What happened to the USS Maddox in the summer of 1964?
On August 2, 1964, the destroyer USS Maddox, while performing a signals intelligence patrol as part of DESOTO operations, was approached by three Vietnam People’s Navy torpedo boats of the 135th Torpedo Squadron. The Maddox fired warning shots and the North Vietnamese boats attacked with torpedoes and machine gun fire.
What happened to USS Maddox?
Vietnam War August 2 the destroyer USS Maddox was attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats while on electronic surveillance patrol in the Gulf of Tonkin.
What is the significance of the USS Maddox?
This warship was involved in the Vietnam War’s only US naval surface engagement against North Vietnamese Navy torpedo boats from the 135th Torpedo Squadron (Gulf of Tonkin Incident), which led to direct open warfare between the nation of North Vietnam and the United States on 7 August 1964 (Tonkin Gulf Resolution).
What really happened in the Gulf of Tonkin Incident?
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident occurred in August 1964. North Vietnamese warships purportedly attacked United States warships, the U.S.S. Maddox and the U.S.S. C. Turner Joy, on two separate occasions in the Gulf of Tonkin, a body of water neighboring modern-day Vietnam.
Who was the captain of the USS Maddox?
John Jerome Herrick
John Jerome Herrick (June 23, 1920 – August 2, 1997) was an officer in the United States Navy who was commander of the U.S.S. Maddox during the Gulf of Tonkin Incident in August 1964.
Who won the Gulf of Tonkin incident?
None of these communications occurred on the night of 4 August. Three days following the incident, Congress approved the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving the President wide latitude in conducting military operations in Vietnam, and Johnson signed it into law on the 10th.
Was the Gulf of Tonkin fake?
Historians have long suspected that the second attack in the Gulf of Tonkin never occurred and that the resolution was based on faulty evidence.
Did the USS Maddox sink?
USS Maddox (DD-622), a Gleaves-class destroyer, was the 2nd ship of the United States Navy to be named after United States Marine Corps Captain William A. T….
| USS Maddox (DD-622) | |
|---|---|
| Fate: | Sunk in action, 10 July 1943 |
| Struck: | 19 August 1943 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Gleaves-class destroyer |
Who was captain of the USS Maddox?
What was so controversial about the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?
The Gulf of Tonkin act became more controversial as opposition to the war mounted. A Senate investigation revealed that the Maddox had been on an intelligence mission in Tonkin Gulf, contradicting Johnson’s denial of U.S. Navy support of such missions.
What class was the USS Maddox?
Gleaves-class destroyer
USS Maddox (DD-622), a Gleaves-class destroyer, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named after United States Marine Corps Captain William A. T. Maddox, who served in the Mexican–American War.
Who was the captain of the U.S.S. Maddox?
What happened on the USS Maddox on 2 August 1964?
1. On 2 August 1964, USS Maddox (DD 731), commanded by CDR Herbert L. OGIER, Jr., USN, with Commander Destroyer Division 192 (CTG 72.1), Captain J. J. HERRICK, USN, embarked, was conducting a surveillance and intelligence patrol (DESOTO) in the Gulf of Tonkin.
What is another name for the USS Maddox?
For other ships with the same name, see USS Maddox. USS Maddox (DD-731), an Allen M. Sumner -class destroyer was named after Captain William A. T. Maddox of the United States Marine Corps. Maddox screened the ships of the Fast Carrier Task Force during strikes against Japanese targets in the western Pacific.
How long was the USS Maddox in Vietnam?
Having operated off the west coast for two years, from March 1962, Maddox departed Long Beach 13 March 1964 for another tour with the 7th Fleet. At first steaming with fast carrier groups in the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, she headed south 18 May and established patrol off the coast of South Vietnam.
How many torpedoes did Maddox evade?
During the night of 4 August 1964 Maddox evaded at least 26 suspected contacts evaluated as torpedoes on the AN/SQS 32A sonar system. Of these, only the first three were considered valid (time 214 -2144).