Battle of Brandon Bay - Part 2

This was the last fully engaged, totally pitched surface gunnery battle in U.S. Navy history.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZfwVHu3Ovw/
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bz7kVM1GxbY/
WMV Files + Video Notes: http://www.nichecom.com/tj/

Visit USS Turner Joy -
Museum Ship: http://www.ussturnerjoy.org/
Reunion Group: http://www.ussturnerjoy.com/

Visit the other 2 ships -
USS Cochrane: http://www.usscochrane.org/
USS McCaffery: http://www.ussdd860.com/

NBC News video of USS Newport News (CA-148) and USS Lynde McCormick (DDG-8) under fire off North Vietnam in December 1967 -
Isolated clip on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTwHy_cL3yc&feature=player_embedded#at=248
Entire video on CA-148 site: http://www.uss-newport-news.com/movie/movies.php

Narration and audio editing was done using Audacity and the Logitech C910. Photo and title editing was done using PhotoStudio. Movie Maker was used to tie everything together in Widescreen 1280 x 720p, no transitions between clips.

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 CPU,
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R Motherboard,
Kingston KVR800D2K2 DDR2 2GB PC6400 SDRAM,
Seagate ST3750330AS 750GB 7200.11 SATA Hard Drive,
Windows XP Pro,
Logitech HD Pro Webcam C910,
Windows Movie Maker 2.1.4028.0
Audacity 1.2.6
ArcSoft PhotoStudio 5.5.0.87

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• USS Turner Joy (DD-951)
• Vietnam War
• Battle of Brandon Bay
• 1973

[timtraveler]

I don't recall blinding flashes from air bursts, or the TJ shaking like a child's toy from B-52 overpressure. I do recall the amazing concussion of our own rapid-fire 5" mounts. Then I don't recall a 180-degree come-about either, just two port turns.

The inspection of the weather decks the next morning did reveal "some" shrapnel.

BTW, I know isoloxx - he served in-country 1968, 82/101st AB, including TET. Wounded several times. We on TJ had a "cake walk". A few hours under fire vs. 365 days.

[timtraveler]

I was QMSA on the Turner Joy. For the Linebacker II missions, my "duty" was simply maintaining QM Logs. I was just inside the port side doorway on the bridge. As I recall Lt. Chapman and QM Ginsburg were on the port and starboard wings (respectively) visually observing counterbattery fire. To my knowledge, neither was wounded by shrapnel.

As I recall, there was just a single mission against Vinh in Brandon Bay. The others were elsewhere on the coast. I was in a pretty good position to observe.

[Zentrails]

isoloxx: We made three runs, so surprise was gone for the second two runs and they were fully loaded with HE rounds.

[Zentrails]

isoloxx: Your ignorance about this incident makes it hard for me to believe you even served one single day on board a Naval combat vessel. Every single day I served was dangerous and I served many days.

Go spread your lies somewhere else, weasel.

[Zentrails]

isoloxx: You also gloss over the fact that we were in NORTH VIETNAM for this attack.

We were fighting them on their own turf. On the first run we had an advantage, not only of surprise, but also because their artillery was prepared with anti-aircraft projectiles, not the high explosive (HE) projectiles that would have sunk our ship with one hit in the right place.

We all would have either died or become POW's if we got hit by just one of them.

[Zentrails]

isoloxx: Even if it were true that we were not within 4,000 yards, it's obvious that you have never been 4,000 yards away from a B-52 bomb drop.

You ignore the fact that we didn't know if there were mines for us to hit, we had no fighter protection at all. In fact, I was certified to launch Red-eye missiles, but the funny thing was" WE didn't actually have any on board.

We also did not have flashless powder so the enemy could and did easily spot us.

[Zentrails]

isoloxx: It is not even slightly believable that you were on the bridge of one of the three ships.

I was in the CIC on DD860 during these three runs and can tell you without any doubt that not only were we much closer than "4,000 yards" but we got many secondary explosions as well, which means we were well within their range as well.

[isoloxx]

From someone who was there; 'I was on the bridge, next to the open door, with crew continually entering and leaving; I guess I must have been hunkered down and missed the whole battle while I was reading charts.'

This video does make for interesting fiction though.

[isoloxx]

The Turner Joy was 4000 yards off-shore; The OV-10 landed two miles inland; and this guy saw it all from the TJ? Smells like tuna to me. Just a wet dream, sounds like.

[isoloxx]

Sounds like this might have been the same guy who swore he witnessed George Washington chopping down the cherry tree. Boolshit!