On the afternoon of 2 August 1964, Captain John J. Herrick reported to Washinton that the Maddox was attacked by three North Vietnamese motor torpedo boats. Over the next few hours further reports suggested that the Maddox had avoided being hit and had retaliated, sinking its attackers.
Although U.S. authorities were convinced at the time that an attack on Maddox had taken place, in later years Herrick admitted that an attack probably never took place and the ships radar had picked up echoes from the rough seas rather than incoming torpedoes.
Controversially, the U.S. Congess passed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, which gave the Government authorization for what eventually became a full-scale war in Southeast Asia.
USS Maddox (DD-731), 1944-1972 -- Actions in the Gulf of Tonkin, August 1964
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