruptly deployed to the Gulf, putting its Captain who hadn’t finished his qualifying training for the Aegis platform in an environment he was ill-prepared to operate in. (And subsequently how he managed and disbursed his crew in combat, and most importantly in the nerve center of the ship-the CIC.) This does not absolve the Iranians from brazenly ignoring protocols meant to safeguard commercial air flights over the Gulf, which was definitely at the time, an active warzone. They are equally at fault for this tragedy which they still portray as a deliberate action on behalf of the United States.
Given that we are still constantly on the edge with Iran, and in the Middle East in general, this is an important book to read about the interplay between military tactical action, strategy and the diplomatic environment. Probably more of interest to people who have served in the Navy in a surface warfare billet, but very timely and relevant especially now that we have a Commander-in-Chief who is full of aggressive bluster and may not understand that there are times when words must be chosen carefully, military force must be applied delicately, and rules of engagement exist for a reason...because every action in the Middle East, eventually, has a negative consequence.
Between those two events (and shortly after) there was a raging tit-for-tat series of engagements employing everything from US Navy frigates, SEALs, Marines, Army special operations aviation, EOD personnel, and Special Boat Units.
The conflict took place in the larger context of the Iraq-Iran War, and dragged the US in after the Iraqis (ostensibly our allies) mistakenly took the Stark for Iranian shipping and nearly sank it. The Reagan administration hastily cobbled together a murky set of policy goals and agreed to escort reflagged Kuwaiti tankers through the Gulf to protect them from Iranian mine and small boat attacks which occurred with amazing frequency. (441 commercial ships were attacked during the Iran-Iraq conflict and 115 of these were sunk.)
Lee Allen Zatarain very skillfully details not only the foreign policy aspects of the conflict, but the nuts and bolts of naval surface operations (Earnest Will and Praying Mantis) with granular detail. The book illustrates the interplay between the plodding and complicated aspects of naval warfare and their international ramifications.
I haven’t been able to find any information on Zatarain, but he writes engaging sketches and portraits of the men involved from the deckplates on up. He has an incredible literary dexterity when describing the amazing multiplicity of factors that go into naval surface warfare, and the knowledge he demonstrates indicates he must (I strongly assume) be a former naval officer, or a long-time naval analyst with good access to the upper-reaches of the US Naval Surface Warfare community. (Edit: Apparently I'm wrong- but he did a damn good job of pulling all of this information together.)
Having never served in the military, I’ll admit I had to push through some of the more technical passages- but it was well worth the effort, as I’m intellectually richer for this glimpse into how complicated modern electronic-driven warfare at sea is- and how easy it is to get it wrong.
The “fog of war” and the problem of “signals to noise” are very evident in the incident of the mistaken shoot-down of Iran Air Flight 655. Accounting for roughly 25% of the text, Zatarain distills the official Navy report (1000 pages) and adds commentary from other actors involved or tangential to the event. Zatarain’s conclusion paints a picture of a perfect storm of factors that started as early as the moment the Vincennes was abruptly deployed to the Gulf, putting its Captain who hadn’t finished his qualifying training for the Aegis platform in an environment he was ill-prepared to operate in. (And subsequently how he managed and disbursed his crew in combat, and most importantly in the nerve center of the ship-the CIC.) This does not absolve the Iranians from brazenly ignoring protocols meant to safeguard commercial air flights over the Gulf, which was definitely at the time, an active warzone. They are equally at fault for this tragedy which they still portray as a deliberate action on behalf of the United States.
Given that we are still constantly on the edge with Iran, and in the Middle East in general, this is an important book to read about the interplay between military tactical action, strategy and the diplomatic environment. Probably more of interest to people who have served in the Navy in a surface warfare billet, but very timely and relevant especially now that we have a Commander-in-Chief who is full of aggressive bluster and may not understand that there are times when words must be chosen carefully, military force must be applied delicately, and rules of engagement exist for a reason...because every action in the Middle East, eventually, has a negative consequence.
