View source for USS Maddox (DD-731)

{{Short description|Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer}}
{{Other ships|USS Maddox}}
{{coord|26.1484805|-81.7748860|display=title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image= [[File:USS Maddox (DD-731) underway at sea, circa the early 1960s (NH 97900).jpg|300px|USS ''Maddox'' (DD-731)]]
|Ship caption=USS ''Maddox'' underway in the early 1960s
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1969}}
|Ship name=''Maddox''
|Ship namesake= [[William A. T. Maddox]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship sponsor= Mrs. Harry H. Wilhoit
|Ship builder=[[Bath Iron Works]]
|Ship laid down=28 October 1943
|Ship launched=19 March 1944
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=2 June 1944
|Ship decommissioned=1972
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service= 
|Ship struck=2 July 1972
|Ship honours=
|Ship identification=*[[Maritime call sign|Callsign]]: NHHK
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Hotel}}{{ICS|Hotel}}{{ICS|Yankee}}
*[[Hull number]]: DD-731
|Ship fate=Sold to [[Taiwan]] in 1973
|Ship badge=[[File:USS Maddox (DD-731) insignia.png|150px]]
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=Taiwan
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Republic of China|naval}}
|Ship name= *''Po Yang''
*(鄱陽)
|Ship namesake=[[Poyang County|Po Yang]]
|Ship acquired=6 July 1972
|Ship commissioned=6 July 1972
|Ship identification=[[Hull number]]: DD-10
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=yes
|Ship reclassified=*DD-928
*DD-910, 1979
*DDG-910, mid-1980s
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=yes
|Ship decommissioned=30 June 1984
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=1985
|Ship fate=[[Ship breaking|Scrapped]], 1985
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class={{sclass|Allen M. Sumner|destroyer}}
|Ship displacement=2,200 tons
|Ship length={{convert|376|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|40|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|15|ft|8|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=*{{convert|60,000|shp|abbr=on}};
*2 propellers
|Ship speed={{convert|34|kn|abbr=on}}
|Ship range={{convert|6500|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|15|kn|abbr=on}}
|Ship complement=336 officers and men
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*6 × [[5"/38 caliber gun|{{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}/38 cal. guns]]
*12 × [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm]] AA guns,
*11 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20 mm]] AA guns,
*10 × [[American 21 inch torpedo|21 inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s,
*6 × [[depth charge]] projectors,
*2 × depth charge tracks
|Ship armor=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''USS ''Maddox'' (DD-731)''', was an {{sclass|Allen M. Sumner|destroyer}}. It was named after [[Captain (U.S. Marine Corps)|Captain]] [[William A. T. Maddox]] of the [[United States Marine Corps]].

''Maddox'' screened the ships of the [[Fast Carrier Task Force]] during strikes against Japanese targets in the western Pacific. She was hit by a Japanese ''[[kamikaze]]'' aircraft off [[Taiwan|Formosa]] on 21 January 1945. Later, she covered the Marine landings at [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]] and operated with the [[United States Seventh Fleet|7th Fleet]] in support of [[United Nations]] Forces during the [[Korean War]]. ''Maddox'' participated in the [[Blockade of Wonsan]], an 861-day siege and bombardment of the city.

After 1953, she alternated operations along the west coast of the United States and in [[Hawaii]]an waters, with regular deployments to the western Pacific with the Seventh Fleet. ''Maddox'' departed [[Long Beach Naval Shipyard|Long Beach]] 13 March 1964. 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]]. During August she was involved in a skirmish with North Vietnamese torpedo boats, the [[Gulf of Tonkin incident]], which led to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and increased U.S. involvement in the [[Vietnam War]].

==Construction and career==
She was [[Keel laying|laid down]] by the [[Bath Iron Works]] Corporation at [[Bath, Maine|Bath]] in [[Maine]] on 28 October 1943, [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 19 March 1944 by Mrs. Harry H. Wilhoit, granddaughter of Captain Maddox, and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 2 June 1944.

