page_title: USS Hanson (DD-832)
section_title: 1972 transit to the Gulf of Tonkin
hierarchical_section_title: USS Hanson (DD-832) / Service history / Vietnam, 1972 / 1972 transit to the Gulf of Tonkin
caption_attribution_description: English: Crewmen aboard the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Hanson (DD-832) firing a 12.7 mm (0.5 cal) Browing machine gun in the Gulf of Tonkin, in 1972.
context_page_description: USS Hanson was a Gearing-class destroyer of the United States Navy, named for First Lieutenant Robert M. Hanson, United States Marine Corps of Marine Fighting Squadron Two Fifteen, a quintuple ace who was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.
context_section_description: On 10 April 1972, with only 3 days notice and under the command of Cdr. Ian M. Watson (29 July 1971 – 31 March 1973), Hanson got underway for WestPac. Accompanying  Hanson en route were John S. McCain and Dennis J. Buckley, to fight the North Vietnamese Easter Offensive in Vietnam, as its 6th and final tour of Vietnam service. This final tour of duty would also be Hanson's most engaging wartime effort as a US Naval vessel. The Destroyer squadron made Pearl Harbor, about 15 April, entered port, refueled and then left the harbor within three hours of arriving. Hanson headed westward to Guam, arriving by April 23. The three ships refueled within three hours and then headed to Subic Bay, Philippines. During transit between Guam and the Philippines, a Soviet Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear" reconnaissance aircraft flew over at a low altitude, due to low cloud cover, and passed abeam (starboard side of the three ships) within about 200 yards. Hanson arrived in Subic, about 26 April 1972.
  Once Hanson arrived at Subic Bay, decisions were made to add some armament to protect the ship from hazards in the Tonkin Gulf. Mainly, two M2 Browning machine guns mounted on the bridge wings for boats armed with rockets and shoulder-launched Redeye surface-to-air missiles. Hanson had no reliable way to ward off MIG attacks. This added precaution arose primarily due to the Battle of Đồng Hới on 19 April.
caption: Hanson, 1972 Tonkin Gulf M2 50 cal machine gun used for warding off PT boats and small boats.
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