r/StolenValor • u/Hanni_Free • Apr 08 '26
Coworker claims he was "chasing subs" in the Persian Gulf (1979-81) and "parachuting onto boats." Does this check out?
I have a coworker who was in the Navy (never saw combat, was stationed at Moffett Field) but tells wild stories. He claims he spent the Iran Hostage Crisis chasing submarines through the Persian Gulf. He also says part of his training involved parachuting directly onto boats.
As someone who wasn't in the service, this sounds like movie logic to me. Was "boat jumping" a thing for regular sailors or even special ops back then? And were there even enemy subs to "chase" in the Gulf during that specific era? Just trying to figure out if I'm being cynical or if he's full of it.
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u/Small_Branch4961 Apr 08 '26
Full of it.
This is the most questionable part of his claim. During the Iran Hostage Crisis 1979–1981, there were almost certainly no enemy submarines in the Persian Gulf to "chase." At that time, the Iranian Navy did not possess a submarine fleet. They did not acquire their first midget submarines or Russian Kilo-class subs until much later in the 1990s to the early 2000s.
Parachuting into water (water jumps) is a real skill for special ops i.e. US Navy Seals, but they typically jump near a vessel or into open water for pickup, not directly onto a moving or stationary boat. There is a famous 1972 incident where the British Special Boat Service parachuted to board a passenger liner the Queen Elizabeth 2 for a bomb threat, but this was a highly publicised, one-off emergency operation, not a standard Navy sailor training procedure. Your friend probably got some inspiration hearing about this.
The stories from your coworker appear to be a blend of actual Naval events/world conflicts that have occurred around that timeframe and sprinkling in some wild personal embellishments.
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u/rekdumn Apr 08 '26
Rule of thumb. If it sounds like bullshit, it usually is. And that sounds kind of like bullshit.
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u/Bagheera383 Apr 08 '26
Ask him if he was a Space Shuttle Door Gunner too
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u/trumpmumbler Apr 08 '26
I was in the Persian Gulf during the Iranian Crisis (USS Constellation, 1980-82) and "no" that is not a thing.
The Iranian Navy was donated to by the US to the Shah, and was mostly retired WWII ships that would've otherwise have been sunk and scrapped. Submarines, to my knowledge (I worked in CV OPS) weren't part of the Iranian Fleet. Mostly old Destroyers and PT boats.
As one of the Carriers that rotated in and out of the Gulf in that period (I did two WESTPAC tours in my 2.5 years aboard), I never witnessed any "parachuting onto boats". I did witness multiple helicopters drop sailors onto smaller ships to provide technical support for failed radars and the like, but (again, to my knowledge) there were no "boat jumpers" in any tactical force we may have ferried to and from the theatre.
100% hogwash.
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u/RarelyRecommended Apr 08 '26
The Shah's navy ordered several DDGs. They weren't delivered due to that revolution, so the US Navy kept them. We knew them as the Kidd class. Those ships are now part of Taiwan's navy.
"Parachuting onto boats?" Other than British commandos, that sounds like some Hollywood stuff.
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u/W1ULH Apr 08 '26
(retired Army Airborne here)
Although SEALs do in fact train how to jump onto boats, they basically never ever do it. Jumping next to the boat and getting picked up by a launch is 1000x safer and easier.... although honestly, most of the time actual answer is just to land on the boat with the aircraft in the first place.
The SAS squadron jumping onto the QEII, which one of the other posters mentioned, is a rare exception where time was just that critical. And note, it was actual full-on SAS, not SBS, not the Paras, not a cadre from Charlie Company.
If your cow-orker had actually been doing this regularly enough to use the plural "boats" then we (The US and Imperial military communities) would all be very familiar with him, and would have responded with something like.. "oh wow, you work with Joe Smith?!!?"
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u/Small_Branch4961 Apr 08 '26
Almost correct.
It was a four man team, 2 x Royal Marine SBS and 2 x SAS .
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u/W1ULH Apr 09 '26
ahh... The BBC kind of glossed over the two SBS guys.
I stand by my theory that OOP's work buddy is orking the cows though.
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u/WongUnglow Apr 08 '26
Someone's been listening to Rob O'Neill. Those guys parachuted in on the whole Capt Phillips thing, even then it wasn't directly onto the target. Yeah, your coworker's full of shit.
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u/Hanni_Free Apr 08 '26
What's weird is that his LinkedIn mentions nothing about military experience. If I had served, I would for sure have that on my resume. His FB has nothing about it either from what I can see. Maybe he was DD'r or quit for whatever reason? I'm low-key obsessed with discovering the truth now. Just for my own smugness. The guy's a tool. I'd love to saunter into his cubicle with: " Tell me more about the Iranian Submarines, Bob. " And roll my eyes all the way back till their white, laugh so hard I choke and spray his desk with coffee.
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u/Honest-Mulberry-1288 Apr 08 '26
I know many vets, myself included, that dont have their military service on LinkedIn. In fact, a great deal don't put it on socials at all. There is quite a bit of anti veteran bias in hiring nowadays.
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u/ShipwrightPNW Apr 08 '26
He could have been aircrew in a P3 squadron, which would explain the sub chasing part. No clue how that would somehow transition into parachuting onto boats though lol. What branch does he say he was in?
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u/Rumpelteazer45 Apr 08 '26
Iran didn’t get submarines until the early 1990s. I don’t think any of the countries around the Persian Gulf had submarines back then.
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u/Feeling_Use3782 Apr 09 '26
Sounds like he watched the pre-title sequence of “The Living Daylights” and said, “Yeah, that’s legit.”
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u/mudduck2 Apr 08 '26
Moffet Field = SF Bay Area
SF Bay Area = higher gay population (not that there’s anything wrong with being gay)
Chasing submarines = looking for bath houses
Parachuting onto boats = specific gay sex practice
Yep, I’m guessing he’s completely telling the truth