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Resolution
"President Johnson, believing that an attack had occurred, ordered retaliatory airstrikes (Operation Pierce Arrow), which were carried out on the afternoon of August 5. He also asked for and quickly obtained a congressional resolution (The Tonkin Gulf Resolution), passed almost unanimously, which authorized him to do whatever was necessary to deal with communist aggression in Vietnam. -
The Cruise
"the U.S. Navy destroyer Maddox started a reconnaissance cruise off the coast of North Vietnam" (AmericanGovernment 1). -
Hon Me
"the Maddox approached within gun range of the island of Hon Me and the coastal defense forces became more aroused than the American had planned" (AmericanGovernment 1). -
The Attack
"Three DRV torpedo boats came out from the island and attacked the destroyer. The attack, however, was unsuccessful, and the torpedo boats suffered varrying degrees of damage and crew casualties from the Maddox's guns" (AmericanGovernment 1). -
Maddox and C. Turner Joy
"On August 3, the Maddox and another destroyer, the C. Turner Joy, went back into the Gulf of Tonkin to resume the patrol" (AmericanGovernment 1). -
The Night of August 4
“The C. Turner Joy was firing at objects on the radar screens that were invisible to the Maddox’s radar, while the Maddox’s sonar equipment was picking up sounds interpreted as the monitors of DRV torpedoes, which could not be heard by the sonar equipment of the C. Turner Joy” (AmericanGovernment 1).