On 3 July 1988, missile cruiser USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655 killing all 290 passengers aboard. What was an American ship doing in Iranian territorial waters? What was the decision process that led to shooting? Were people responsible actually awarded for it? | AskHistorians Archive Observer

On 3 July 1988, missile cruiser USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655 killing all 290 passengers aboard. What was an American ship doing in Iranian territorial waters? What was the decision process that led to shooting? Were people responsible actually awarded for it?

by Kerkinitis

scarlet_sage

More can be written, but there have been a couple of previous discussions here and you might be interested:

"Why did the US Navy shoot down Iran Air Flight 655? What was the context of this disaster, and what was the fallout?" by /u/rogersII

"Is there a publicly available list of the crew of the USS Vicennes at the time it shot down Iran Air Flight 655? Looking to confirm something a family member told me. L" by /u/agfa12 .

This is not to discourage discussion. More questions, data, and debate are welcome.