Frigate Apparently Strikes Gulf Mine; 10 Sailors Hurt

A U.S. warship apparently hit a mine Thursday, injuring 10 American sailors, after it had escorted a U.S.-registered Kuwaiti tanker through the Persian Gulf, Defense Department officials said.

The guided-missile frigate Samuel B. Roberts suffered what officials described as “an underwater explosion” in the central gulf about 70 miles east of Bahrain. The blast, which occurred at 7:10 a.m. PDT, started a fire, caused significant hull damage and left the frigate’s engine room flooded, officials said, but the ship was in no danger of sinking.

One of the injured sailors is in critical condition with serious burns, the Pentagon said late Thursday, while the others suffered slight burns or back injuries. Pentagon spokesman Dan Howard said that none of the injuries was “life-threatening.”

The injuries and damage were the first suffered by a U.S. warship in the gulf since the Stark, another guided-missile frigate, was hit by two missiles fired by an Iraqi jet last May, killing 37 American sailors. Iraq said the attack on the Stark was an accident, and U.S. officials accepted the explanation.

After that incident, the Administration was severely criticized for its plans to escort U.S.-flagged Kuwaiti tankers through gulf waters, a policy intended to underscore the U.S. commitment to keeping open the vital sea lanes of the petroleum-rich region.

Administration officials declined to affix responsibility for the apparent mining, saying that early reports on the incident were sketchy. Authorities cautioned that the blast could have been caused by something other than a mine, though the Navy has found no evidence of an internal explosion aboard the ship.

‘Mine-Like’ Objects Spotted

One Pentagon source told the Associated Press that sailors aboard the Roberts had seen “mine-like” objects in the water shortly before the explosion.

U.S. officials in the past have accused the Iranians of sowing mines in the gulf to intimidate shipping headed for Iraq, with whom Iran has been at war for eight years. Last fall, U.S. warships and helicopters seized an Iranian ship in the act of planting mines.

White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said the National Security Council had “routinely informed” President Reagan of Thursday’s explosion, adding that the incident “emphasizes once again our concern for stopping the Iran-Iraq War.”

However, U.S. officials refused to discuss possible retaliation. “It’s not a declaration of war,” said one Administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Besides, who are you going to retaliate against?”

The explosion took place as the frigate was sailing south on a routine patrol Thursday morning after completing a convoy that included the Kuwaiti tanker Gas King the night before, Howard said.

The frigate was heading toward Bahrain under auxiliary power Thursday night, escorted by the cruiser Wainwright, officials said. The Navy operates a support facility in Bahrain, where specialists will decide whether the ship can be repaired locally or must return to the United States, a Pentagon spokesman said.

The Samuel B. Roberts, one of 29 U.S. warships operating in and near the gulf, is assigned to protect U.S.-flagged shipping, particularly 11 Kuwaiti oil tankers that have been re-registered to fly the American flag under the Administration’s escort policy.

The Kuwaiti supertanker Bridgeton, flying the American flag, hit a mine last July while under U.S. Navy escort. Thursday’s incident was the first time since then that a U.S.- or U.S.-flagged ship had struck a mine.

The Samuel B. Roberts, based in Newport, R.I., normally sails with a crew of 190 and 13 officers. While in the gulf, it also carries a 20-member helicopter unit.

Times staff writer James Gerstenzang contributed to this story.