Gulf of Tonkin incident
Gulf of Tonkin incident was a naval engagement fought on 2 August 1964 at Gulf of Tonkin; it lasted 2 days. It was part of the Vietnam War, which ran from 1955 to 1975. The recorded result: Gulf of Tonkin Resolution; escalation of the War in Vietnam. Recorded strength: Sea: 2 destroyers; 1 aircraft carrier; Air: 4 F8 Crusader against 3 torpedo boats.
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The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Maddox (DD-731) underway at sea, circa the early 1960s.. Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons .
Fought 2 August 1964 lasted 2 days
Where Gulf of Tonkin 19.783N, 106.518E
Outcome Gulf of Tonkin Resolution; escalation of the War in Vietnam
Belligerents United States against North Vietnam
Where it sits in the Vietnam War Battle of Ap Bac, 1963 Battle of Go Cong, 1963 Battle of Nam Dong, 1964 Battle of An Lao, 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident, 1964 Battle of Binh Gia, 1964 Operation Starlite, 1965 Battle of Dong Xoai, 1965 Battle of Ba Gia, 1965 Battle of Song Be, 1965 Battle of Dương Liễu–Nhông Pass, 1965 Attack on Camp Holloway, 1965 Battle of Núi Thành, 1965 Siege of Plei Me, 1965 Battle of Gang Toi, 1965 Battle of Ap Bau Bang, 1965 Battle of Ia Drang, 1965 Battle of Xa Cam My, 1966 Battle of A Shau, 1966 Operation Crimp, 1966 Battle of Bong Son, 1966 Battle of Suoi Bong Trang, 1966 Battle of Long Tan, 1966 Battle of Tra Binh Dong, 1967 Battle of Tam Quan, 1967 Operation Cedar Falls, 1967 Operation Bribie, 1967 Battle of Hill 881, 1967 Battle of Suoi Chau Pha, 1967 Operation Francis Marion, 1967 Battle of Ong Thanh, 1967 First Battle of Loc Ninh, 1967 Battle of Dak To, 1967 Battle of Saigon, 1968 New Year's Day Battle of 1968, 1968 Battle of Khe Sanh, 1968 Battle of Ban Houei Sane, 1968 Battle of Quang Tri, 1968 Battle of Lang Vei, 1968 Tet Offensive battle of Cholon and Phu Tho Racetrack, 1968 Action of 1 March 1968, 1968 Battle of Hue, 1968 Battle of Lima Site 85, 1968 Battle of An Bao, 1968 Battle of Kham Duc, 1968 Battle of Coral–Balmoral, 1968 Operation Speedy Express, 1968 Battle of Hat Dich, 1968 Operation Dewey Canyon, 1969 Battle of Hamburger Hill, 1969 Battle of Binh Ba, 1969 Battle of Kompong Speu, 1970 Battle of Prey Veng, 1970 Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord, 1970 Operation Ivory Coast, 1970 Operation Lam Son 719, 1971 Battle of FSB Mary Ann, 1971 Battle of Snuol, 1971 Battle of Long Khanh, 1971 Battle of Nui Le, 1971 First Battle of Quảng Trị, 1972 Battle of Loc Ninh, 1972 Battle of Đồng Hới, 1972 Battle of Kontum, 1972 Second Battle of Quảng Trị, 1972 Operation Linebacker II, 1972 Battle of Cửa Việt, 1973 Battle of the Paracel Islands, 1974 Battle of Kampot, 1974 Battle of Svay Rieng, 1974 Battle of the Iron Triangle, 1974 Battle of Phuoc Long, 1974 Battle of Ban Me Thuot, 1975 Battle of Xuan Loc, 1975 Fall of Saigon, 1975 1963 1975 Gulf of Tonkin incident, 1964 75 placed engagements of the Vietnam War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.
Record
Date 2 August 1964to 4 August 1964 Place Gulf of Tonkin19.783N, 106.518E Kind Naval engagement, Cold War Strength Sea: 2 destroyers; 1 aircraft carrier; Air: 4 F8 Crusader 3 torpedo boats Casualties and losses 1 destroyer slightly damaged; 1 aircraft slightly damaged 1 torpedo boat severely damaged; 2 torpedo boats moderately damaged; 4 killed; 6 wounded Commanders Robert McNamara U. S. Grant Sharp Jr. Roy L. Johnson John J. Herrick
Gulf of Tonkin incident Gulf of Tonkin incident Battle of Bach Dang River Battle of Bạch Đằng Battle of Bạch Đằng Siege of Songping Siege of Đông Quan Battle of Bach Dang River Siege of Songping Vinh Nam Định Thanh Hóa Ninh Bình 100 km 19.783N, 106.518E The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.
Gulf of Tonkin incident is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas.
Sources
Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q482402 , released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Gulf of Tonkin incident , revision 1381164247, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.
