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The Black Sea is what amounts to a really big lake.
The Black Sea has about twice the surface area of the Persian Gulf.
Why isn't the US Navy on the bottom of the Gulf? Did the Iranians not try?
The USN sent one DDG through the Strait, as a "freedom of navigation" exercise. There is debate whether the ship turned around and left, due to Iranian warnings, or because the US had made it's point.
The USN tried operating in the Gulf in the 80s. It was expensive.
from the net sifter:
USS Samuel B. Roberts (1988): Struck an Iranian mine, severely damaging the frigate and injuring 10 sailors, prompting Operation Praying Mantis.
USS Princeton & USS Tripoli (1991): Both ships were damaged by Iraqi mines during the Gulf War, with the Princeton suffering severe damage from a mine.
The USS Stark (FFG-31) was an Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate commissioned in 1982. On May 17, 1987, during the Iran-Iraq War, an Iraqi jet hit her with two Exocet missiles in the Persian Gulf, killing 37 sailors and wounding 21. The crew saved the heavily damaged ship, which was later repaired, decommissioned in 1999, and scrapped in 2006.
Steve
