Attack on USNS Card

Attack on USNS Card
Part of the Vietnam War
Date2 May 1964
Location
Result Viet Cong victory
Belligerents
Viet Cong United States
Commanders and leaders
Lâm Sơn Náo Captain Borge Langeland [1]
Units involved
65th Special Operations Group USNS Card
Strength
2 commandos 1 escort carrier
Casualties and losses
None 1 escort carrier damaged
5 U.S. civilian employees killed.

The attack on USNS Card was a Viet Cong (VC) operation during the Vietnam War. It took place in the port of Saigon in the early hours of 2 May 1964, and was mounted by commandos from the 65th Special Operations Group (Vietnamese: Đội Biệt động 65).

Card was first commissioned into the United States Navy during World War II. Decommissioned in 1946, Card was reactivated in 1958 and reentered service with the Military Sea Transport Service, transporting military equipment to South Vietnam as part of the United States military commitment to that country.

As a regular visitor to the port, Card became a target for local VC commando units. Shortly after midnight on 2 May 1964, two Viet Cong commandos climbed out of the sewer tunnel near the area where Card was anchored, and they attached two loads of explosives to the ship's hull. The attack was a success and Card sank 48 feet (15 m), and five civilian crew members were killed by the explosions. The ship was refloated 17 days later, and was towed to the Philippines for repairs.

  1. ^ "The Attack on the USNS Card". 7 October 2015.