- 11-24-1975: An ASROC motor prematurely ignites seriously
burning one man while the USS Richard S. Edwards (DD-950) is en-route
to the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands, Kauai, from Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii. A manufacturing defect in one of the rocketmotor components
is determined to be the accident's cause.
- 10-19-1974: The USS Richard S. Edwards (DD-950) experiences
one-foot deep flooding in the fire room while in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The
water is pumped out.
- 05-09-1972: The Edwards part of a four Destroyers special tast unit designated as TU 77.1.2 took part in a diversionary
attack against numerous enemy artillery, antiaircraft battiers and SAM sites on Do Son Penninsula. A heavily fortified
area to the southern approach to Haiphong Harbor. The aim was to distract the gunners in this area from firing on the
planes as they laid a string of mines across the harbor. The purpose, to stop the military supplies from entering
into Haiphong. The four destroyers fired 903 rounds of 5 shells at preselected targets on the peninsula. No damages was
reported by the four destroyers in the attack and all plane returned. The two day attack May 9-10, 1972 was the largest
multi-cruiser-destroyer surface strike since World War ll. To read the entire story go to U.S, Naval Institute,
Annapolis, Maryland (Pounding the Do Son Peninsula by Commander John G. Robinson (retired)).
- 05-04-1972: President Nixon agree to a proposal by Henry Kissinger to strike back at North Vietnam to stop
their Easter Offensive, a 120,000 man attack across DMZ that started on March 30, 1972 and bring them back
to the Peace Negotiations going on in Paris. Part of this proposal was to mines the entrance to Haiphong Harbor
during a two day attack using varies types of Naval surface vessels.
- 02-1969: The Edwards is exposed to Agent Orange while on the Mekong River Delta in Province of Kien Hoa.
The VA has confirmed the incident at
their Public Health website.
- 05-1966: The Edwards was caught in the Tonkin Gulf by the ravages
of Typhoon Kitt. This storm caused extensive property damage; all lifelines,
whaleboat, Captain's gig, bridge windows, both stacks and the portside waterbreak.
When the portside waterbreak collapsed, SN Louis Garcia was standing behind it.
Due to the heavy weather and SN Garcia's injuries, nothing more could be done
for him and he died on May 26, 1966. The Edwards limped into Subic Bay for
repairs. Commander James Owens dedicated the Westpac 66 Cruise Book to SN Garcia.
- 09-1964: Not until mid-September did American leaders authorize another Desoto Patrol
into the gulf. On the 17th and 18th, Morton (DD-948) and Richard S. Edwards
(DD-950) cruised along a track no closer than 20 miles to the North Vietnamese
mainland without incident. On the night of September 18, 1964 however, both
destroyers opened fire on what their crews believed were attacking high-speed
surface vessels. While a subsequent naval investigation concluded that at least one
unidentified, hostile-acting fast craft was in the area, the validity of an attack was
called into question by the lack of firm evidence. Following this incident, never
again were Desoto Patrols conducted in the Gulf of Tonkin. Thus, from a military
standpoint, the naval actions in August initiated a temporary downturn rather than
an escalation in the Southeast Asian crisis.
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