Iran Air Flight 655 was a scheduled passenger flight from Tehran to Dubai via Bandar Abbas that was shot down on 3 July 1988 by two SM-2MR surface-to-air missiles fired by USS Vincennes, a guided-missile cruiser of the United States Navy. The missiles hit the aircraft, an Airbus A300, while it was flying its usual route over Iran's territorial waters in the Persian Gulf, shortly after the flight departed its stopover location, Bandar Abbas International Airport. All 290 people on board were killed. The attack occurred during the Iran–Iraq War, which had been continuing for nearly eight years. Vincennes had entered Iranian territorial waters after one of its helicopters drew warning fire from Iranian speedboats operating within Iranian territorial limits.
An Iran Air Airbus A300B2-203 similar to the aircraft involved.
USS Vincennes had been deployed to the Persian Gulf on short notice to compensate for the lack of AWACS cover.
The Combat Information Center on board Vincennes
A missile departs the forward launcher of USS Vincennes during a 1987 exercise. The same launcher was used in Flight 655's downing.
Bandar Abbas is a city in the Central District of Bandar Abbas County, Hormozgan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. Bandar Abbas is a port on the southern coast of the country, on the Persian Gulf.
Image: Bandarabbas sahel 2
Image: Mabad Hendooha
Image: Bandar Abbas بندرعباس panoramio (cropped)
Image: IA University. Bandar Abbas panoramio