The so-called Tanker War of the late 1980s saw some of the same weapons and problems a US escort force would face today, and provides lessons on how, in war, things can go wrong quickly in unexpected ways – with deadly consequences. “Iraq then began attacking tankers going to and from Kharg Island, and the ‘Tanker War’ was on,” historian Samuel Cox wrote in a 2019 history for the US Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC). The guided-missile frigate USS Stark (FFG-31) listing to port after being struck by an Iraqi-launched Exocet missile. In the Tanker War, Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom answered the US call and participated in escorts and minesweeping. “History repeats itself,” said maritime consultant Frank Coles, ex-CEO of Wallem Group, who sailed in Tanker War convoys.

Source: Egypt Independent March 22, 2026 13:57 UTC