July 27, 2011
This is a shockingly well written book about the first and last major US naval warfare post WW II in the waters of the Persian Gulf and with the Iranian regular and irregular naval forces. As someone who was bombarded with anti-USA propaganda back in Iran back in 1980s, this book was very illuminating and eye opening. I liked it. And it rightly shows the true nature of the Iranian regime: Unpredictable, savage, brutal and careless. Its irregular naval forces were sent to kill and maim sailors in the international waters. Its regular Navy was sent to fight the strongest navy in the world (at times reading those passages angered me very much). This regime in Iran is as predictable as one can get. And this book has been successful in documenting it extensively. Guess today's politicians in UK & USA should read this book to learn that you cant deal with a crazy regime that has had no respect for the laws of the seas and warfare. It's also sad to see how a reckless US navy commander shot down an airliner. A mistake that could be prevented and the book goes into so much details about that incident, it gets boring. But it is a good one. It's a necessary one and I applaud the author.
The book gives us a window into possible war with Iran in the Persian gulf. Given the advances within the US navy warfare system, the old Iranian navy can not have much chance. It may employ its Russian & North Korean built submarines but on the surface it will not stand a chance. Also, the case of Asymmetrical war against the coalition forces (mainly UK & USA) is a possibility that this book discusses in details.
However there are things I did not understand and they may not be as important: Like the author is discussing the probable attack of an Iranian F-4 Phantom II on a US warship and recites the RANK and the training location of the pilot. How did he know it? Was this a bit of journalistic, fictional feat to add to the excitement? How did he know the rank of the said pilot as to be a major? Maybe he was a Captain? So things of this nature while made the book an exciting read calls into question the sources of the author as well.
But all in all, the book is worth the time and effort to read. I am happy I got to read it. A must read for every one! Good job! 5/5
The book gives us a window into possible war with Iran in the Persian gulf. Given the advances within the US navy warfare system, the old Iranian navy can not have much chance. It may employ its Russian & North Korean built submarines but on the surface it will not stand a chance. Also, the case of Asymmetrical war against the coalition forces (mainly UK & USA) is a possibility that this book discusses in details.
However there are things I did not understand and they may not be as important: Like the author is discussing the probable attack of an Iranian F-4 Phantom II on a US warship and recites the RANK and the training location of the pilot. How did he know it? Was this a bit of journalistic, fictional feat to add to the excitement? How did he know the rank of the said pilot as to be a major? Maybe he was a Captain? So things of this nature while made the book an exciting read calls into question the sources of the author as well.
But all in all, the book is worth the time and effort to read. I am happy I got to read it. A must read for every one! Good job! 5/5
July 30, 2012
A well-researched book in the same vein as 'Blackhawk Down' or 'Not A Good Day To Die,' this book chronicles US naval actions in the Arabian Gulf from the USS Stark to the USS Vincennes. In good conscience I could not rate 'Tanker Wars' with five-stars as it only provided rare and superficial speculations into the mindset of the Iranian Navy and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. The book is often quoted as a tome of insight into the Persian mind, this it is not, but rather it is a reflective self-image of the American effort during the 'Tanker Wars.'
April 16, 2011
Excellent description of the disparate actions that made up our quasi war with the Iranians in the Reagan administration.
I only wish it was a little more detailed, and didn't spend quite so much time on the U.S.S. Vincennes shootdown of the Iranian airliner.
I only wish it was a little more detailed, and didn't spend quite so much time on the U.S.S. Vincennes shootdown of the Iranian airliner.
October 8, 2020
America's First Clash with Iran: The Tanker War 1987-88 by Lee A Zatarain is an account of the American involvement in the Iran-Iraq war. Zatarain earned both his Bachelor's and JD from Louisiana State University. He currently works as an attorney for the energy industry and resides in Texas.
I was just leaving the Marines when the tanker war started in 1987. I spent 1985 and part of 1986 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia serving on Embassy Duty, and remembered most of the events leading up to the re-flagging of the Kuwaiti tankers. I remember the AWACs crews in Saudi – Elf1. I also remember the rumors (later confirmed) that information from the AWACs was turned over to the Saudi government with the understanding that it would not be given to Iraq.... wink, wink. Saddam may not have been liked, but he had the support of the Gulf States and the West. Britain sold their desert camouflage uniforms to Iraq. America, although restricted from selling military goods to either side in the conflict did manage to export military vehicles and helicopters to Iraq as farm equipment. Henry Kissinger said of the war, “It's too bad they both can't lose.” That quote pretty much summed up the feelings of most, even though the Iranian hostage crisis was still fresh in the minds of many Americans.
