HQ$History - United States Special Operations Command

AH-6 helicopter fire sank this Iranian Boghammer during a
firefight on 8 October 1987.
Island, within 15 miles of each other, and sent
patrol boats and helicopters on regular patrols.
In November 1987, two MH-60 Blackhawk helicopters
arrived to provide nighttime combat
search and rescue (CSAR). As EARNEST WILL
continued, SOF were rotated on a regular basis;
eventually, some personnel rotated back to the
Persian Gulf for second and third tours. In
1988, the Army replaced the AH/MH-6 helicopters
and crews with OH-58D Kiowa helicopters.
On 14 April 1988, about 65 miles east of
Bahrain, the U.S. frigate Samuel B. Roberts
(FFG-58) hit a mine, blowing a 30 by 23 foot hole
in its hull. Ten sailors were injured. The United
States struck back hard, attacking the Iranian
frigate Sabalan and oil platforms in the Sirri
and Sassan oil fields on 18 April during
Operation PRAYING MANTIS. After U.S. warships
bombarded the Sirri platform and set it
ablaze, a UH-60 with a SEAL platoon flew
SEALs approaching the Rashadat Gas/Oil Separation Platform
after naval shelling.
toward the platform but was unable
to get close enough because of the
roaring fire. Secondary explosions
soon wrecked the platform.
Elsewhere, U.S. forces wreaked
havoc on Iranian vessels, sinking two
and damaging five others. In the
northern Persian Gulf, Iranian forces
fired two Silkworm missiles at the
mobile sea barges, but chaff fired by
the frigate Gary decoyed the missiles.
Later that day Iranian F-4 jet fighters
and patrol boats approached the
mobile sea bases, but fled when the
Gary locked its fire control radars on
them.
Thereafter, Iranian attacks on neutral ships
dropped drastically. On 18 July, Iran accepted
the United Nations cease fire; on 20 August
1988, the Iran-Iraq War ended. On 16 July, the
last AH-6 and MH-6 helicopters departed from
the theater. In December 1988, the Wimbrown
VII entered a Bahraini shipyard for reconversion
to civilian use. The final EARNEST WILL convoy
was run that month. The U.S. Navy had
escorted 259 ships in 127 convoys since June
1987. The mobile sea base Hercules was not
withdrawn until September 1989. The remaining
SEALs, patrol boats, and helicopters then
returned to the United States.
Special Operations Forces provided the critical
skills necessary to help CENTCOM gain control
of the northern Persian Gulf and counter
Iran’s small boats and minelayers. Their ability
to work at night proved vital, since Iranian units
used darkness to hide their actions. The most
important lessons to come out of
Operation EARNEST WILL were
the need to have highly trained
Special Operations Forces capable
of responding rapidly to crises anywhere
around the globe and the
vital need for interoperability
between conventional and Special
Operations Forces. Additionally,
based on EARNEST WILL operational
requirements, USSOCOM
would acquire new weapons systems—the
patrol coastal ships and
the MARK V Special Operations
Craft.
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