DESOTO patrol

DESOTO patrols (DEHAVEN Special Operations off TsingtaO)^[1] were patrols conducted by U.S. Navy destroyers equipped with a mobile "van" of signals intelligence equipment used for intelligence collection in hostile waters.^[2]

These types of patrols had previously been conducted off the coasts of the Soviet Union, China, and North Korea, but are widely recognized for their role in the Vietnam War.^[1] The purpose of the patrols in Vietnam was to intercept North Vietnamese Army intelligence and relay it to South Vietnamese Army forces. With the intercepted communications, the South Vietnamese were able to more effectively coordinate their raids. The destroyers taking part in the DESOTO patrols in Vietnam were accompanied by air support provided by the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga. ^[1]

The DESOTO patrols were part of a larger scheme known as Operation 34A. Run by the Department of Defense at the time, Operation 34A, or "OPLAN 34Alpha" was a top secret program consisting primarily of covert actions against the North Vietnamese.^[1]

DESOTO patrol ships were the vessels engaged by North Vietnamese naval vessels in the Gulf of Tonkin incident.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Montgomery. "The First DESOTO Patrol". http://ussdehaven.org/first_desoto_patrol.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-04. 
2. ^ National Security Agency (2005-11-30 and 05/30/2006). "Gulf of Tonkin". declassified materials, 2005 and 2006. http://www.espionageinfo.com/An-Ba/Army-Security-Agency.html. Retrieved 2007-10-02.