Word: starks
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...been on, the Stark's Phalanx defense system would probably have been able to spray a Gatling-gun burst that could have turned the incoming missile into a brief footnote to the news. The Stark was sailing at Condition Three, the middle of five stages of alert, and its weapons systems were supposed to be fully manned and operational. But there was an inexplicable lapse, with key radars failing to detect the missile's launch and the Phalanx system remaining off. This was clearly a tragic failure for a vessel sailing in an area where more than 200 ships have...
...problem was the unclear circumstances of the Stark's mission," says Naval Analyst Norman Polmar. "The captain didn't know whether he was at war or peace." Yet despite charges that the Navy's mission in the Persian Gulf was poorly defined, it was in fact the most traditional of all naval roles: helping keep essential sea-lanes open and showing the flag in a region of vital interest...
...dubious new mission: threatening the Soviet mainland during the early stages of a superpower showdown. Journalist Jack Beatty, writing in the May issue of the Atlantic magazine, argues that the Navy should concentrate more on its less glamorous time-honored role -- which happens to be what the Stark was doing last week. One problem, however, is that the vulnerability and cost of America's large aircraft carriers mean that the Navy does not feel safe stationing one inside the shallow and crowded waters of the Persian Gulf, thus making air cover for ships in the region more difficult...
...Stark and other members of the Navy's Middle East patrol were showing the flag in the Persian Gulf. The Administration believed neither of the warring nations would dare attack a vessel traveling in the shadow of a U.S. warship for fear of American retaliation. Says a State Department official of the display of American military might in the gulf: "It's what gives our policy teeth." Following America's lead, Soviet naval boats also began patrolling the gulf...
...Reagan called Iran the "villain in the piece." While the Iranians were not directly involved in the incident, they have upped the stakes in the gulf war in recent months by installing Chinese-made Silkworm missiles near the Strait of Hormuz. Last week the Iranian government gloated over the Stark catastrophe. "The great Satan is trapped," exulted Iranian Prime Minister Mir Hussein Mousavi. "The Persian Gulf is not a safe place for the superpowers, and it is not in their interest to enter these quicksands...