Operation Prime Chance
Part of Iran-Iraq War
A U.S. Navy crewman stands atop the cabin of a PB Mark III patrol boat tied up to the oil rig service barge Wimbrown VII in the northern Persian Gulf. From lower to upper right, the barge is armed with an M-2 .50-caliber machine gun, a Mark 2 81mm mortar, and a Mark 19 40mm grenade-launcher.
Date August 1987 - June 1989 Location Persian Gulf Casus belli Mining of the U.S.-flagged Kuwaiti oil tanker al-Rekkah. Result Operation Praying Mantis
Combatants
United States Special Operations Command	Iranian Navy

An aerial view of the leased barge Hercules with three Mark III patrol boats and the tugboat Mister John H tied up alongside in the northern Persian Gulf.

Operation Prime Chance (August 1987-June 1989) was a United States Special Operations Command operation intended to protect U.S.-flagged oil tankers from Iranian attack during the Iran-Iraq War. The operation took place roughly at the same time as Operation Earnest Will (July 1987-December 1988), the largely Navy effort to escort the tankers through the Persian Gulf. Combatants United States Navy Iranian Navy Strength 1 aircraft carrier, 1 amphibious transport dock 4 destroyers 1 guided missile cruiser 3 frigates 4 frigates 4 Corvettes Several Mine Layers Several Missile Craft Operation Earnest Will (24 July 1987 - 26 September 1988) was the U.S. military protection of Kuwaiti oil... Operation Eager Glacier was a secret U.S. effort to spy on Iran with aircraft in 1987 and 1988. ... Operation Nimble Archer was the 19 October 1987 attack on two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf by United States Navy forces. ... Iranian frigate IS Sahand (74) attacked by aircraft of U.S. Navy Carrier Air Wing 11 in retaliation for the mining of the guided missile frigate USS . ... Image File history File links PrimeChanceHercules. ... Image File history File links PrimeChanceHercules. ... Emblem of the United States Special Operations Command. ... Combatants  Iran Iraq Commanders Ruhollah Khomeini, Abolhassan Banisadr, Ali Shamkhani, Mostafa Chamran Saddam Hussein, Ali Hassan al-Majid Strength 305,000 soldiers 500,000 Passdaran and Basij militia 900 tanks 1,000 armored vehicles 3,000 artillery pieces 470 aircraft 750 helicopters[1] 190,000 soldiers 5,000 tanks 4... Combatants United States Navy Iranian Navy Strength 1 aircraft carrier, 1 amphibious transport dock 4 destroyers 1 guided missile cruiser 3 frigates 4 frigates 4 Corvettes Several Mine Layers Several Missile Craft Operation Earnest Will (24 July 1987 - 26 September 1988) was the U.S. military protection of Kuwaiti oil... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... Map of the Persian Gulf. ...

Overview

The two operations were intertwined — U.S. Army helicopters flew nighttime search-and-destroy missions from Navy frigates and destroyers and from two leased barges in the northern Persian Gulf. Navy SEALs operated from the barges as well. But while Earnest Will was the widely publicized reaction to Kuwaiti pleas for help, Prime Chance was secret. The Army helicopters flew at night, slipping to and from Navy flight decks under cover of darkness. The helicopter pilots often flew some 30 feet above the water, and became the first to use night vision goggles and forward looking infrared devices in combat. Tactics included using MH-6s as spotters for the more heavily armed AH-6s (for barge-launched missions), and using the warship's radar and that of their SH-60 Seahawk helicopters for the same purpose (on ship-launched efforts).^[1] The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... For the bird, see Frigatebird. ... USS McFaul underway in the Atlantic Ocean. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Experimental night vision goggles. ... A forward looking infrared (FLIR) system is a camera that takes pictures using the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk. ...

