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

The "Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club" was the tongue-in-cheek nickname of the US Seventh Fleet that was stationed off the coast of Vietnam and this book tells the full story of the US Naval air campaign in the Vietnam War from 1965 to 1975.

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

The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club is titled after the nickname for the US Navy's Seventh Fleet which was stationed off the coast of Vietnam, and it tells the full story of the US Navy's war in the air. It details all the operations from the USS Maddox onwards through to the eventual withdrawal of the fleet following the collapse of South Vietnam in 1975.

The Seventh Fleet's Task Force 77, which at points during the war had as many as six carriers on station at any one time with 70–100 aircraft on each, provided vital air support for combat troops on the ground, while at the same time taking part in the major operations against North Vietnam itself such as Rolling Thunder, Linebacker I and II. All of these operations took place in a hostile environment of flak, missiles and MiGs.

The story is told through the dramatic first-hand accounts of those that took part in the fighting, with many of the interviews carried out by the author himself. The Vietnamese perspective is also given, with the author having had access to the official Vietnamese account of the war in the air. The author also has a personal interest in the story, as at the age of 20 he served with the US Seventh Fleet off the coast of Vietnam and was personally involved in the dramatic history of The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club.

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

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Product details

Published	Oct 12 2021
Format	Hardback
Edition	1st
Extent	400
ISBN	9781472845955
Imprint	Osprey Publishing
Illustrations	32-page plate section in black and white.
Dimensions	9 x 6 inches
Series	General Aviation
Short code	GNA
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing

Author

Thomas McKelvey Cleaver

Thomas McKelvey Cleaver has been a published write…

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