Battle of Dong Hoi

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Battle of Dong Hoi was a clash between United States Navy warships and three North Vietnamese air force MiG-17 fighter-bombers, several torpedo boats and shore batteries on April 19, 1972 during the Vietnam War. The U.S. warships involved where the 7th Fleet flagship, guided missile cruiser USS Oklahoma City (CLG-5), the guided missile frigate USS Sterett (DLG-31), and destroyers USS Lloyd Thomas (DD-764) and USS Higbee (DD-806).

The U.S. warships were shelling North Vietnamese coastal targets around Dong Hoi, Quang Binh Province, Bac Trung Bo. The battle site is in the Gulf of Tonkin, near DMZ at 17th Parallel, the provisional borderline of the Republic of Vietnam and Democratic Republic of Vietnam. This was the first MiG attack on US naval forces in the Gulf of Tonkin.

One of the MiG-17s scored a direct hit on Higbee with a 250 lb bomb, and was then shot down by a Terrier surface-to-air missile fired from Sterrett. The explosion destroyed Higbee's aft 5-inch gun mount and wounded three sailors in the gun mount's upper handling room. The gun mount itself was empty, the 12 man crew having been evacuated following a "hang fire" (a round stuck in one of the barrels). Oklahoma City received minor damage from shrapnel resulting from shore fire. Two of the torpedo boats were believed sunk by gun fire when they engaged the U.S. ships as they escorted the Higbee from the area.