Mining haiphong harbor pdf

May was a busy month for the staffship in addition to duties as primary identification radar advisory zone piraz, callsign red crown, the chicago assisted in the mining of haiphong harbor, engaging a shore battery and earning a combat action. Operation end sweep was a united states navy and united states marine corps operation to remove naval mines from haiphong harbor. Thus far it seems like information is pretty scant. Another revelation has to do with the fabled duck hook operation, a plan for which was initially drafted in july 1969 as a mining only operation. Pdf this paper summarizes the events leading to the u. After the haiphong mining, the port was closed for 327 days. The first occurred three and a half months ago, on may 10, just a day before the mines dropped by american planes at the entrance to haiphong harbor were activated. The mining aircraft departed the vicinity of coral sea at 090840h in order to execute the mining at precisely 090900h to coincide with the presidents public. In may 1972, president richard nixon ordered the aerial mining of haiphong harbor, an effort that planted more than 11,000 mines over an eightmonth period. The majority of north vietnams imports arrive through the port of haiphong, which is connected by railroad with hanoi.

It expanded to include the ports of thanh hoa, dong hoi vinh, hon gai, quang khe and cam pha as well as. Navy since the a6 mining of haiphong harbor in march 1972 off of the uss coral sea. The mining portion of the operation took less than 2 minutes. The destroyers tactic of distracting the enemy batteries worked perfectly, and there were no aircraft losses. From 1954 to 1975, haiphong served as the most important maritime city of north vietnam, and it became one of directcontrolled municipalities of a reunified vietnam with hanoi and ho chi minh. Naval aircraft laid strings of mines in the approaches to hai phong harbor through which all of haois war material and fuel passed. Egypt requests soviet aid opec begins embargo against the united states. A6e mining of the euphrates river desert storm 17 jan 1991. Nixon orders mining of haiphong harbor and intensive bombing of north vietnam 1973 paris peace accords. By fielding a relatively modern army equipped with tanks, longrange artillery and air defense weapons, the peoples army of vietnam had created a significant vulnerability for themselves.

But it was not until may 5 that the commander in chief of the us navys pacific fleet. Meanwhile, poor weather forced the kitty hawk aircraft to divert to secondary targets, which they hit at 0908. At daylight on the 9th, a destroyer force struck the haiphong harbor air defense batteries with a 30minute. Four of the vessels which sailed out of north vietnams chief port during the last daylight grace period were russian, two tankers and two freighters, the report said. Western strategists of every stripe had grown hoarse calling for the mining of haiphong harbor and, at last, it was done. Synd 26 6 73 minesweeping near haiphong ap archive. Operation end sweep on the uss fortify, mso446, which is an ocean going minesweeper. During half an hour of receiving enemy fire from shore gun emplacements, berkeley delivered over 280 fiveinch rounds before clearing the harbor at 32 knots. Thanh hoa, dong hoi, vinh, hon gai, quang khe, cam pha, cua sot, cap mui ron, cua day and cua lac giang. It took us eight years to get permission to mine haiphong harbor, said admiral moorer, chairman. A6e mining of the euphrates river desert storm 17 jan 1991 by boots barnes this is the story of the only aerial mining mission undertaken by the u. Like hanoi, haiphong suffered very little damage from u. Those 5 minesweepers in guam had anticipated the signing of the paris peace accords.

During this cruise, she was directly involved in the mining of haiphong harbor, providing a protective barrage of fire while carrier based aircraft covered the harbor with mines. Haiphong was founded in 1887 as a seaport province by colonists during french colonial rule. The mining of haiphong harbor, known as operation pocket money, had been studied numerous times throughout the war as a means of cutting off north vietnams supply of weaponsparticularly sa2 surfacetoair missiles, delivered by soviet merchant ships. For the remainder of 1972, twentyseven sinosoviet bloc merchant ships chose to remain immobile in haiphong rather than risk a transit of the mined waters. In 1972, the nixon administration kindled a major controversy when the president ordered the renewal of bombing of hanoi and haiphong april 16 and the mining of haiphong harbor as well as other harbors and inland waterways in north vietnam may 9. These strings of 36 1,000 pound mark 52 mines sown in the harbor approaches were backed by 500 pond mark 36 destrutors in inland waterways.

