Dramatically illustrated, this is an expert account of America’s biggest surface battle since World War II, when the US Navy took on Iran’s navy and air force in open combat. Operation Praying Mantis was the culmination of the 1980s Tanker Wars in the Persian Gulf between the US and Iran. This one-day naval battle was a rare full-scale clash between modern warships, and until 2026 was the only occasion since World War II in which the US Navy sank a major surface combatant.In this book, Professor Si Sheppard draws upon his academic research to provide a thorough briefing on the background to the battle. For more than a year, Operation Earnest Will had protected Kuwaiti oil tankers from Iranian missile and mine attacks in the largest naval convoy operation since World War II, while helicopters of the 160th SOAR and SEAL fast boats fought a cat-and-mouse campaign against Iran’s minelayers in Operation Prime Chance. However, when the USS Samuel B. Roberts was nearly sunk by an Iranian mine, the US Navy planned an open offensive against Iran’s military installations. With dramatic new artwork, maps, and photos, this book offers a blow-by-blow account of how Praying Mantis unfolded, how Iran responded with its surface fleet, Boghammar speedboats, airpower and Silkworm missiles, and how in the ensuing battle the US Navy prevailed, sinking one frigate, crippling another, and decimating Iran’s naval forces in the Persian Gulf.

Dramatically illustrated, this is an expert account of America’s biggest surface battle since World War II, when the US Navy took on Iran’s navy and air force in open combat. Operation Praying Mantis was the culmination of the 1980s Tanker Wars in the Persian Gulf between the US and Iran. This one-day naval battle was a rare full-scale clash between modern warships, and until 2026 was the only occasion since World War II in which the US Navy sank a major surface combatant.In this book, Professor Si Sheppard draws upon his academic research to provide a thorough briefing on the background to the battle. For more than a year, Operation Earnest Will had protected Kuwaiti oil tankers from Iranian missile and mine attacks in the largest naval convoy operation since World War II, while helicopters of the 160th SOAR and SEAL fast boats fought a cat-and-mouse campaign against Iran’s minelayers in Operation Prime Chance. However, when the USS Samuel B. Roberts was nearly sunk by an Iranian mine, the US Navy planned an open offensive against Iran’s military installations. With dramatic new artwork, maps, and photos, this book offers a blow-by-blow account of how Praying Mantis unfolded, how Iran responded with its surface fleet, Boghammar speedboats, airpower and Silkworm missiles, and how in the ensuing battle the US Navy prevailed, sinking one frigate, crippling another, and decimating Iran’s naval forces in the Persian Gulf.