America's First Clash opens with the Iraqi attack on the USS Stark in the Persian Gulf. The attack, although claimed to be accidental, killed thirty-seven sailors. The Stark for a variety of reasons did not fire in defense or deploy any defensive measures against a friendly plane. Iraq apologized. The pilot was rumored to either have been rewarded for his actions or purged for them; there is no definitive answer. Later American military personnel complained, after close calls, that Iraqi pilots shoot at radar blips without confirming the target.
Kuwait felt the most pressure from the Iranian attacks on oil shipping. It started to appeal to the Soviets for protection, which in turn convinced the US to jump in before the Gulf was filled with Soviet warships. America, once it realized the extent of the support needed to escort the reflagged ship, requested permission to set up a base; both Saudi and Kuwait refused. Reagan responded to the American people that we never asked to set up a base. Although the protection of America's much needed oil would be the publicly acknowledged as the reason to send the military to the Gulf, only 5% of the oil consumed by the United States came through the Persian Gulf. The threat of a Soviet presence was much more of the reason for action.
A Kuwaiti oil tanker company did agree to pay the lease on two floating oil service barges for the navy to use as mobile sea bases. These barges were located in international waters and could be very easy targets for Iranian attack. The lack of a base was not the only problem for the American forces. The escort ships started duty without minesweepers. Iran relied heavily on mines in the gulf. In fact, the first ship captured by the American forces was the Iran Ajr in the process of laying mines. Mines were successful and cheap to produce. The USS Roberts sustained $95 million worth of damage from a single mine that cost $1,500 to make. Iran boasted it could churn out mines like seeds. Mines remained a hazard in the Gulf even after the conflict was resolved.
Operation Earnest Will was the name of the military escort operation. Inside America's First Clash, the background and events are covered in great detail and well documented. In addition to the main operation, Operation Prime Chance, Operation Nimble Archer, and Operation Praying Mantis are covered in great detail. Perhaps one of the greatest mistakes made by the US was the downing of Iran Air Flight 655; an Airbus A300 mistaken for an Iranian F14. Zatarain gives a very detailed and fair examination of this event that killed 290 civilian passengers.
I remember following these event very closely as they happened and researching many of the same events as a graduate student studying security policy. Zatarain does an outstanding job with both his research and writing. This bit of history, the US involvement in the Iran-Iraq War, will set the stage for America's return to the Gulf just two years later as part of a United Nations authorized coalition and still continues to justify America's presence in the Gulf. An outstanding read.
I was just leaving the Marines when the tanker war started in 1987. I spent 1985 and part of 1986 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia serving on Embassy Duty, and remembered most of the events leading up to the re-flagging of the Kuwaiti tankers. I remember the AWACs crews in Saudi – Elf1. I also remember the rumors (later confirmed) that information from the AWACs was turned over to the Saudi government with the understanding that it would not be given to Iraq.... wink, wink. Saddam may not have been liked, but he had the support of the Gulf States and the West. Britain sold their desert camouflage uniforms to Iraq. America, although restricted from selling military goods to either side in the conflict did manage to export military vehicles and helicopters to Iraq as farm equipment. Henry Kissinger said of the war, “It's too bad they both can't lose.” That quote pretty much summed up the feelings of most, even though the Iranian hostage crisis was still fresh in the minds of many Americans.
America's First Clash opens with the Iraqi attack on the USS Stark in the Persian Gulf. The attack, although claimed to be accidental, killed thirty-seven sailors. The Stark for a variety of reasons did not fire in defense or deploy any defensive measures against a friendly plane. Iraq apologized. The pilot was rumored to either have been rewarded for his actions or purged for them; there is no definitive answer. Later American military personnel complained, after close calls, that Iraqi pilots shoot at radar blips without confirming the target.
Kuwait felt the most pressure from the Iranian attacks on oil shipping. It started to appeal to the Soviets for protection, which in turn convinced the US to jump in before the Gulf was filled with Soviet warships. America, once it realized the extent of the support needed to escort the reflagged ship, requested permission to set up a base; both Saudi and Kuwait refused. Reagan responded to the American people that we never asked to set up a base. Although the protection of America's much needed oil would be the publicly acknowledged as the reason to send the military to the Gulf, only 5% of the oil consumed by the United States came through the Persian Gulf. The threat of a Soviet presence was much more of the reason for action.
