On Jan. 24, 1991, a U.S.-led international coalition won the first battle of Operation Desert Storm, the effort to free Kuwait after its invasion and annexation by Iraq, with the coordinated efforts of the Army and Navy.
The Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate USS Curts had been in the area since the previous October as part of the Midway battle group out of its homeport in Yokosuka, Japan. The Perry-class frigates, while lightly armed, were small, fast and maneuverable -- an asset in the shallow waters of the North Arabian Gulf, which was full of floating mines. The Curts had a shipboard complement of around 200 sailors. If the battle got hot, they were seen as more expendable, easier to lose than the much larger crew of a carrier or even one of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, which were brand new at the time.
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