Thomas Mowry was an Operation Specialist 1st Class — an air-traffic control expert — aboard the USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) during its first deployment to the Persian Gulf. Mowry was in the frigate’s combat information center when the ship hit an Iranian mine on 14 April 1988. During the damage-control effort, he helped transfer 76mm shells from their magazine to the forecastle, and later helped rig a set of cables in an attempt to stabilize the ship’s superstructure, which had cracked and come partially loose from the main deck.

Mowry took these photos in the days and weeks after, as theRoberts made its way to Dubai, was set up on blocks in drydock, and ultimately loaded aboard the Mighty Servant 2 for the trip home to Newport, R.I.