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| Career (US) |  |
|---|---|
| Namesake: | William A. T. Maddox |
| Builder: | Bath Iron Works |
| Laid down: | 28 October 1943 |
| Launched: | 19 March 1944 |
| Commissioned: | 2 June 1944 |
| Decommissioned: | c.1969 |
| Struck: | 2 July 1972 |
| Fate: | To Taiwan Scrapped in 1985 |
| Career (Taiwan) |  |
| Name: | Po Yang |
| Acquired: | July 6, 1972 |
| Struck: | 1985 |
| Fate: | Transfered to Naval Weapons school and then scrapped. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer |
| Displacement: | 2,200 tons |
| Length: | 376 ft 6 in (114.8 m) |
| Beam: | 40 ft (12.2 m) |
| Draft: | 15 ft 8 in (4.8 m) |
| Propulsion: | 60,000 shp (45 MW); 2 propellers |
| Speed: | 34 knots (63 km/h) |
| Range: | 6500 nmi. (12,000 km) @ 15 kt |
| Complement: | 336 |
| Armament: | 6 × 5 in./38 guns (12 cm), 12 × 40mm AA guns, 11 × 20mm AA guns, 10 × 21 in. torpedo tubes, 6 × depth charge projectors, 2 × depth charge tracks |
USS Maddox (DD-731), an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer was named for Captain William A. T. Maddox, USMC. She was laid down by the Bath Iron Works Corporation at Bath in Maine on 28 October 1943, launched on 19 March 1944 by Mrs. Harry H. Wilhoit, granddaughter of Captain Maddox and commissioned on 2 June 1944.
Contents |
Operations
Maddox screened the ships of the Fast Carrier Task Force during strikes against enemy targets in the western Pacific where she was struck by an enemy Japanese kamikaze aircraft off Formosa on 21 January 1945. She also covered the Marine landings at Okinawa, operated with the 7th Fleet in support of United Nations Forces during the Korean War, and alternated operations along the west coast and in Hawaiian waters with regular deployments to the western Pacific with the Seventh 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.
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
On 31 July 1964 she commenced the first leg of a patrol in the Tonkin Gulf. Initially a routine patrol, it developed into a defensive action with global repercussions. On 2 August, Maddox, cruising in international waters, was closed in a torpedo run by three North Vietnamese torpedo boats. During the ensuing skirmish, in which torpedoes were launched at Maddox, the destroyer put two of the Communist boats out of action with direct hits.
This attack, at first assumed to have been in error, was proven deliberate within 48 hours. On the 4th, North Vietnamese patrol boats again attacked Maddox, which by this time had been joined by USS Turner Joy (DD-951). Early detection and skillful evasion permitted the destroyers to break contact with the first assault units sent against them on that date. But, little over an hour later, enemy torpedo boats closed in again, launching torpedoes. Maddox commenced firing starshells for illumination, while Turner Joy opened fire on the attacking boats. The fighting continued for 2 1⁄2 hours before being broken off by the North Vietnamese. Retaliation in the form of airstrikes on North Vietnamese patrol boat bases and their supporting oil storage depots came within a few hours. For this action both ships were awarded the Navy Unit Commendation. Following the incident, the destroyers returned to their patrol, completing it on the 8th. Maddox then resumed carrier operations until departing for Long Beach 17 September.
Vietnam War
After arrival at Long Beach, Maddox remained in a leave and upkeep status until mid‑January 1965, then conducted training exercises and repairs in preparation for her next WestPac deployment. She departed Long Beach on 10 July and commenced operating with the fast carriers in the Gulf of Tonkin in early August. For the next 4 months, Maddox alternated duty with the carriers with gunfire support missions off the coast of South Vietnam. At the end of November she sailed for home, arriving at Long Beach 16 December.
After conducting upkeep and local exercises off the California coast, summer 1966 saw her engaged in a training cruise for midshipmen which included a trip to Pearl Harbor. Maddox departed California 20 November for another deployment with the 7th Fleet, sailing by way of Pearl Harbor, Midway, Guam, and Taiwan.
After a successful tour consisting primarily of providing gunfire support, interrupted by a visit to Singapore and a crossing of the Equator on 8 February 1967, Maddox departed Subic Bay, Philippine Islands, for home by way of Australia, New Zealand, and Pearl Harbor. She arrived at Long Beach 7 June 1967 and conducted local exercises until entering Long Beach Naval Shipyard 13 October for overhaul. She remained in overhaul until February 1968; then, after refresher training off the west coast, departed for WestPac 5 July. After completion of overhaul and type training, Maddox once again deployed to the Far East in July 1968, returning in December, 1968 to her home port, Long Beach, for overhaul and upkeep. Maddox was decommissioned in 1969 and assigned to the Naval Reserve Force. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 2 July 1972. On 6 July 1972 she was transferred to Taiwan and renamed Po Yang. The ship was scrapped in 1985.
Maddox received four battle stars for World War II service, and six for Korean service.
See also
- Gulf of Tonkin Incident
- The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, 40 Years Later; Flawed Intelligence and the Decision for War in Vietnam — National Security Archive at George Washington University
References
- This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
External links
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