Battle of Bubiyan

The Battle of Bubiyan was a naval engagement of the Gulf War, that occurred in the waters between Bubiyan Island and the Shatt al-Arab marshlands, where the bulk of the Iraqi Navy, while attempting to flee to Iran, much like the Iraqi Air Force, was engaged and destroyed by Coalition warships and helicopters.

History
The battle was completely one-sided. Lynx helicopters of the British Royal Navy using Sea Skua missiles were responsible for destroying 14 vessels (3 minesweepers, 1 minelayer, 3 TNC 45 Fast Attack Craft, 2 Zhuk-class patrol boats, 2 Polnocny-class landing ships, 2 salvage vessels, 1 Type 43 minelayer, and 1 other vessel) during the battle. The battle saw 21 separate engagements over a course of 13 hours. A total of 21 of the 22 ships that attempted to escape were destroyed.

While Canadian personnel were present, only British and American personnel engaged Iraqi forces during the firefight. A Canadian CF-18 Hornet fighter recorded an official victory in the beginning of the battle against the Iraqi Navy.

Also related to the Bubiyan action was the Battle of Khafji, where Saddam Hussein sent an amphibious assault to Khafji to reinforce the city against the Coalition attack. This too was spotted by the Coalition naval forces and subsequently destroyed.

The last action of the Iraqi Navy was to fire a Silkworm missile from an inland launcher at the battleship USS Missouri (BB-63). It was intercepted mid-flight by a Sea Dart missile from the British destroyer HMS Gloucester (D96) and successfully destroyed. This marked the first time a ship-launched anti-air missile intercepted an incoming enemy missile in combat at sea, by any navy.

After the Bubiyan action, the Iraqi Navy ceased to exist as a fighting force at all, leaving Iraq with very few ships, all in poor condition.