USS Stark ( FFG - 31 ) USS " Stark " ( FFG - 31 ) , 23rd ship of the " Oliver Hazard Perry " class of guided - missile frigate s , was named for Admiral Harold Rainsford Stark ( 1880 – 1972 ) . Ordered from Todd Pacific Shipyards , Seattle , Washington , on 23 January 1978 , as part of the FY78 program , " Stark " was laid down on 24 August 1979 , launched on 30 May 1980 , and commissioned on 23 October 1982 , CDR Terence W . Costello commanding . In 1987 , an Iraqi jet fired two missiles at the " Stark " , killing 37 U . S . sailors on board . Decommissioned on 7 May 1999 , " Stark " was scrapped in 2006 . Missile attack . The USS " Stark " was deployed to the Middle East Force in 1984 and 1987 . Captain Glenn R . Brindel was the commanding officer during the 1987 deployment . The ship was struck on 17 May 1987 , by two Exocet antiship missiles fired from an Iraqi Mirage F1 ( although some believe it to be a Falcon ) aircraft during the Iran – Iraq War . The plane had taken off from Shaibah at 8 pm and had flown south into the Persian Gulf . The pilot fired the first Exocet missile from a range of , and the second from , just about the time " Stark " issued a standard warning by radio . The frigate did not detect the missiles with radar ; warning was given by the lookout only moments before the missiles struck . The first penetrated the port - side hull and failed to detonate , but left flaming rocket fuel in its path . The second entered at almost the same point , and , leaving a 3 - by - 4 - meter gash , exploded in crew quarters . 37 sailors were killed and 21 were injured . No weapons were fired in defense of Stark . The Phalanx CIWS remained in standby mode , Mark 36 SRBOC countermeasures were not armed . The attacking Exocet missiles and Mirage aircraft were in a blindspot of the STIR fire control director ( Separate tracking and illumination Radar , part of the Mk 92 Guided Missile Fire Control System ) , and the Oto Melara Mk 75 76 mm / 62 caliber naval gun , but in the clear for the MK 92 CAS ( Combined Antenna System , primary search and tracking radar of the Mk 92 Guided Missile Fire Control System ) and the Mk 13 Mod 4 single - arm launcher . The ship failed to maneuver to bring its Mk 75 to bear before the first missile hit . On fire and listing , the frigate was brought under control by its crew during the night . The ship made its way to Bahrain where , after temporary repairs by the tender to make her seaworthy , she returned to her home port of Mayport , Florida , under her own power . The ship was eventually repaired at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi for $ 142 million . It is unknown whether Iraqi leaders authorized the attack . Initial claims by the Iraqi government ( that " Stark " was inside the Iran – Iraq War zone ) were shown to be false . The motives and orders of the pilot remain unanswered . American officials have claimed he was executed , but an ex - Iraqi Air Force commander later said that the pilot who attacked " Stark " was not punished , and remained alive . Citing lapses in training requirements and lax procedures , the U . S . Navy ' s board of inquiry relieved Captain Brindel of command and recommended him for court - martial , along with Tactical Action Officer Lieutenant Basil E . Moncrief . Instead , Brindel and Moncrief received non - judicial punishment from Admiral Frank B . Kelso II and letters of reprimand . Both opted for early retirement , while Executive Officer Lieutenant Commander Raymond Gajan Jr . was detached for cause and received a letter of admonition . 1990s . " Stark " was part of the Standing Naval Forces Atlantic Fleet in 1990 before returning to the Middle East Force in 1991 . She was attached to UNITAS in 1993 and took part in Operation Support Democracy and Operation Able Vigil in 1994 . In 1995 , she returned to the Middle East Force before serving in the Atlantic in 1997 and in 1998 . " Stark " was decommissioned on 7 May 1999 . A scrapping contract was awarded to Metro Machine Corp . of Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , on 7 October 2005 . The ship was reported scrapped on 21 June 2006 .