A Royal Saudi vessel fired a Harpoon anti-ship missile on 24 January 1991, sinking an Iraqi minelayer in the northern Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm.
| Claim | Sources |
|---|---|
| A Royal Saudi vessel used a Harpoon anti-ship missile on 24 January 1991. | |
| The Harpoon strike sank an Iraqi minelayer in the northern Persian Gulf. | |
| Saudi Arabian forces used a Harpoon missile to sink an Iraqi minelayer in the approaches to Kuwait. | Sources: USNI Proceedings Sea Mines |
| The strike occurred in a wider mine-warfare context in which Iraqi sea mines threatened coalition naval operations. | Sources: USNI Proceedings Sea Mines |
Timeline
Proceedings reported that by 20 January 1991 coalition forces had destroyed 29 sea mines in the northern Persian Gulf.
Sources: USNI Proceedings Sea Mines
The U.S. Navy Desert Storm chronology records a Royal Saudi vessel using a Harpoon anti-ship missile to sink an Iraqi minelayer in the northern Persian Gulf.
Proceedings reported that Iraqi mine numbers increased to more than 1,000 by February 1991, even after coalition mine-clearance and anti-minelayer actions.
Sources: USNI Proceedings Sea Mines
Harpoon use in the 1990 Gulf War is directly documented in the U.S. Navy's Desert Storm chronology for 24 January 1991. The chronology records that a Royal Saudi vessel used a Harpoon anti-ship missile to sink an Iraqi minelayer in the northern Persian Gulf, with no survivors reported.
A July 1991 U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings article independently describes Saudi Arabian forces using a Harpoon missile to sink an Iraqi minelayer in the approaches to Kuwait. The article places the strike inside the coalition mine-countermeasures problem created by Iraqi mining in the northern Persian Gulf.
Sources: NHHC Desert Storm January 1991 Chronology, USNI Proceedings Sea Mines
The documented Harpoon shot was a maritime interdiction episode rather than a general land-campaign weapon use. The target was an Iraqi minelayer operating in the northern Persian Gulf, where Iraqi sea mines threatened coalition naval movement and amphibious planning.
Proceedings reported that by 20 January 1991, coalition forces had already destroyed 29 sea mines in the northern Persian Gulf. The same article says Iraqi mining continued to grow after the Saudi Harpoon strike, with more than 1,000 mines planted by February 1991 and mine-clearing work continuing after the ceasefire.
Sources: USNI Proceedings Sea Mines
In this conflict record, Harpoon's role is best described as coalition anti-ship fire against an Iraqi naval support vessel. The known public sourcing identifies the user as a Royal Saudi vessel or Saudi Arabian forces, the target as an Iraqi minelayer, and the location as the northern Persian Gulf or the approaches to Kuwait.
The sources do not identify the exact Saudi ship, Harpoon variant, launch geometry, or missile count. They do support the core conflict-use claim: a coalition-side Saudi launch used Harpoon to sink an Iraqi minelayer during Operation Desert Storm.
Sources: NHHC Desert Storm January 1991 Chronology, USNI Proceedings Sea Mines
