Battle of Haiphong Harbor: Difference between revisions

Battle of Haiphong Harbor
Part of the Vietnam War
USS Newport News firing a broadside in 1972.
Date August 27, 1972 Location Haiphong, North Vietnam Result United States victory
Belligerents
United States	North Vietnam
Commanders and leaders
James L. Holloway III George Stephen Morrison	unknown
Strength
Sea: 1 aircraft carrier 1 cruiser 1 light cruiser 2 destroyers Air: 2 attackers	Land: ~22 shore batteries Sea: 4 torpedo boats
Casualties and losses
none 1 destroyer damaged	3 torpedo boats sunk

The Battle of Haiphong Harbor, or Operation Lion's Den, was an engagement fought in 1972 during the Vietnam War. On August 27, four United States Navy warships and a pair of Tactical Air Command attack aircraft launched a raid against the North Vietnamese Army and navy forces protecting the port of Haiphong. In a night surface engagement, the American vessels successfully bombarded the enemy gun positions around Haiphong and then sank three out of four Russian-built torpedo boats which threatened the squadron. It was one of the few ship-to-ship naval battles of the war and the most recent naval battle involving the United States to have been fought in nighttime conditions. The New York Times called it "a daring raid into strongly defended enemy territory.....The enemy has once again been reminded of the mobility of the fleet."^[1][2]

In the spiring of 1972, the North Vietnamese were stalling at the peace conferences in Paris so President Richard Nixon and his military advisors concocted Operation Linebacker II to try and force the North Vietnamese to capitulate. The operation was largely carried out by planes from the United States Air Force, and naval aircraft, though several warships would be deployed to provide counter battery fire against enemy targets along the Ho Chi Minh Trail and other important logistical areas. Haiphong was North Vietnam's main port along the Gulf of Tonkin so it was heavily defended, primarily by coastal artillery but also with a few surface combatants. The American naval ships that participated in Operation Linebacker II became known as the "Gulf of Tonkin Yacht Club." One of these vessels was the destroyer USS Rowan, Commander Robert Comer, and for the first few months of the operation, she and three other ships would routinely bombard the Vietnamese coast in support of ground troops. On August 27, 1972, Vice Admiral James L. Holloway III launched a raid to bombard the North Vietnamese shore batteries protecting Haiphong and an enemy barracks located within the city. The Americans intended to engage the batteries alone, using the cover of darkness, they were not expecting to have to fight a squadron of torpedo boats which were patrolling the area. Holloway took with him his ship, the Newport News, the light cruiser USS Providence and the destroyers USS Robison and USS Rowan. The aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea provided two attackers to assist in Holloway's mission. According to Chuck Packer, who served as an electrician aboard the Rowan, the crews of the four ships did not recieve news of the operation until about two hours before it began. The four ships were sailing independently, south of Haiphong, when they recieved instructions to commence the engagement so they set a northern course at a speed of about twenty-five knots. The squadron arrived a short time later, on the same night of August 27.^[3]

