Operation Praying Mantis

A preview from my upcoming book in the works, on the anniversarry of OPM

April 18 1988 would turn out to be one of the most disastrous days in the history of the Iranian Navy. On that day an American Naval force composed of 12 warships, led by the USS Coronado LPD-11 approached Bandar Abbas. Battle commenced when Surface Action Group Bravo, composed of the USS Merrill DD-976, USS Lynde McCormick DDG-8, and USS Trenton LPD-14 approached the Sassan Oil Platform. Within 20 minutes of approaching the Sassan Oil Platform Surface Action Group Bravo opened fire on it, silencing the Sassan Oil Platform’s guns and a Marine detachment was send to destroy the Sassan Oil Platform at 9:25 AM, which it did without resistance. However around 12:50 PM, two Iranian F-4 fighter jets made an attack run on Surface Action Group Bravo. Though they were within missile range the pilots reconsidered their attack once they detected that the USS Lynde McCormick had locked it’s fire control radar on the jets. The polits of those jets decided not to take any risks and abandoned their attack. Once Surface Action Group Bravo had destroyed the Sassan Oil Platform it was ordered to destroy the Raksh Oil Platform.

Around the same time Surface Action Group Charlie, composed of the USS Wainwright CG-28, USS Bagley FF-1069, and USS Simpson FFG-56 began their attack on the Sirri Oil Platform. As they made their attack the IS Joshan P-225 made an attack on The USS Wainwright and Iranian PT Craft sortied against American and foreign ships in the Gulf. At 12:15 PM the IS Joshan fires one of it’s Harpoon missiles at the USS Wainwright but misses, despite their brave attack the crew are not used to engaging other fleets in pitched battles. The USS Wainwright and USS Simpson fire their missiles at the IS Joshan disabling it’s main armament before Surface Action Group Charlie sank the IS Joshan with their guns. Determined to avenge the IS Joshan two Iranian F-4’s make an attack on the USS Wainwright which fired at the Iranian jets. One of the Iranian F-4’s was hit on the wing by a SM-2 Missile from the USS Wainwright, and both jets returned to Bandar Abbas, not wanting to continue the action further.

Soon it would be the turn of the Americans to launch air attacks of their own. Around 1:30 PM reports of Iranian PT Craft attacks on the Panamanian Cargo Ship Scan Bay prompt the USS Enterprise CVN-65 to launch an air strike on the Iranian PT Craft in the form of a F-14 and 2 A-6E jet fighters, who begin attacking the Iranian PT Craft around 2:25 PM near Abu Musa.

This only prompted the Iranians to dispatch their Frigates. The first to engage the Americans was the IS Sahand F-74 which made an attack run on the USS Joseph Strauss DDG-16, which along with the USS O’Brien DD-975 and USS Jack Williams FFG-24 comprised Surface Action Group Delta. Bearing down on the USS Joseph Strauss the IS Sahand fired at 2 A-6E jets, and the jets and the USS Joseph Strauss fired back at the IS Sahand, launching 3 Harpoon Missiles and 4 Laser Guided Bombs at the IS Sahand around 3:30 PM. The hits from these bombs and missiles set the IS Sahand ablaze, and by evening the magazine had exploded as a result of the fires and all that the commanding officer of the IS Sahand can do is to maneuver the ship towards shallow water to make it easier for the crew to abandon ship.

Around the same time an AH-1T Helicopter flying reconnaissance from the USS Trenton got mixed up in the crossfire and their helicopter crashes 15 miles southwest of Abu Musa. Despite this the Americans continue to hold control of the conflict. This is lost on the IS Sabalan F-73 left Bandar Abbas around 5:00 PM. Within minutes it is firing it’s harpoon missiles at the A-6E’s it sees, and by 5:15 one of the A-6E fighters drops a bomb down the funnel of the IS Sabalan, causing damage to the engines and soon the IS Sabalan is being towed back to Bandar Abbas.

At the end of April 18, 1988 the American navy had established itself master of the Persian Gulf. That they were facing an Iranian Navy and military that was smaller was no real reason for their victory. Since 1978 the Iranian Military had been severely tested, it’s ranks depleted of it’s best soldiers, and those still serving in Iran’s military tired by the past decade of conflict. The Iranian navy took it the hardest. It was dependent on imports and captured material for new Ships and most weapons, and those Officers and Sailors operating the Ships Iran had did not always have proper training in combat situations. Being used to fighting Iraqi forces who were worse trained, they cracked facing the Americans, and Operation Praying Mantis was to demonstrate this all too well. In many ways Operation Praying Mantis was like Salamis. In both instances Iran lost due to the composition of it’s soldiers, however while at Salamis the flaw was the heterogeneous composition of the Iranian soldiers, the flaw that hit Iran the hardest during Operation Praying Mantis was the overworked and undertrained soldiers who faced the Americans. More would be to come for Iran during the remaining months of khomeini’s rein of terror over Iran.

