Historical information on the situations that occurred prior to the passing of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. On August 2, 1964, the destroyer USS Maddox, while performing a signals intelligence patrol as part of DESOTO operations, was pursued by three North Vietnamese Navy torpedo boats. The Maddox, in response, fired 3 warning shots and the North Vietnamese boats then attacked with torpedoes and machine gun fire. In the exchange, 1 U.S. aircraft was damaged, three north Vietnamize torpedo boats were damaged, and 4 North Vietnamize soldiers were said to be killed and six others wounded. This was followed On August 4, 1964 in rough seas the USS Turner Joy started picking up radar signals they believed were North Vietnamese torpedo boats.