Aircraft from the coral sea mined haiphong harbor on 8 may 1972, dropping 36 mk52 mines and giving the harbor the dubious distinction of being the only foreign port mined by the united states in two wars. Closing of ports conceded in hanoi the new york times. Cease fire between north vietnam and united states united states helps overthrow chiles government egypt and syria attack israel in yom kippur war. Most of those sea shipments arrived at the port of haiphong, north vietnams only major seaport. A case study in naval mining and diplomacy article pdf available april 1997 with 412 reads how we measure reads.

This mining readiness test was a ruse intended to signal hanoi that the us was preparing to mine haiphong harbor and the coast of north vietnam. Between 9 may and the end of september, the navy flew an average of 4,000 dayandnight attack sorties each month, reaching a. On may 8, 1972, president richard nixon ordered the mining of haiphong harbor s approaches and channels. During the vietnam war, in may 1972, thousands of magneticacoustic mines were dropped in haiphong harbor and in other harbors along the north. In december 1972, peace negotiations with north vietnam stalled, compelling president nixon to resume the air offensive. Navy task force 77 air interdiction campaign conducted against the democratic republic of vietnam north vietnam from 9 may to 23 october 1972, during the vietnam war its purpose was to halt or slow the transportation of supplies and materials for the nguyen hue offensive known in the west as the easter offensive. To support task force 77 operation pocket money, at daylight on may 9, task unit 77. Armament consisted of one 20mm multibarreled cannon and up to 15,000 pounds of bombs. We should have blocked the approaches to the harbor with mines laid by aircraft. Another mining operation, which the navy carried out during 1972 and early 1973, had an even greater impact on the war. In march 1972, with the united states working to transfer responsibility for fighting on the ground to the south vietnamese, the north vietnamese launched a major offensive. They also knocked out targets as close as 10 miles to the center of hanoi and 5 miles from haiphong harbor. Hi guys, ive had the itch to mine haiphong harbor operation pocket money lately. Early on the morning of 8 may 1972, aircraft carrier coral sea cva 43 launched three marine a6 intruders and six navy a7 corsair attack planes toward the coast of north vietnam.

Mining of haiphong harbor charlie company vietnam 19661972. Navy task force 77 aerial mining campaign conducted against the democratic republic of vietnam north vietnam from 9 may 1972 vietnamese time, during the vietnam war. It uses the lessons learned there to examine the implications of the use. Nixon, kissinger, and the madman strategy during vietnam war. During the vietnam war, haiphong was a major supply depot and was heavily bombed from 1965 until 1968, when bombing was curtailed by president johnson. How the sun set off dozens of mines during the vietnam war. Now, with the ceasefire signed, the mines had to be retrieved or destroyed and, as surface ships of task force 58 trailed a sweeping helicopter into haiphong on 17 june 1973, the end of end sweepa tedious, lengthy, and totally unglamorous jobwas in sight. In cutting off the enemys supply route, the mining helped bring about a peace agreement.

Coral sea launched three a6a and six a7e aircraft loaded with mines and one eka3b in support of the mining operation directed against the outer approaches to haiphong harbor. Operation pocket money, north vietnam, 09 may 7223 oct 72. In april and may of 1972, the nixon administration kindled a major controversy when the president ordered the renewal of bombing of hanoi and haiphong april 16 and the mining of haiphong harbor as well as other harbors and inland waterways in north vietnam announced the evening of monday, may 8. It was almost midnight on 27 august 1972, and three. Linebacker ii was a maximum effort air campaign, focusing heavily on strategic military targets in hanoi and haiphong. In 1888, the president of the french third republic, sadi carnot, promulgated a decree to establish haiphong. Navy says a task force raided the haiphong area the new. In may of 1972 operation pocket money began with the mining of haiphong harbor. Its purpose was to halt or slow the transportation of supplies and materials for the nguyen hue offensive known in the west as the easter offensive, an invasion of the republic. Haiphong was the only harbor mined on may 9, but beginning on may 11 mines were dropped and activated at 10 other ports. We were actually moved to subic bay, philippines, so we could be closer to haiphong harbor because it turned out when the paris peace accords was signed, there was a connection. Haiphong is the major port and third largest city in north vietnam.