| Bridgeton incident | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Tanker War | |
 The convoy's route | |
| Type | Naval mining |
| Location | 13 miles west of Farsi Island, Persian Gulf 27°58′N 49°50′E / 27.967°N 49.833°E |
| Target | the US-escorted convoy |
| Date | 24 July 1987 |
| Executed by | IRGC Navy base in Farsi Island |
| Outcome | A mine successfully hit the escorted tanker |
The Bridgeton incident was the mining of the supertanker SS Bridgeton by Iranian IRGC navy near Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf on July 24, 1987.[1][2] The ship was sailing in the first convoy of Operation Earnest Will, the U.S. response to Kuwaiti requests to protect its tankers from attack amid the Iran–Iraq War.[3]
The explosion of an Iranian mine in the Gulf's shipping channel damaged Bridgeton's outer hull but did not prevent it from completing its voyage.[4] Nevertheless, the incident was a propaganda victory for Iran.[5] The captain of the ship complained about the information given to the press, by United States politicians following a meeting with President Reagan, and the fact that four warships and a carrier group could not prevent Iran from placing a small minefield in the supposedly secret, but compromised, route of the tanker.[6]
- ^ Gibson, Bryan R (2010). Covert Relationship: American Foreign Policy, Intelligence, and the Iran-Iraq War, 1980–1988. Praeger. p. 202. ISBN 978-0313386107.
- ^ Haghshenass, Fariborz. "Iran's Asymmetric Naval Warfare" (PDF). washingtoninstitute. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-04-17. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Peniston-2006was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cordesman, Anthony H; Wagner, Abraham (1991). The Lessons of Modern War, Vol. 2: The Iran-Iraq War (PDF). Westview Press. pp. 29–30. ISBN 978-0813313306. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-01-04. Retrieved 2015-12-26.
- ^ Cordesman, Anthony H; Wagner, Abraham (1991). The Lessons of Modern War, Vol. 2: The Iran-Iraq War (PDF). Westview Press. p. 30. ISBN 978-0813313306. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-01-04. Retrieved 2015-12-26.
- ^ Stillwell, Paul (May 1988). "All Issues SS Bridgeton: The First Convoy". U.S. Naval Institute. Retrieved 24 July 2019.