=== Service in the United States Navy ===

==== World War II ====
Following shakedown and antisubmarine exercises, ''Maddox'' departed [[Boston]] on 27 August for [[Norfolk, Virginia]] on route to the Pacific. Arriving at [[Ulithi]] 21 October 1944, she was assigned to Fast Carrier TG 38.1 of the [[United States Third Fleet|3d Fleet]]. As a member of this task group, ''Maddox'' took part in the preparation and the covering operations for the [[Mindoro]] and [[Luzon]] invasions, 4 November 1944 to 21 January 1945. During this period she served in the screen and on picket station in the South and East China Seas, while carrier-based planes [[South China Sea raid|struck air and naval bases]] from [[Saigon]] to [[Formosa]]. Hit by a ''kamikaze'' off Formosa on 21 January 1945, ''Maddox'' headed for [[Ulithi]] for repairs. Departing on 14 March, the destroyer steamed off the Japanese home islands where she was on [[Radar picket|picket]] station during the air strikes on [[Kyushu]] and southern [[Honshu]]. She proceeded to Okinawa on 23 March to provide support for preinvasion strikes, remaining on duty there after the invasion date of 1 April. For almost three months, until 13 June 1945, ''Maddox'' continued to provide support for this campaign in the form of shore bombardment and carrier screening for raids on Kyushu and [[Shikoku]].

On 8 July, ''Maddox'' sailed from [[Leyte]] to participate in the operations of the third Fleet off the islands of [[Honshu]] and [[Hokkaido]]. From 10 July until the cessation of offensive action 15 August, she provided screening, picket, and shore bombardment services.

Following the Japanese surrender, ''Maddox'' continued to patrol off Japan until departing [[Tokyo Bay]] 20 September with military passengers for the United States. Delivering her passengers to San Francisco on 5 October, she proceeded to [[San Diego]], arriving on the 14th. She operated there until 1 February 1946, when she returned to the Far East to support the movement of naval occupation forces between [[Shanghai]], [[Qingdao]], and [[Taku Forts|Taku]] in China, and the ports of [[Pusan]] and [[Jinsen]] in Korea.

====Korean War====
Returning to San Diego 24 March 1947, she operated for the next three years off the west coast conducting reserve training cruises, serving as a [[training ship]] in antisubmarine warfare and gunnery and participating in maneuvers with the 1st Task Fleet.

On 1 May 1950, ''Maddox'' departed San Diego for the Far East, arriving Hong Kong 26 June, the day after the commencement of hostilities in [[Korea]]. Departing for South Korea the next day, she acted as [[plane guard]] and antisubmarine screen for the [[aircraft carrier]]s {{USS|Valley Forge|CV-45|6}} and {{HMS|Triumph|R16|6}}. She operated there until August, when she departed for Formosa. On 4 May, she helped form the initial Formosa (later Taiwan) Patrol Force to prevent [[People's Republic of China|Communist Chinese]] invasion of Taiwan.

''Maddox'' returned to Korea 7 September and assumed coastal blockade and bombardment duties. She continued this assignment, which included a diversionary bombardment of [[Samchok]] coordinated with the [[Battle of Inchon|Inchon landings]] on 15 September, until departing for the United States early in January 1951. Arriving at San Diego on 31 January 1951, she served as a training ship and underwent overhaul before departing 1 December 1951 for her second Korean duty. Through February 1952, she screened carriers off the east coast of Korea and provided shore bombardment support for the U.N. land forces. During March she operated with the Taiwan Patrol Force, returning to Korea in April. From 16 April through 17 May she participated in the siege of Wonsan, following which she resumed screening duties for fast carriers.

In June ''Maddox'' returned to San Diego, arriving on 26 June, to stay only one month before departing for her new home port of [[Long Beach Naval Shipyard|Long Beach]]. After local operations and overhaul, ''Maddox'' again sailed for the Far East on 2 February 1953. As on her second Korean deployment, the destroyer again guarded the fast carriers along the eastern coast of Korea; participated in shore bombardments, this time as far north as [[Hungnam]], and served, for a two-week period, in the Taiwan Patrol Force. After completing her 1953 Korean tour on 12 August she departed for Long Beach, arriving on 30 August.

====1954–1964====
''Maddox'' operated off the west coast until the next spring. (''Maddox'' is featured in the Hollywood film ''Return from the Sea'', released by Allied Artists in 1954.)<ref>{{cite web|title=Return from the Sea|website=[[IMDb]] |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047405/}}</ref> On 4 May 1954, she sailed for duty with the [[United States Seventh Fleet|7th Fleet]]. On this tour, which lasted until 5 December, she took part in antisubmarine warfare tactics and attack carrier exercises off Kyushu, Korea, and Luzon as well as operating with the Taiwan Patrol Force.