A Kuwaiti oil tanker company did agree to pay the lease on two floating oil service barges for the navy to use as mobile sea bases. These barges were located in international waters and could be very easy targets for Iranian attack. The lack of a base was not the only problem for the American forces. The escort ships started duty without minesweepers. Iran relied heavily on mines in the gulf. In fact, the first ship captured by the American forces was the Iran Ajr in the process of laying mines. Mines were successful and cheap to produce. The USS Roberts sustained $95 million worth of damage from a single mine that cost $1,500 to make. Iran boasted it could churn out mines like seeds. Mines remained a hazard in the Gulf even after the conflict was resolved.
Operation Earnest Will was the name of the military escort operation. Inside America's First Clash, the background and events are covered in great detail and well documented. In addition to the main operation, Operation Prime Chance, Operation Nimble Archer, and Operation Praying Mantis are covered in great detail. Perhaps one of the greatest mistakes made by the US was the downing of Iran Air Flight 655; an Airbus A300 mistaken for an Iranian F14. Zatarain gives a very detailed and fair examination of this event that killed 290 civilian passengers.
I remember following these event very closely as they happened and researching many of the same events as a graduate student studying security policy. Zatarain does an outstanding job with both his research and writing. This bit of history, the US involvement in the Iran-Iraq War, will set the stage for America's return to the Gulf just two years later as part of a United Nations authorized coalition and still continues to justify America's presence in the Gulf. An outstanding read.
October 1, 2017
A very interesting look into the US's involvement in the 'Tankers War." The last several chapters covers the USS Vincennes shooting down of the commercial airliner, Iran Air Flight 655. The author goes through a lot of the post investigations findings and even some of the conspiracy theories about the incident. The author doesn't really state that any one theory for the shooting is more accurate than the other, but a combination of several things that lead up to it.
What I find interesting is all of the failures by the US Navy's actions and the various technological equipment that are covered in the book through out the US involvement and not just with the USS Vincennes. The author is not trying to be negative to anything, but show a neutral critical view that these things do happen unlike what what is written in most fiction modern or near-modern naval conflicts. Overall, the author is still very positive in his views of the US Navy conduct.
What I find interesting is all of the failures by the US Navy's actions and the various technological equipment that are covered in the book through out the US involvement and not just with the USS Vincennes. The author is not trying to be negative to anything, but show a neutral critical view that these things do happen unlike what what is written in most fiction modern or near-modern naval conflicts. Overall, the author is still very positive in his views of the US Navy conduct.
September 28, 2019
An in-depth look at the conflict that should be read cautiously. The facts are overburdened by the author’s personal opinion and the pages are littered with editorial errors.
April 7, 2022
Loaded with action. Tells the full story of events that many have forgotten or did not know about.
August 9, 2016
The book is detail heavy, which is both good and bad. Good if you like the topic being discussed, but bad if the topic is not so interesting as it means a long, dragging read. I found myself "zoning-out" on some of the less interesting parts of the book, and I felt it could've done a bit more editing to make for a smoother and better reading experience.
However, despite my misgivings, I think this is still one of the best books about modern naval warfare as when it is good, it is REALLY good. The sections related to the actual "Operation Praying Mantis" is awesome, and gives valuable new insight about the operation especially with regards to the Silkworm missile attacks on the US ships.
However, despite my misgivings, I think this is still one of the best books about modern naval warfare as when it is good, it is REALLY good. The sections related to the actual "Operation Praying Mantis" is awesome, and gives valuable new insight about the operation especially with regards to the Silkworm missile attacks on the US ships.
April 22, 2014
interesting and at times exciting, Zatarain paints a clear picture of the conflict in the Gulf back in the late 80s which culminated in the shoot down of an Iranian Civilian Airplane with over 220 people on board. The book shows how time and time again we expect certain reactions, but get totally different ones. It is hard to predict what will occur as a result of an action, and then trying to forsee second and third order effects.
Read
August 1, 2011This book started out excellent, but near the end seemed to get a little bogged down in redundancy. I do highly recommend it as good info on an almost forgotten event .
May 17, 2012
Well worth reading, the sections about STARK and SAMUEL B. ROBERTS were excellent, but other parts had to be slogged through. In the end, I learned a lot and it was worth my time.
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