Planning

Planning and preparation for Prime Chance was launched soon after a tanker on the very first Earnest Will convoy struck a mine, which made it clear that more forces would be necessary to assure the safety of the civilian vessels. The Joint Chiefs of Staff launched a search for helicopter pilots who could fly at night from Navy ships, then set out to train them for the special requirements of the job. Helicopters from the Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) reached the Navy's command ship USS La Salle (AGF-3) in the Gulf on August 5, 1987. The detachment was divided into two teams, with call sign SEABAT and one MH-6, two AH-6s, aircrew, and maintainers. On August 8, one detachment participated in a convoy escort mission aboard La Salle. The other flew onto USS Klakring (FFG-42) to protect minesweeping tugboats operating in the narrow shipping channel west of Farsi Island. The following day, the La Salle detachment transferred to USS Jarrett (FFG-33) and escorted the convoy to the Gulf of Oman.^[1] A convoy is a group of vehicles traveling together for mutual support. ... Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States of America symbol The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is a grouping comprising the Chiefs of service of each major branch of the armed services in the United States armed forces. ... The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) (160th SOAR (A)) is a special operations force of the United States Army that provides aviation support by helicopters to general purpose forces and other special operations forces. ... The second USS La Salle (LPD-3/AGF-3) was built as a Raleigh-class amphibious transport dock and later served as a command ship in the United States Navy. ... In the United States military, the MH-6 Little Bird is a cargo variant of the Hughes H-6, most notably used by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. ... USS Klakring (FFG-42), an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, is a ship of the United States Navy named for Rear Admiral Thomas B. Klakring (born 1904), who was awarded three Navy Crosses as commander of the submarine USS Guardfish (SS-217) during World War II. Klakring was laid down... Farsi is one of the Iranian (Persian) islands in the Persian Gulf. ... USS Jarrett (FFG-33), twenty-fifth ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry class of guided-missile frigates, was named for Vice Admiral Harry B. Jarrett (1898–1974). ... Gulf of Oman The Gulf of Oman (Arabic: خليج عمان; transliterated: khalÄ«j Ê¿umān, Persian: دریای عمان یا دریای پازس; transliterated: daryā-ye Ê¿omān,Pars) Persian sea is a strait that connects the Arabian Sea with the Persian Gulf; it is generally included as a branch of the Persian Gulf, not as an arm of...

Execution

Soon afterward, operations began from the barges, dubbed Mobile Sea Bases (MSBs). They were set up as Naval Special Warfare Task Units (NSWTU) run by a SEAL commander and answering to the regional Naval Special Warfare Task Group. Their mission was to stop Iranian forces from mining the Gulf or otherwise attacking shipping. Each mobile sea base had two detachments of Mark III patrol boats, a SEAL platoon, Marines to provide security, Army MH-6 and AH-6 Little Bird helicopter gunships and Black Hawk rescue birds, and Air Force combat air controllers. Mobile Sea Base Hercules was manned by East Coast naval special warfare units, including Patrol Boats 777 and 758 from Special Boat Unit 20 and Special Boat Unit 24. Mobile Sea Base Wimbrown 7 was manned by West Coast units, including Patrol Boats 753 and 757 from Special Boat Unit 13 and Patrol Boats 775 and 776 from Special Boat Unit 12.^[2] Swift Boat PCF71 in Vietnam, showing forward twin . ... Platoon of the German Bundeswehr. ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ... It has been suggested that Sikorsky S-70 be merged into this article or section. ... Seal of the Air Force. ...

The operation's most dramatic engagement was likely the September 21, 1987, attack on the Iran Ajr, an Iranian ship converted for use as a minelayer. Using night-vision devices, Army gunship crews watched the Iranian vessel lay several mines, then swooped in firing miniguns and rockets. A SEAL team boarded the vessel and quickly seized it. Several Iranian sailors were rescued from the waters of the Gulf after jumping overboard during the attack. The SEALs scuttled the vessel the following day.^[3] Story The Iranian ship found laying mines that was bombed, boarded, and scuttled by the United States Navy and U.S. Navy SEALs on September 21, 1987 in Operation Prime Chance of the Iran-Iraq war. ... A minelayer is a naval ship used for deploying sea mines. ... A naval mine is a stationary self-contained explosive device placed in water, to destroy ships and/or submarines. ...

In January 1988, Task Force 118 arrived with OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters. The OH-58 Kiowa is a family of single-engine, single-rotor, observation and light attack helicopters manufactured by Bell Helicopter Textron and originally based on the companys Bell 206A JetRanger helicopter. ...

