The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club: Naval Aviation in the Vietnam War: Thomas McKelvey Cleaver: Osprey Publishing

The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club

Naval Aviation in the Vietnam War

The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club

Naval Aviation in the Vietnam War

Description

This book tells the full story of the US Naval air campaign during the Vietnam War between 1965 to 1975, where the US Seventh Fleet, stationed off the Vietnamese coast, was given the tongue-in-cheek nickname 'The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club'.

On August 2, 1964, USS Maddox became embroiled in the infamous 'Gulf of Tonkin incident' that lead directly to America's increased involvement in the Vietnam War. Supporting the Maddox that day were four F-8E Crusaders from the USS Ticonderoga, signalling the start of the US Navy's commitment to the air war over Vietnam.

The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club was the nickname for the US Navy's Seventh Fleet, Task Force 77, stationed off the coast of Vietnam which, at various points throughout the war, comprised as many as six carriers with 70–100 aircraft on board. The Seventh Fleet played an essential role in supporting operations over Vietnam, providing vital air support to combat troops on the ground and taking part in major operations such as Rolling Thunder and Linebacker I and II.

Serving with the US Seventh Fleet during this period and involved in the dramatic history of The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club was author Tom Cleaver, who was a 20-year-old member of Commander Patrol Forces Seventh Fleet which had operational control over Maddox and Turner Joy. His use of dramatic first-hand experiences from interviews with both American and Vietnamese pilots plus official Vietnamese accounts of the war provides a balanced and personal picture of the conflict from both sides. Detailing the very earliest incident in the Gulf of Tonkin through to the final evacuation of US nationals in 1975, he brings the story of US air intervention into Vietnam vividly to life.

List of Maps and Illustrations
Foreword by Captain Roy Cash, Jr., USN (Ret)
Introduction

1. Shooting at Flying Fish
2. Naval Aviation's Revolutionary New Sword
3. Opponents
4. The Rules of Engagement
5. Rolling Thunder, 1965–68
6. Air Combat, 1964–66
7. Air Combat, 1967–68
8. Alpha Strike
9. Spads vs. MiGs
10. "The Forrest Fire"
11. Top Gun
12. Interregnum, 1968–72
13. A New War
14. Operation Linebacker, 1972
15. Three DFCs in Seven Days
16. End Game, April 1975
17. Southeast Asian Finale

Bibliography
Glossary
Index

Product details

Published	Jun 20 2023
Format	Paperback
Edition	1st
Extent	400
ISBN	9781472845948
Imprint	Osprey Publishing
Illustrations	8-page plate section in colour
Dimensions	234 x 153 mm
Series	General Aviation
Short code	GNA
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing

The Vietnam War was my war, by which I mean I fought in it, and I can say that Thomas Cleaver in his Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club examines the war in an unparalleled way through the lens of aviation and its aviators. He illustrates the inevitable agony and sacrifice, thrill and triumph of the young men immersed in that saga. It all makes for a riveting read.

Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, US Army (Ret.), soldier, diplomat and late Professor of Government and Public Policy at the College of William and Mary
Tom Cleaver has captured the dramatic history of Naval Aviation's combat record in Vietnam in a manner worthy of the classic historical novel. From the first shot fired in the Tonkin Gulf in August 1964 to the final salvo in January 1973, Tom weaves an accurate tale, full of the color and fury of battle, courage, suspense, and thrill of victory – as experienced and portrayed on both sides of the conflict.

Captain Roy Cash, Jr., USN (Ret.), Former CO, Top Gun
Tom Cleaver's book is a superb study of Naval Aviation's experiences during the Vietnam War. Tom's in-depth focus and analysis of personal inputs from aircrews on both sides of the conflict coupled with the ever-changing political environment make it a high-powered book that is difficult to put down.

Rear-Admiral James A. “Jim” Lair, USN (Ret.), former commanding officer, USS America
With equal measures of aeronautical detail, historical perspective, and gripping action, Tom Cleaver has crafted an authoritative and balanced account of the Navy's Vietnam air war. Readers will be amazed by the recall and revelations of the Naval Aviators interviewed, profiled and portrayed. This is a gripping narrative combined with a definitive historical and technical reference.

David Sears, author of 'Such Men as These: The Story of the Navy Pilots Who Flew the Deadly Skies over Korea'
This gripping narrative that grabs the attention from the very first page is complimented with an eight-page section of mainly colour photographs and several maps. It will appeal greatly to both the general reader as well as aviation 'buffs.' Highly recommended.”

Andy Thomas, Flypast Magazine