{"product_id":"operation-praying-mantis-1988-si-sheppard-9781472867322","title":"Operation Praying Mantis 1988: The US Navy Takes on Iran's Fleet","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDramatically 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.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOperation \u003ci\u003ePraying Mantis\u003c\/i\u003e 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 the only occasion since World War II in which the US Navy sank a major surface combatant. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 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 \u003ci\u003eEarnest Will \u003c\/i\u003ehad 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 \u003ci\u003ePrime Chance\u003c\/i\u003e. However, when the USS \u003ci\u003eSamuel B. Roberts \u003c\/i\u003ewas nearly sunk by an Iranian mine, the US Navy planned an open offensive against Iran's military installations. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith dramatic new artwork, maps, and photos, this book offers a blow-by-blow account of how \u003ci\u003ePraying Mantis\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Si Sheppard\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1472867327\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781472867322\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Osprey Publishing (UK)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/25\/2027\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 80\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.00lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.76h x 7.24w x 1.00d","brand":"Si Sheppard","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48800271368447,"sku":"9781472867322","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/operation-praying-mantis-1988-si-sheppard-9781472867322","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}