The World : Stark Officers Face Inquiry

Officers aboard the Stark could be held at fault for command errors that left the frigate in a vulnerable position when it was struck by Iraqi missiles in the Persian Gulf May 17 with the loss of 37 lives, the New York Times reported in today’s editions. It said that the Stark’s skipper, Capt. Glenn R. Brindel, and possibly three other officers have been assigned counsel as primary subjects of the Navy’s inquiry. Officials told the Times the captain had information that an Iraqi plane was approaching but did not turn the ship’s stern toward the aircraft. This would have permitted electronic defenses to focus on the incoming missiles, approaching through a blind spot formed by the ship’s superstructure.