Yes it's true, but still best kept secret naval action during the Vietnm War.
Good Morning Gentlemen,
I was the radarman Track Supe in CIC during the Dong Hoi action. It started out on my regular watch during gun line action targeting Dong Hoi just above the DMZ and lasted 2.5 hours through GQ. The Oklahoma, Thomas and Higbee were just exiting the line operation. We were within 5-10 miles of the coast. Once those migs went feet wet it was only seconds to be on top of us and it was not too hard for the Mig pilot to trace the wakes of a cruiser and two destroyers beating feet at 20-25 knots. It was harder for him to see us at 5 knots providing air cover during the action and the retreat. You see we a had some feints that went feet wet leading up to that action. I suppose that is why CTF77 placed us there at the time. There is a reasonably good historical fiction titled On the Edge of Honor by Captain, Retired JT Deutermann based on the action by Sterett.
We tracked at least 3 confirmed Migs out of Dong Hoi during that action. The first came low and fast from the west and picked up by my tracker ordered to scale down his console, got the Higbee and nailed by our terriers as it rose and banked off its attack. Guys on deck got photos of the whole thing it was that close. The photo silhouettes made no doubt it was a Mig 17 and the damage to Higbee and injuries to her crewmen was not made by 130 mm. Our lookout and bridge had front row visual on the whole thing just in case some don't believe we had Migs up and attacking. The second was low and from the north also first picked by one of my trackers well within our terrier range and downed before it could move out.
The third is still controversial today. Our SPQ-spook 55s and EW tracking two closing PT boats sounded SSM warning . . . tracking skin moving faster and rising in altitude off the PT tracks, firing was automatic from there. The question? Was it a Styx missle or the third Mig coming in low over the PT boats? You see NV was not known to have Styx capability on the KOMAR class PTs, but who knows. I tend to lean toward the third Mig theory because after that, no more bandit or unknown bogey tracks. At that point we turned to the east to retreat behind the Higbee and unmask our 5" to take on the still closing PTs.
If you are interested I'll send copies of the photo sequence of the Mig approach, attack, rise and bank and the cloud of dust after terrier impact. We weren't at GQ at first so there were a lot of men on deck watching the line action and then the Oklahoma, Thomas and Higbee going by at full speed when the 17 first attacked.
I have nothing by the greatest respect for both brown shoe and black shoe Navy, Marines, Airforce and Army that served and serve honorably today.
See the attached Declassifed documents. I'd love to hear form anyone who might have more information on this event.