The Iraqi Navy – New fleet

Although the Iraqi coastline is very short — just 58km — she maintained a relatively powerful navy until the Gulf conflict of 1991. Her geographical location at the head of a narrow and restricted body of water (the Persian Gulf) with an exit outside her control made the February 1981 order placed with Italian shipyards for four Lupo class fast frigates, six corvettes and a Stromboli class replenishment ship seem nonsensical — a deep sea navy without a sea to sail on. With hindsight, it can be seen that this enlarged and modernised navy was intended to pose a military and political threat throughout the Gulf region; occupation of the disputed islands of Bubiyan and Warbah held by Kuwait would in any case have improved access to Iraq’s main naval base, Umm Qasr.
The main event was of course the Gulf War 1991, following the Iran-Irar war in which Iraq reported eleven minor warships lost, including four Iraqi patrol boats claimed sunk by Iran on 21 September 1980. It represented 3000 personal with the single training frigate Ibn Khaldoum as flagship.
Delivery of the Italian_built warships was held when Iraq invaded and occupied Kuwait in late 1990. Operation Desert Storm in 1991, also concerned its navy with all its naval vessels venturing into the open sea sunk or severely damaged the remainder in port. All missile boats, landing ships and minesweepers were part of these, and despite a naval Personnel up to 4600 by 1989, the Navy effectively ceased to exist as an operational force in 1991.

The full story