Vietnam War/Tet Counteroffensive Campaign (68)/ Yankee Station, North Vietnam
From Month/Year
January / 1968
To Month/Year
April / 1968
Description Yankee Station was a point in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam used by the U.S. Navy aircraft carriers of Task Force 77 to launch strikes in the Vietnam War. While its official designation was "Point Yankee," it was universally referred to as Yankee Station. Carriers conducting air operations at Yankee Station were said to be "on the line" and statistical summaries were based on days on the line.
The name derived from it being the geographic reference point "Y", pronounced "Yankee" in the NATO phonetic alphabet. In turn the term Point Yankee derived from the launch point for "Yankee Team" aerial reconnaissance missions over Laos conducted in 1964. It was located about 190 km due east of Dong Hoi, at 17° 30' N and 108° 30' E.
During the two periods of sustained air operations against North Vietnam (March 2, 1965-October 31, 1968 and March 30, 1972-December 29, 1972) there were normally three carriers on the line, each conducting air operations for twelve hours, then off for twelve hours. One of the carriers would operate from noon to midnight, another from midnight to noon, and one during daylight hours, which gave 24-hour coverage plus additional effort during daylight hours, when sorties were most effective. However at the end of May, 1972, six carriers were for a short period of time on the line at Yankee Station conducting Linebacker strikes.
The first aircraft carrier at Yankee Station was USS Kitty Hawk, which was ordered there in April 1964 for the Yankee Team missions. Kitty Hawk was joined by Ticonderoga in May and Constellation in June, two months prior to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Ticonderoga and Constellation launched the first bombing missions from Yankee Station on August 5, 1964. Constellation was also the last carrier conducting operations at Yankee Station on August 15, 1973. USS Forrestal suffered a major accident while at Yankee Station when a series of fires and explosions on her deck killed 134 men and injured another 161.
A corresponding Dixie Station in the South China Sea off the Mekong Delta was a single carrier point for conducting strikes within South Vietnam from May 15, 1965 to August 3, 1966.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
January / 1968
To Month/Year
April / 1968
Last Updated: Dec 22, 2023
Personal Memories
People You Remember USS DeHaven DD-727, Capt. Franz
USS Hollister DD-788, Capt. Story
USS Henry W Tucker DD-875,
KNOPP, WILLIAM, CDR
Memories * Vietnam Initial Advisory Campaign (USAF): November 15 1961 to March 1, 1965 * Vietnam Advisory Campaign (Army, Navy, USCG): March 15, 1962 to March 7, 1965 * Vietnam Defense Campaign (Army, Navy USCG): March 8 to December 24, 1965 * Vietnam Air Defensive Campaign (USAF): March 2, 1965 to January 30, 1966 * Vietnam Counteroffensive (Army, Navy, USCG): December 25, 1965 to June 30, 1966 * Vietnam Air Counteroffensive (USAF): January 31 to June 28, 1966 * Vietnam Air Offensive (USAF): June 29, 1966 to March 8, 1967 * Vietnam Counteroffensive, Phase II (Army, Navy, USCG): July 1, 1966 to May 31, 1967 * Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase II (USAF): March 9, 1967 to March 31, 1968 * Vietnam Counteroffensive, Phase III (Army, Navy, USCG): June 1, 1967 to January 29, 1968 * Vietnam Air/Ground Campaign (USAF): January 22 to July 7, 1968 * Tet Counteroffensive (Army, USAF, Navy, USCG): January 30 to April 1, 1968 * Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase III (USAF): April 1 to October 31, 1968 * Vietnam Counteroffensive, Phase IV (Army, Navy, USCG): April 2 to June 30, 1968 * Vietnam Counteroffensive, Phase V (Army, Navy, USCG): July 1 to November 1, 1968 * Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase IV (USAF): November 1, 1968 to February 22, 1969 * Vietnam Counteroffensive, Phase VI (Army, Navy, USCG): Nov 2, 1968 to Feb 22, 1969 * Tet 1969 Counteroffensive (Army, USAF, USCG): February 23 to June 8, 1969 * Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969 (Army, Navy, USAF, USCG): June 9 to October 31, 1969 * Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970 (Army, Navy, USAF, USCG): November 1, 1969 to April 30, 1970 * Sanctuary Counteroffensive (Army, Navy, USAF, USCG): May 1 to June 30, 1970 * Southwest Monsoon (USAF): July 1 to November 30, 1970 * Vietnam Counteroffensive, Phase VII (Army, Navy, USCG): July 1, 1970 to June 30, 1971 * Commando Hunt V (USAF): December 1, 1970 to May 14, 1971 * Commando Hunt VI (USAF): May 15 to October 31, 1971 * Consolidation I (Army, Navy, USCG): July 1 to November 30, 1971 * Commando Hunt VII (USAF): November 1, 1971 to March 29, 1972 * Consolidation II (Army, Navy, USCG): December 1, 1971 to March 29, 1972 * Vietnam Cease Fire (Army, Navy, USAF, USCG): March 30, 1972 to March 28, 1973