Has anyone else ever heard this?? I received this story in an email today...
April 19, 1972: The Battle of Dong Hoi. U.S.S. Sterett, DLG-31, on station off the coast of North Vietnam with her escort destroyer U.S.S. Higbee, was attacked by two MIG-17 fighters from just north of Haiphong. One place dropped a 500 lb. bomb that blew the 5" after gunmount off the Higbee. Sterett fired two Terrier surface-to-air missiles at point blank range at one plane, one of which punched right through the cockpit to blow up on the other side. The second plane ran for home, but was shot down by another Terrier just before it reached the safety of the mountains around Haiphong. Two hours later, two North Vietnamese PT boats attacked Sterett with Styx anti-ship missiles. Sterett fired two more Terriers at the Styx missiles, knocking both down. She then opened up with her 5" 54 cal. after mount, firing 11 rounds of air frag over the radar position of the PT's, smashing them into kindling and sinking both.
This was the only full on naval engagement of the Vietnam War, and was the first combat kill with the Terrier missile. True story
April 19, 1972: The Battle of Dong Hoi. U.S.S. Sterett, DLG-31, on station off the coast of North Vietnam with her escort destroyer U.S.S. Higbee, was attacked by two MIG-17 fighters from just north of Haiphong. One place dropped a 500 lb. bomb that blew the 5" after gunmount off the Higbee. Sterett fired two Terrier surface-to-air missiles at point blank range at one plane, one of which punched right through the cockpit to blow up on the other side. The second plane ran for home, but was shot down by another Terrier just before it reached the safety of the mountains around Haiphong. Two hours later, two North Vietnamese PT boats attacked Sterett with Styx anti-ship missiles. Sterett fired two more Terriers at the Styx missiles, knocking both down. She then opened up with her 5" 54 cal. after mount, firing 11 rounds of air frag over the radar position of the PT's, smashing them into kindling and sinking both.
This was the only full on naval engagement of the Vietnam War, and was the first combat kill with the Terrier missile. True story