Earnest Will ended about five months after the Iran-Iraq ceasefire began in July 1988. Wimbrown 7 soon returned to port, but Prime Chance patrols continued from Hercules until June 1989.^[2]

Units

Units involved in Prime Chance include:

• 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), aka the "Night Stalkers", the Army's elite special-operations flight squadron
• Task Force 118, a regular army aviation unit flying AH-58D Warrior helicopters whose mast mounted IR sights helped spot small boats. In 1990, the unit became 4th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, and then, in 1994, it became 4th Squadron, 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment^[4]
• Mobile Sea Base Hercules and Wimbrown 7, barges leased from an oil company for use by SEALs, Navy small-boat crews, and Army helicopters
• USS Deyo (DD-989)^[5]
• USS John A. Moore (FFG-19)
• USS Klakring (FFG-42)
• USS La Salle (AGF-3)
• USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58)
• USS Copeland (FFG-25)
• SEAL Team 1
• SEAL Team 2
• Special Boat Unit 12
• Special Boat Unit 13
• 3/4 ADAR, 82nd Airborne Div. Vulcan Crews provided surface defense

The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) (160th SOAR (A)) is a special operations force of the United States Army that provides helicopter aviation support to general purpose forces and Special Operations Forces. ... The OH-58 Kiowa is a family of single-engine, single-rotor, observation and light attack helicopters manufactured by Bell Helicopter Textron and originally based on the companys Bell 206A JetRanger helicopter. ... The 17th Cavalry is a historical organization within the United States Army that began as a regiment of cavalry after the Pancho Villa Expedition; Constituted 1 July 1916 in the Regular Army as the 17th Cavalry at Fort Bliss, Texas[1] and originally inactivated 26 September 1921 at the Presidio... Coat of Arms of the United States Army 2d Cavalry Regiment Shoulder Sleeve Insignia of the United States Army 2d Cavalry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia of the United States Army 2d Cavalry Regiment The 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment (2d ACR) —established by President Andrew Jackson on May 23, 1836 as... USS Deyo (DD-989), a Spruance-class destroyer, was a ship of the United States Navy named for Vice Admiral Morton L. Deyo (1887–1973), a veteran destroyerman and distinguished naval gunfire support task force commander of World War II. Deyo was laid down on 14 October 1977 by Ingalls... USS (FFG-19), eleventh ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry class of guided-missile frigates, was named for Commander John A. Moore (1910–1944). ... USS Klakring (FFG-42), an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, is a ship of the United States Navy named for Rear Admiral Thomas B. Klakring (born 1904), who was awarded three Navy Crosses as commander of the submarine USS Guardfish (SS-217) during World War II. Klakring was laid down... The second USS La Salle (LPD-3/AGF-3) was built as a Raleigh-class amphibious transport dock and later served as a command ship in the United States Navy. ... USS (FFG-58) is one of the final ships in the United States Navys Oliver Hazard Perry class of guided missile frigates. ... USS Copeland (FFG-25) was the seventeenth ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class of guided-missile frigates in the United States Navy. ...

References

See also

• Operation Earnest Will
• Iran-Iraq War

Combatants United States Navy Iranian Navy Strength 1 aircraft carrier, 1 amphibious transport dock 4 destroyers 1 guided missile cruiser 3 frigates 4 frigates 4 Corvettes Several Mine Layers Several Missile Craft Operation Earnest Will (24 July 1987 - 26 September 1988) was the U.S. military protection of Kuwaiti oil... Combatants  Iran Iraq Commanders Ruhollah Khomeini, Abolhassan Banisadr, Ali Shamkhani, Mostafa Chamran Saddam Hussein, Ali Hassan al-Majid Strength 305,000 soldiers 500,000 Passdaran and Basij militia 900 tanks 1,000 armored vehicles 3,000 artillery pieces 470 aircraft 750 helicopters[1] 190,000 soldiers 5,000 tanks 4...

External links

• A warrant officer's personal TF118 narrative
• Attack on Iran Ajr
• Photos of the captured Iran Ajr, its mines, its sailors

Other information

• Report, Dr. John Partin, History and Research Office, USSOCCOM, Special Operations Forces in Operation EARNEST WILL/PRIME CHANCE I, April 1998.
• Book, Inside the Navy Seals, By Gary Stubblefield.
• Peniston, Bradley (2006). No Higher Honor: Saving the USS Samuel B. Roberts in the Persian Gulf. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-661-5.  (Briefly discusses TF118 operations from a U.S. Navy frigate)
• Wise, Harold Lee (2007). Inside the Danger Zone: The U.S. Military in the Persian Gulf 1987-88. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-970-3.