Packer said; "I remember standing on the starboard weather deck just forward of amidships when the announcement was made. Then Rowan changed course north and put on twenty-five knots while starting to light off the third and fourth boilers and bring them on line. I thought of the confused night surface battles of the Solomons campaign in 1942 where destroyers took tremendous punishment resulting in much loss of life and the severely injured sailors that were left fighting for life in the choking fuel oil fumes and flames, having abandoned their sinking ships. Preston, Monssen, Gwinn, Barton, and too many other cans went down with their dead and trapped crews during these type of night battles for which Rowan was now headed at her best speed. I remember thinking that I had to get a grip on my emotions because the green boots aboard would be looking to us 'old salts' for cues and examples. Perhaps leadership would be too strong a word. Lastly, I remember the peace I experienced when I accepted that I could quite possibly die that night. We went into battle well prepared. Rowan was amongst the sharpest shooters in the Navy having had more gunnery practice under combat conditions with the same crew during the few months leading up to this night than few ships have in a lifetime. Moreover, Rowan had just had her guns relined in Yokosuka [Japan] and the 80 plus rounds of 5" HE [high explosive] that we could put into a precise area in under a minute was devastating. The Shrikes were a plus; but, the plethora of fire control radars in and around Haiphong overwhelmed the four missiles that we had at the ready. In the final analysis, it was the experience and solidarity of her crew that gave Rowan her edge. Rowan's battle that night is best told through the experience of her crewmembers, some of which are related below. Briefly, after the four ship task unit had fired on their assigned targets, Providence and Robison retired to the Southeast leaving Rowan and Newport News on their own, as no doubt intended. My perspective was limited. During the raid and ensuing battle I was at my battle station in the forward emergency generator room below the scullery and fire control/IC compartment, just forward of the forward fireroom. I was the electrician's mate on the emergency boards and I had an engineman to assist in the operation of the diesel that powered the 100 kW emergency generator. While I manned the electrician's phone circuit, it gave little detail of what was happening. Initially it seemed like another LINEBACKER II raid. I felt the ship heal and slow as we turned onto our twenty knot firing run. I heard the guns in action and the Shrikes [AGM-45 Shrike] firing at varying intervals. While the action seemed heavier than normal, it wasn't any more than what I had been expecting. After the firing run I felt Rowan again heal in a tight turn. The blowers in the fireroom just aft increase in pitch and the wave noise from the ship's passage increase as we worked up to the thirty plus knots for our getaway. The command over the 1MC to 'Now set condition YOKE' was the next thing we expected to hear. It came in due course and I had just taken off my phones and was opening the scuttle in the hatch above preparing for the 'Secure from GQ' command when the captain's voice came over the 1MC. 'This is the Captain speaking. It's not over yet! We've two high-speed surface contacts closing fast! Reset condition ZEBRA. Re-man all General Quarters stations.' Then three things happened virtually at once: The whine from the fireroom increased to a crescendo, the height of which I had never before heard as Rowan worked up to over thirty-one knots; she started to heal one way and then reverse her rudder and heal hard over in the opposite direction; and the guns were firing at a frantic rate. I thought, 'here we are in a night surface battle after all and the high-speed contacts were missile boats with ship killing Stix [P-15 Termit] missiles'. Years later we found out the were torpedo boats. One way or the other!"^[4]

Bryson "Fats" Riordan was a snipes that manned the Rowan's bridge during the battle. Riordan wrote "My GQ [general quarters] station was 1JV phone talker on the bridge and as always it was my job to let the CO [commanding officer] know the condition of the engineering department. Prior to the attack on Hiaphong Harbor, I had the watch in Main Control [in the] #1 engine room making sure all 4 boilers were on the line and superheat was up and the plant was up. I was relieved prior to GQ by Chief Understall and the Chief Engineer [LT Hubble] and went to the bridge to get into battle gear, for me weighing 230 lbs., I had the largest flak vest and had my own set of sound powered phones. We [Rowan] were to act as a shield for the Newport News and to make the second pass after the USS Robinsonand USS Providence made their run. We were receiving counter battery from the beach and could feel the concussions as they walked to as close as 20 yards. The Skunk Alpha [torpedo boat] was approaching at 40 plus knots and Mount 52 was engaging and making direct hits as far as what I could tell the USS Newport News' after guns could not depress low enough to engage the target. The USS Newport News took the credit along with us scoring hits on the Motor Torpedo Boat. All I know is Fire Control telling the Captain that we had scored hits. Chief Understall was yelling in my ears wanting to know what was going on. It was the darkest night that I had seen on the bridge. All I could see was the gun flashes from all the vessels and a couple of the closest water bursts. As far as being able to see aft there was nothing that I or anyone on the bridge could see, especially with all of the doors closed. All I know was that I was laughing at Understall and me knowing that he was scared as shit, I was afraid but there was nothing that I could do."^[5]

