Preface

James Treadway

Thirteen months after commissioning, USS Biddle (DLG-34) anchored at Da Nang, South Vietnam, prior to her first of three combat deployments to the Gulf of Tonkin. In a few days, Biddle would be on duty as Positive Identification Radar Advisory Zone (PIRAZ) control ship, positioned 30 miles off the coast of North Vietnam. Her primary mission was to serve as the first line of defense against an attack on our carriers 100 miles to the south at Yankee Station.

During a career that lasted almost 27 years, Biddle steamed in harm’s way and fulfilled her primary mission many times. Each time she was given an assignment, Biddle performed at a level that few naval combatants have attained, before or since. She was a proud ship, and as with any warship, there are as many stories to be told as there are men who served aboard her. Many of these stories are compelling, important, and worth saving to remind us that we did a difficult job during difficult times, and we came home when many did not. A few stories rise to the top. Biddle’s defining moment occurred on a moonless night during her third Gulf of Tonkin deployment when five North Vietnamese MiG aircraft attacked her. The officers and men who were there tell the story on the following pages. Other stories may not be quite so dramatic, but they are undeniably important in their own right because they clearly show the sacrifices we made and the training we endured.

Biddle and the ships in her class occupied a pivotal position in the lineage of modern cruisers. Preceding them were the light and heavy cruisers of the World War II era and the 1950s-era frigates in the Coontz and Leahy classes. Though all were capable combatants with the latest radars, guns, and missiles, they still lacked the ability to process large numbers of high-speed airborne targets which could rapidly penetrate fleet defenses. Thus, in desperation, the Naval Tactical Data System was born. We explore in substantial detail the reasons why, and how, a new class of ships and the NTDS were developed to counter this new threat. We also discover how Biddle, particularly in her early years, contributed to the success of the NTDS as well as how Biddle’s weapons and combat systems were upgraded during periodic overhauls to keep her strong and vibrant.

The first person narrative format of this book is not conventional and the long quotes and personal accounts are unedited except for spelling and punctuation. I want to tell the history of Biddle through the words of the officers and men who served aboard her. Also, parenthetical references to first person accounts from contributors, most of which were e-mails, were omitted to enhance readability.