From 14 June 1955 through 2 March 1962, ''Maddox'' completed six additional cruises to the Far East. These cruises included combined defense exercises with the forces of other [[SEATO]] nations and training operations with South Korean, [[Republic of China Navy|Nationalist Chinese]], and [[Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force]]s.

Having operated off the west coast for two years, from March 1962, ''Maddox'' departed Long Beach 13 March 1964 for another tour with the 7th 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 ====
{{Main|Gulf of Tonkin incident}}
On 31 July 1964 she commenced her first leg of a [[DESOTO patrol]] in the [[Tonkin Gulf]]. Initially a routine patrol, it later developed into a naval action with global repercussions. On 2 August 1964, ''Maddox'', cruising in international waters 28 miles off the coast of [[North Vietnam]], engaged three North Vietnamese Navy (NVN) [[P 4-class torpedo boat|P4]] [[motor torpedo boats]], from Torpedo Squadron 135.<ref>Moise, p. 70, 78</ref> The P4s, {{convert|66|ft|m|adj=on}} long aluminum-hulled torpedo boats each armed with two torpedoes which mounted a {{convert|550|lb|kg|abbr=on}} [[Trinitrotoluene|TNT]] warhead<ref>Moise, p. 71</ref> and capable of exceeding {{convert|40|kn}}, approached at high speeds from several miles away. The commander of the 7th Fleet's Destroyer Division 192, Captain [[John J. Herrick]],<ref>Moise, p. 51</ref> who was aboard ''Maddox'' in charge of the mission, ordered the ship's captain (Commander Herbert Ogier) to have gun crews fire upon the torpedo boats if they came within {{convert|10,000|yd|m}}. When they did, the American sailors fired three rounds to warn off the North Vietnamese boats.<ref>McLaughlin, Mike."[http://americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2004/1/2004_1_45.shtml Anatomy of a Crisis] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060507092038/http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2004/1/2004_1_45.shtml |date=7 May 2006 }}" ''American Heritage'', March 2004.</ref> The NVN torpedo boats were commanded by three brothers: Van Bot commanded boat ''T-333'', Van Tu commanded ''T-336'', and ''T-339'' was commanded by Van Gian.<ref>Moise, p. 78</ref> The torpedo boats initially conducted their attack in numerical order, with ''T-333'' spearheading the assault.  Maximum effective range for their torpedoes was {{convert|1,000|yd|m}},<ref name="Moise, p. 79">Moise, p. 79</ref> but ''Maddox''{{'}}s 5-inch gun's range was {{convert|18,000|yd|m}}.<ref>Moise, p. 70</ref> As the boats pressed home their attack and came within {{convert|5,000|yd|m}}, ''T-333'' attempted to run abeam of ''Maddox'' for a side shot, while the remaining two boats continued their stern chase. The two chasers, ''T-336'' and ''T-339'', fired first, but due to ''Maddox''{{'}}s heavy fire of 5-inch shells, the torpedo boats had discharged their torpedoes at excessive range, all four underwater missiles missing their mark. ''T-333'' fired its torpedoes, without effect, but dueled ''Maddox''{{'}}s 5-inch guns with its twin {{convert|14.5|mm|in|abbr=on|2}} [[machine gun]], achieving one hit on the destroyer.<ref name="Moise, p. 79"/> The ship altered her course to avoid the torpedoes, which were observed passing on the starboard side. Soon, four [[F-8 Crusader]]s from an aircraft carrier in the region, {{USS|Ticonderoga|CV-14|6}}, arrived on the scene and attacked the three torpedo boats. The combination of fire from ''Maddox'' and the F-8s severely damaged all three boats, and forced them to retreat to the bases from which they came. Several NVN sailors were wounded, and four were killed. No US sailors were killed or wounded, and ''Maddox'' did not sustain serious damage, save for a single bullet hole from a machine gun;<ref>{{Cite book |last=Weiner |first=Tim |title=Legacy of ashes: the history of the CIA |date=2007 |publisher=Doubleday |isbn=978-0-385-51445-3 |edition=1. |location=New York, NY}}</ref> one of the four Crusaders sustained some 14.5&nbsp;mm machine gun fire hits, as a large portion of its left wing was "missing",<ref>Moise, p. 82</ref> but managed to return to ''Ticonderoga''.

