Operation Custom Tailor

Operation Custom Taylor
USS Hanson firing on the North Vietnamese coast, 1972.
Objective	Mine the port of Haiphong, North Vietnam.
Date	May 1972
Executed by	United States
Outcome	United States victory, objectives completed.

This operation should not be confused with the earlier Battle of Haiphong Harbor.

Operation Custom Tailor was an American cruiser and destroyer strike force that conducted a daring raid at Haiphong, North Vietnam, in May of 1972. It was a history making strike that involved the most formidable cruiser/destroyer fleet in the Western Pacific since World War II. During the strike, military targets within four miles of Haiphong were hit and enemy opposition was heavy.

Operation

The Meritorious Unit Commendation was awarded to the crew of USS Hanson for saving the lives of American soldiers who were being overrun by enemy troops in Mộ Đức District; and its participation in a daring raid on Haiphong in 1972 during Operation Custom Tailor.

Among the ships present was the USS Hanson, a destroyer that received the Meritorious Unit Commendation for its participation in this operation and later saving the lives of an Army detachment of 120 men being overrun by enemy forces in Mộ Đức District. Also present were the USS Buchanan, USS Newport News, USS Providence and USS Oklahoma.

During the raid, the USS Hanson entered Haiphong Harbor to supress hostile shore batteries while enabling other United States Navy forces to mine the Haiphong Harbor entrance. This made the Hanson the last American warship to enter Haiphong Harbor during the Vietnam War and the last one out.

^[1][2][3][4]

References

1. ^ Destroyer Photo Index DD-832 / DDR-832 USS HANSON. Navsource.org. Retrieved on 12 August 2011.
2. ^ The Ship. USS Hanson 832. Retrieved on 12 August 2011.
3. ^ Admrial Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr. – Meritorious Unit Commendation – USS Hanson (DD-832). History.navy.mil. Retrieved on 12 August 2011.
4. ^ http://www.uss-buchanan-ddg14.org/buchanan72.html