ET2 Richard Spicer kept a record of the engagement in his log; "Arrived at Haiphong harbor with the USS Newport News, USS Providence, and USS Robison. At 2230 GQ is sounded, 2310 all ships came to firing course. At 2325 all ships are ordered to go 'hot' and commenced firing at coastal gun sites, NVA [North Vietnamese Army] barracks and other targets. ECM [electromagnetic compatibility] in CIC [combat information center] now sees three cross slot gun site radars radiating, and we now are receiving counter battery! All ships are continuing firing at their targets, still receiving counter battery. Oh shit they are hitting real close now! Providence and Robison turn out to sea as they have fired their rounds at targets, leaving the Newport News and us in the harbor. The Newport News and we keep firing, when ECM gets a bearing on a cross slot radar site and we launch our first Shrike anti-radar missile at it. This is from our new 'SOB' system (Shrike on board). [Seven] min. later another cross slot radar is radiating at us and the second Shrike bird is launched. We are still receiving counter battery and lots of it! Newport News is still providing cover for us, with her 8-inch guns. We see another cross slot radar come up and fire our last two shrikes at it, this time hitting the site! With our entire Shrike missiles fired the Newport News and we turn out to sea at 26knts. As fast as we can. We are still taking heavy counter battery, and sonar reports closest hits at 20 yards off the port bow. We are hauling ass out to sea when radar sees Skunk-A [torpedo boat] at 17,000 yards closing at 48knts. We request to go hot on Skunk-A and turn 180 degrees to go back and provide cover for Newport News and shoot at Skunk-A. We are shooting at Skunk-A, now at 9,000 yards and closing [on the] stbd. beam. Newport News and we continue shooting at Skunk-Alfa when CIC radar sees Skunk-Bravo closing in on us. But we have tac-air cover and they take Skunk-Bravo. The Newport News and we connect on Skunk-Alfa, a torpedo boat with Russian [Stix] missiles on it, and sink it while tac-air sinks Skunk-Bravo! This was a very tense operation for me, I know I thanked God for making it through it with just minor flak damage to the ship!"^[6]

SM3 Dana Perkins, USS Rowan, relates, "I remember the night of the Haiphong Harbor pretty well. I don't think they passed the word of our objective until shortly before General Quarters, as I'm sure the mission was of utmost importance and secret. Also I think that they didn't want us to have much time to think about what was about to unfold. As a signalman I was on the highest point on the ship and had a clear view of all the action. Myself and three other signalmen were manning the Redeye [FIM-43 Redeye] shoulder fired missiles, loaded, armed and ready to squeeze the trigger in the event the time should come. When we started to see the lit shoreline and the lighted buoys of the harbor, make no mistake about it, the tension was high. All of a sudden the whole shoreline lit up with counter battery, spewing bright fireballs as each round was fired at us. The North Vietnamese weren't using flashless powder like we had. At one time I remember counting about 22 shore batteries rapid firing at the squadron. The shells were dropping all around us like seagull shit, leaving thunderous columns of white spray as they splashed into the ocean. Some of the shells were proximity and burst in the air. I remember one shell passed over the Rowan and burst in the air, causing the shrapnel to hit the side of the ship. I think it put some heavy-duty dents on the starboard side of the ship along the upper outer passageway. Luckily no one was hit! The whole time the ships in the squadron were firing on their intended targets with gunmounts and Shrike missiles. It was like the most intense 4th of July display I'd ever seen. The Newport News was off our port side at about 270 relative position, rapid firing her 8-inch guns and launching missiles as fast as they could get them off the deck. All of a sudden the word came over the sound powered phone that we had 2 torpedo boats, (Russian Osha class I believe) about 80 feet long coming out to attack. The guys in the magazine were jamming whatever shells they could get their hands on into the hoist. The first round that we hit one of those boats with was actually a practice starburst round and it tore right through it. The second round did explode. I think an A-6 Intruder [fighter aircraft] came in and finished it off with an air to surface missile. The Newport News I believe sank the other boat. All I could think about the whole time was how un-watertight some of those hatches on the old Rowan were. Luckily we got past them and then the word came in that there were some inbound bogeys [MiGs] headed our way. I white knuckled the pistol grip of that Redeye missile and prepared for whatever was about to happen. At about 30 miles inbound we pushed the power button and the gyro on the missile head whined as it spooled up. Adrenaline was in overdrive by now. Then at about 20 miles out, we got word that they turned away and were outbound. I guess they knew the deck was stacked against them! As we turned away (at probably flank speed I might add), the shore batteries were trying their damnedest to get in a few last shots at us. We were out of sight of land and an occasional round was still reaching us and splashing into the ocean. The whole event probably didn't take 15 minutes but seemed like an eternity with all the action going on. The next day I remember as a chill passed through me, they told us that we weren't that far from the mines that were dropped at the harbor entrance. Thanks for that comforting bit of info. Note: The air support, whether it was an A-6 Intruder or an A-7 Corsair II, came from an attack squadron flying from USS Coral Sea (CV 43)."^[7]

• Holloway, James L. (2007). Aircraft carriers at war: a personal retrospective of Korea, Vietnam, and the Soviet confrontation. US Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1591143918.