Battle of Đồng Hới

The U.S. warships involved were the 7th Fleet flagship, guided missile cruiser USS Oklahoma City, the guided missile frigate USS Sterett, and destroyers USS Lloyd Thomas and USS Higbee.[2]

The American warships operating in the Gulf of Tonkin were shelling North Vietnamese coastal targets around Đồng Hới, Quảng Bình Province, North Central Coast region near the DMZ along the 17th parallel, the provisional borderline between South Vietnam and North Vietnam when they were attacked by VPAF MiGs in the first air attack on U.S. naval forces in the Vietnam War.

At approximately 17:00, USS Sterett detected three hostile aircraft approaching the navy ships. One of the MiG-17s scored a direct hit on USS Higbee with a BETAB-250 (250 kg, 550 lb) bomb, after failing to hit its target twice on two previous attack runs. The explosion destroyed the aft 5-inch (127 mm) gun mount which was empty, as the 12-man crew having been evacuated following a "hang fire" (a round stuck in one of the barrels).[2] Another MiG-17 simultaneously aimed its bombs at USS Oklahoma City but missed the target.[3] According to U.S. claims, one of the MiGs was shot down by a Terrier surface-to-air missile from USS Sterett. One more MiG disappeared from Sterett's radar along with a Terrier missile fired at it from the frigate, indicating a probable kill.[2] A North Vietnamese Styx anti-ship missile was alleged to have been fired and intercepted, but this was not confirmed by official documentation.[4]

At approximately 18:00 as the US ships withdrew to the northeast, USS Sterett detected two surface targets shadowing the US ships, after 30 minutes, Sterett opened fire on the targets with its 5-inch gun destroying the two suspected North Vietnamese P 6-class torpedo boats.[2]

USS Higbee showing the aft 5"/38 gun mount bombed during the battle of Đồng Hới

The North Vietnamese claimed the sortie involved two MiG-17s piloted by Lê Xuân Dị and Nguyễn Văn Bảy "B", of which all returned safely to their base,[5] and that the North Vietnamese navy had not participated in any engagement until August 27. The attack crippled Higbee's 5-inch gun turret, impaired its steering and propulsion, and wounded 4 sailors on deck.[3] Oklahoma City only sustained minor damage on its stern. The U.S. later responded by bombardment against Vinh and Đồng Hới on April 19 and 20, and an air strike by 33 aircraft on April 22 at the Khe Gát Airfield, from which the attacking MiG-17s had taken off, destroying one MiG and damaging another on the ground.[1]

Although the losses inflicted were superficial, the North Vietnamese attack had forced the Americans to employ more of their strength to prevent future incidents against the background of downscaling U.S. military activities in the area.[1]

• Boniface, Roger (2008). MIGs Over North Vietnam: The Vietnam People's Air Force in Combat, 1965-75. Stackpole Books. ISBN 9780811706964.
• Gutzman, Philip (2010). Vietnam: Naval and Riverine Weapons. ISBN 9780557177431.
• Sherwood, John (2009). Nixon's Trident: Naval Power in Southeast Asia, 1968–72. Naval History & Heritage Command. ISBN 9780945274582.
• Toperczer, Itsván (2001). MiG-17 and MiG-19 Units of the Vietnam War. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 9781841761626.

• Analysis of the Battle of Dong Hoi by Stuart Slade. Updated 20 June 1999
• Visiting Vietnam’s War Battlefields: Dong Hoi, North Vietnam.