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https://voennoedelo.com/en/posts/id15283-us-navy-fires-deck-gun-near-iran-for-first-time-in-38-years

US Navy Fires Deck Gun Near Iran for First Time in 38 Years

US Navy Uses Deck Gun Against Vessel Near Iran After 38-Year Gap

US Navy Fires Deck Gun Near Iran for First Time in 38 Years

The US Navy fired a deck gun at a cargo ship near Iran, marking its first such action since 1988. Details of the Spruance operation and its historical context.

2026-04-23T09:38:03+03:00

2026-04-23T09:38:03+03:00

2026-04-23T09:38:03+03:00

The shelling of a cargo vessel off the coast of Iran using a deck gun from the U.S. guided-missile destroyer Spruance marks the first incident of its kind for the U. S. Navy in nearly four decades, according to The War Zone (TWZ). A U. S. Navy representative, speaking to the outlet on condition of anonymity, indicated that the last confirmed case of an American warship employing a deck gun against another vessel dates back to Operation Praying Mantis. That operation unfolded on April 18, 1988, in the Persian Gulf, launched in response to an American frigate striking an Iranian mine. During the confrontation, U.S. forces destroyed two oil platforms along with an Iranian frigate and a patrol boat. At the time, Praying Mantis became the largest naval engagement involving U.S. forces since World War II. On April 19 of this year, U. S. Central Command reported the seizure of the cargo ship Touska, which had been en route to the Iranian port of Bender-Abbas. According to military officials, the Spruance fired several rounds from its 127-mm Mark 45 gun, targeting the vessel’s engine room.

US Navy, Spruance destroyer, Iran, deck gun, naval incident, Persian Gulf, Operation Praying Mantis, Touska cargo ship, US Central Command, naval history

2026

John Baker

news

US Navy Uses Deck Gun Against Vessel Near Iran After 38-Year Gap

U.S. Navy photo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

John Baker, Editor

12:38 23-04-2026

The US Navy fired a deck gun at a cargo ship near Iran, marking its first such action since 1988. Details of the Spruance operation and its historical context.

The shelling of a cargo vessel off the coast of Iran using a deck gun from the U.S. guided-missile destroyer Spruance marks the first incident of its kind for the U. S. Navy in nearly four decades, according to The War Zone (TWZ).

A U. S. Navy representative, speaking to the outlet on condition of anonymity, indicated that the last confirmed case of an American warship employing a deck gun against another vessel dates back to Operation Praying Mantis.

That operation unfolded on April 18, 1988, in the Persian Gulf, launched in response to an American frigate striking an Iranian mine. During the confrontation, U.S. forces destroyed two oil platforms along with an Iranian frigate and a patrol boat. At the time, Praying Mantis became the largest naval engagement involving U.S. forces since World War II.

On April 19 of this year, U. S. Central Command reported the seizure of the cargo ship Touska, which had been en route to the Iranian port of Bender-Abbas. According to military officials, the Spruance fired several rounds from its 127-mm Mark 45 gun, targeting the vessel’s engine room.