Bridgeton incident
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. 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.
| 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 |
| 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 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. Nevertheless, the incident was a propaganda victory for Iran. 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.