USS
Stark was deployed to the
Middle East Force in 1984 and 1987. Captain
Glenn R. Brindel was the
commanding officer during the 1987 deployment. The ship was struck on 17 May 1987 by two
Exocet anti-ship missiles during the
Iran–Iraq War fired from an Iraqi aircraft officially identified as a
Dassault Mirage F1 fighter, The Reagan administration attributed the blame to Iran for its alleged belligerence in the underlying conflict. The plane had taken off from
Shaibah, Iraq at 20:00 and had flown south into the
Persian Gulf. The pilot fired the first Exocet missile from a range of , and the second from , just about the time
Stark issued a standard warning by radio. The frigate did not detect the missiles with radar; warning was given by the lookout only moments before the missiles struck.
Mark 36 SRBOC countermeasures were not armed until seconds before the missile hit. The attacking Exocet missiles and Mirage aircraft were in a blindspot of the STIR
fire control director (Separate tracking and illumination Radar, part of the
Mk 92 Guided Missile Fire Control System), and the
Oto Melara Mk 75
76 mm/62 caliber naval gun, but in the clear for the MK 92 CAS (Combined Antenna System, primary search and tracking radar of the Mk 92 Guided Missile Fire Control System) and the Mk 13 Mod 4 single-arm launcher. The ship failed to maneuver to bring its Mk 75 to bear before the first missile hit. she returned to her home port of
Naval Station Mayport, under her own power. The ship was eventually repaired at
Ingalls Shipbuilding in
Mississippi for $142 million. It is unknown whether Iraqi leaders authorized the attack. Initial claims by the Iraqi government that
Stark was inside the Iran–Iraq War zone were shown to be false. The motives and orders of the pilot remain unanswered. American officials have claimed he was executed, but an ex-Iraqi Air Force commander later said that the pilot who attacked
Stark was not punished, and remained alive. According to Jean-Louis Bernard, author of
Heroes of Bagdad, the pilot, Abdul Rhaman, not only was not punished, but received the
Medal of Bravery at the end of "a joint Iraqi-American commission of inquiry." His subsequent defection is not mentioned in this book. Jean-Louis Bernard also confirms the use of a Falcon 50 during this action. Citing lapses in training requirements and lax procedures, the U.S. Navy's board of inquiry relieved Captain Brindel of command and recommended him for
court-martial, along with
tactical action officer Lieutenant Basil E. Moncrief. Instead, Brindel and Moncrief received
non-judicial punishment from
Admiral Frank B. Kelso II and
letters of reprimand. Brindel opted for early retirement while Moncrief resigned his commission after only eight years of service. The
executive officer,
Lieutenant Commander Raymond Gajan Jr., was detached for cause and received a letter of admonition. ==1990s==