Zendran occupy charges disposed

I just came from court.
The state dropped the assault and disorderly charges against me from occupy providence, however they did find me guilty of resisting arrest and gave me 9 months probation.
Peter Z

Zimmerman considers apology

This is just another sign that Zimmerman is being railroaded by the
system because of black supremacist thugs intimidating them just because
this man defended himself. Last time I checked running through
someone's backyard while wearing a hoodie and breaking someone's face
for no reason is thug behavior and trayvon got what he deserved. I dare
the same people who call this racism to see how they would react in the
same situation Zimmerman was in.
Peter Z


http://english.pravda.ru/news/world/13-04-2012/121081-zimmerman_martin-0/#
George Zimmerman to apologize to Trayvon Martin's family

13.04.2012 13:27
George Zimmerman to apologize to Trayvon Martin's family. 47074.jpeg
AP photo

The lawyer for George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain who was
charged with second degree murder in the death of unarmed black teen
Trayvon Martin, said that the 17-year-old's death "weighs on" Zimmerman
and suggested his client might apologize to Martin's family.
"Understand that George fully well realizes that he was involved in some
way in the death of another young man," lawyer Mark O'Mara told ABC
News.
"He does not take the result of that altercation lightly at all. That
weighed on him, I would imagine, more than the isolation, more than the
last six weeks, more probably than the threat of what is to come in the
system," O'Mara said.
Zimmerman spent his first night in prison Thursday in protective
custody, where he could be watched at all times. Law enforcement
sources told ABC News, the 28-year-old "wept quite a bit" at night.
O'Mara suggested that Zimmerman may apologize to Martin's family, says
KBOI.


Attorney Mark O'Mara, who represents Zimmerman, told CNN's Piers Morgan
late Thursday that one of his immediate goals is to "bring down the
level of anger, animosity, just frustrations, emotions" that are on the
periphery of the case.
O'Mara said there are two sides of the case, a legal one and a human
one.
"We have the human tragedy side of it. We are going to try to bridge
that if we can," O'Mara said. "There are words that need to be said."
Special prosecutor Angela Corey, who was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to
investigate the case, said she will ensure that the judge or jury
deciding the case will get only "the relevant, admissible evidence on
which they can then base their decisions."
"Let me emphasize that we do not prosecute by pressure or petition," she
said.
Both the defense and prosecution said they had no intention of trying
the case in the court of public opinion, though both conceded there is
extreme interest, informs CNN.

Zimmerman and his family have maintained that he was trailing Martin
because the young man appeared suspicious. Martin then disappeared from
view, only to re-emerge, confront him and assault him, they say. In the
fight, they contend, he shot Martin in self-defense. Florida's expansive
self-defense law, Stand Your Ground, was cited initially as a reason why
no charges were brought.
O'Mara said self-defense cases were not new to him; he said that he had
handled dozens, but that none had gone to trial as Stand Your Ground
cases. He has also tried high-profile death-penalty cases.
He said that self-defense would probably be a "facet" of Zimmerman's
defense, according to The MIT Tech.



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Country’s coinage to watch for 2012

These countries are doing things with their coinage which are sending messages to the World, and not just in matters of finance.
Russia; 2012 sees two very important anniversaries in Russia. The 200th anniversary of the victory at Borodino and over Napoleon’s invasion, and the 1150th anniversary of the founding of Russia, all of which are being honored on precious metal and base metal Roubles. Interestingly Russia is commemorating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Peter Stolypin, who was born in 1863, in 2012, probably not to conflict with the Viktor Chernomyrdin commemorative to be issued in 2013, and apparently Russia is not saying if their Russian Federation 10 Rouble series is being put on hiatus. One thing is noticeable, Russia and other CIS nations have been having trouble distributing their coins aborad, mainly because of trouble from british commonwealth nations.
British commonwealth; Two major themes are dominating precious metal and base metal coinage in 2012. They are queen Elizabeth’s diamond jubilee, the second is the centennial of the Titanic disaster. Interestingly Canada is ceasing production of pennies this year as well.
USA; This year American mint and proof sets are hot items, as Presidential Dollars are no longer being made for circulation. Interesting 2012, like 2008, is an election year in America, and statehood quarters for Hawaii and Alaska will be issued for 2012, though not in the order they were in 2008. Also interesting is the precious metal commemoratives for the Stat-Spangled Banner are being issued in 2012 but none contain the text of that poem used for the national anthem.
EU: Austria is finally getting in on the “statehood quarter” game, one year after Spain issued their own version of the statehood quarter program. So far foreign versions of this program have been imitated by Russia, Germany, Japan, Australia, Finland, Venezuela, to name the more prominent countries involved.