USS Jouett Terrier Missile Launch - Bob Windholz, veteran, Atlanta attorney

Terrier Missile Launch from the USS Jouett. The USS Jouett had "Terrier" missiles, which were state-of-the-art in Vietnam for at shipboard SAMs [surface to air missiles]. On one occasion we were close to the North Vietnam coast during bombing raids on Vinh. After March 1968, President Johnson put all of North Vietnam above 20 degrees North Latitude off-limits for bombing missions. The Navy was confined to missions south of this no-bomb latitude. A lead Navy target was Vinh. Vinh was an assembly point for funneling arms south to the war below the DMZ. The North Vietnamese air force used an airfield called Bai Thong for marshalling Mig-21s for interdiction of our planes on bombing missions near Vinh. Late in the afternoon, when missions were being conducted against Vinh, the Migs would fly to the west and engage our aircraft when the setting sun was behind the Migs. One afternoon an F-4 flying CAP (combat air patrol) engaged a Mig-21. The command came from the commander at "Yankee Station" (carrier location in Gulf of Tonkin) to "take the Mig with the F-4. Our DLG had missiles on the rail with the Mig closing on our ship. The probability of a shoot down of the Mig by our ship's Terriers was around 96 percent (if my memory is correct). Ultimately the F-4 engaged the Mig and the Mig won the day by shooting down the F-4. My own feeling after that experience was one of sadness for the downed crew and anger for the arrogance shown by the commander at "Yankee Station". Two fliers ...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjTns4CrAsw&hl=en