On 4 August, another DESOTO patrol off the North Vietnamese coast was launched by ''Maddox'' and {{USS|Turner Joy}}, in order to "show the flag" after the first incident. This time their orders indicated that the ships were to close to no more than {{convert|11|mi|km}} from the coast of North Vietnam.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{Cite web |url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/pentagon3/pent4.htm |title=Pentagon Papers |access-date=11 June 2009 |archive-date=2 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070302114833/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/pentagon3/pent4.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> During an evening and early morning of rough weather and heavy seas, the destroyers received radar, sonar, and radio signals that they believed signaled another attack by the North Vietnamese navy. For some two hours the ships fired on radar targets and maneuvered vigorously amid electronic and visual reports of enemies.  At 0127 [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]] time, Herrick sent a cable in which he admitted that the attack may never have happened and that there may actually have been no North Vietnamese craft in the area: "Review of action makes many reported contacts and torpedoes fired appear doubtful. Freak weather effects on radar and overeager sonarmen may have accounted for many reports. No actual visual sightings by ''Maddox''. Suggest complete evaluation before any further action taken." Since then, numerous accounts have supported the theory that there was no attack on 4 August at all, including North Vietnamese military commander [[Võ Nguyên Giáp]], who in 1995 admitted 2 August attack but asserted that the 4 August attack had never occurred.
[[File:USS Maddox (DD-731) port bow view 1964.jpg|thumb|''Maddox'' underway in 1964]]

==== 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 four 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 Atoll|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 [[U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay|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.

''Maddox'' received four battle stars for World War II service, and six for Korean service.

===Service in the Republic of China Navy===

On 6 July 1972 she was transferred to [[Taiwan]], commissioned into the [[Republic of China Navy]], and renamed '''ROCS ''Po Yang'' (DD-10)''' and served with the Naval Weapons school.

Her number was later changed to DD-928.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=鄱陽軍艦 鄱陽沿革史|url=https://nmda.teldap.tw/page_book01_11_dd910.htm|access-date=2021-09-10|website=nmda.teldap.tw}}</ref>

Changed again to DD-910 in 1979.<ref name=":0" />

In mid-1980s, her number was changed to DDG-910.<ref name=":0" />

The ship was decommissioned on 30 June 1984 and scrapped in 1985.<ref name=":0" />

Currently, the ship's bell sits at the Museum of Military Memorabilia in [[Naples, Florida]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=How Goes It Jan 2015 |url=http://www.ussmaddox.org/Documents/HowgoesitJan2015.pdf |website=www.ussmaddox.org}}</ref>

==Awards==
*[[Combat Action Ribbon]]
*[[Navy Unit Citation]]
*[[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]] with four [[battle star]]s
*[[World War II Victory Medal]]
*[[Navy Occupation Medal]] with "ASIA" clasp
*[[China Service Medal]]
*[[National Defense Service Medal]] with star
*[[Korean Service Medal]] with six battle stars
*[[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]]
*[[Vietnam Service Medal]] with three campaign stars
*[[Philippine Presidential Unit Citation]]
*[[Korean Presidential Unit Citation]]
*[[United Nations Korea Medal]]
*[[Philippine Liberation Medal]] with star
*[[Korean War Service Medal]]
*[[Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
*{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/maddox-iii.html}}
* Moise, Edwin E. ''Tonkin Gulf and the Escalation of the Vietnam War.'' 1996; The University of North Carolina Press.  {{ISBN|0-8078-2300-7}}.

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB132/lang_chron.pdf Chronology of Events 30/31 July Through August 1964] – [[National Security Archive|National Security Archive at George Washington University]]
* [http://www.gwu.edu/%7Ensarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB132/index.htm The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, 40 Years Later; Flawed Intelligence and the Decision for War in Vietnam] – [[National Security Archive|National Security Archive at George Washington University]]
*[http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/731.htm    navsource.org: USS ''Maddox'']
*[http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd731txt.htm         hazegray.org: USS ''Maddox'']
*[http://www.ussmaddox.org/  ussmaddox.org:  USS ''Maddox'' Association]

{{Allen M. Sumner class destroyer|others}}
{{1964 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maddox (Dd-731)}}
[[Category:Allen M. Sumner-class destroyers of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Ships built in Bath, Maine]]
[[Category:1944 ships]]
[[Category:World War II destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Cold War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Korean War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Vietnam War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:International maritime incidents]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1964]]
[[Category:Lo Yang-class destroyers]]