Why couldn't USS stark protect itself from Exocet? Why couldnt it destory exocet when guarding kuwaiti oil ...

Question

tankers from Iran?

Answer 1

As you may recall the Iraqi Mirage did not lock it's targeting radar on the ship. When an Exocet is fired from only 12 miles, there isn't much time. The ship did not detect the missiles electronically, a sailor visually spotted the supersonic missiles coming in at wave-top. There was no time to veer away, nor did the ship have any counter-measures for such an attack.

Answer 2

These are both good answers (good job!), but here's a little something else into the mix.

The primary defense against a radar guided missile is 'chaff' which is bits of aluminum sprayed into the air. The radar guidance will lock onto either an electronic radar signal or the largest metallic signature in its basic flight path. This was how the Royal Navy protected itself in the Falklands War. This does not always work out, again with the Falklands War, because after an Exocet flew through a cloud of chaff, the next thing in its flight path was the cargo vessel Atlantic Container (boom!). The Stark might not have had time to deploy this defensive measure.

The other would be to actively try to shoot it down, with a system like the Patriot missile, but again this would require an active radar signal coming from the ship. However, it was reported that a British sailor on one of the ships at the Falklands actually shot down an incoming Exocet with a regular M-30 medium machine gun.

To reiterate what the other two answerers had alluded to, active radar can be a two-edged sword, because while it can detect enemies and their missiles, it also makes you stick out on the enemies radar detection screens.

Answer 3

Stark had tracked the Iraqi Mirage all the way down the gulf and it was a regular event that Iraqi planes flew this way. in and of itself not an alarming situation but one to keep a wary eye on. The Plane did not lock its radar on the Stark. but Fired it's TWO missiles toward the Stark allowing the Missiles own radar seekers to find the ship. The missile was spotted by the port bridge lookout seconds before impact and was not spotted by either onboard radar, AWACS, or the EWs. Reasons for this are manyfold. The Missiles were fired from less than 12 miles away. The exocets fly at .95 mach (They are NOT SUPERsonic as odu83 claims, but that is still damn fast and not time to react. 12 nautical miles at 628 knots (.95 Mach) = 68.4 seconds. this is at 12 nm. the plane fired from somewhat closer but no one knows how much closer. about 8-10 nm possibly. The RADARS aboard the ship would take several seconds for each sweep and the missile would only be a faint blip on surface radar.(Not designed to detect airborn targets) and would not show up on Air RADAR at all (Too low). The Operator would have to note that faint blip. watch it for a couple sweeps, then initiate action. (too late with only less than 60 seconds to react.
For the EWs it is the same story. I was an EW and have done two deployments to the Gulf. The system we use does have an onboard library to help with target ID but as it is geared to show the highest possible threat We get a LOT of FALSE missile targets. The AN/SLQ-32 (V3) (Stark had a (V2) system but the difference is irrelavent in this case) takse several seconds to decide that a signal is real then displays it for the Operator. the Operator then has to look at it and decide if the signal is what the computer claims it is. (This often means looking up the 5 parameters displayed in some cases to the 3rd or 4th decimal place, in a book bigger than the NYC phone book in small type).
Once he figures out the threat is real, THEN he takes action.

To say the Stark had no Weapons or Countermeasures is the height of ignorance. Stark was NOT a civilian Merchant ship!
but due to the situation and/or errors in operating conditions, none were either available or they did not have time to deploy them.
Mk-36 SRBOC Chaff Decoys: Launchers were SAFED by a toggle switch outside on the deck

SLQ-32(V2): was not in ECM On mode but only in ECM Standby Meaning they could not have jammed the guidance radar.

SM-1 Missile Launcher: Was not Manned as they weren't at Battlestations

76mm Deck gun: Same reason as the Missile Launcher

Mk-15 CIWS: Was down for maintenance that was to be done only inport

Many standing operating proceedures were changed due to this incident. CHAFF launchers are ALWAYS armed while at sea i all conditions. The SLQ-32 is always fired up and ready to Jamm at all times when not in friendly waters (ie: not off the US coast)
at least 1 Missile house is always manned when in potentially hostle waters (ie the Gulf). the CIWS is to always ready at sea and maintenance that requires it to be brought offline is to be done ONLY inport.

UPDATE: To the Moondog... With an alert crew and a system that was up and working it would have been a relatively simple for CIWS to take out the missiles. They were hit on the portside. The CIWS mount on the O.H.Perry Class FFG is located aft atop the superstructure and can fire nearly 360 degrees except for about 20-30 degrees either side of the bow forward.
To sdvwallingford... You have the overall idea right but the details wrong. Chaff is NOT the primary defense. hardkill or shooting it down is. Followed by active jamming and chaff decoys. Patriot is not a system based on ships. it is a land launched system. The sailor shooting down an exocet with a machine gun is anecdotal to say the least. You are "spot on" about radar being a two edged sword. The things you describe about Radar and Chaff were my specific responsibility in the Navy as an EW.

Answer 4

The first answer is highly accurate. Even if the Phalanx Close in Weapons System (CIWS, a 20mm, radar controlled vulcan cannon), that was still a tough shot, but it is possible that the ship was out of position for the phalanx to defend itself.

Answer 5

No weapon to counter the Exocet, and no time to react to it if they'd had one.

Answer 6

not enough time to protect it self.

Answer 7

What is it with you and us ships and missiles?