Naval Station Mayport

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Shot from the stern of the USS Farragut (DDG-99). Ships in the photo are: On the right is the USS Gettysburg (CG-64), center right is the USS Carney (DDG-64), center left is the USS Hué City (CG-66), and far left is the USS Robert G. Bradley (FFG-49).

http://www.dykstra.us/images/IMG_0765.jpg

[andrewhuxman]

Home of the Sea Wolves. Nice shot .

[BobOh]

Nice and sharp, and good color too. But I have a question you might be able to answer. I find it somewhat strange the Navy would have a cruiser named Hue City. Wasn't Hue a city in Vietnam?

[Brikwall]

Nice and sharp, and good color too. But I have a question you might be able to answer. I find it somewhat strange the Navy would have a cruiser named Hue City. Wasn't Hue a city in Vietnam?

And also the scene of some very heavy fighting during the Tet offensive. Given what the Marines went through at Hue, it's no surprise a vessel would be named after the battle. No different than naming ships 'Guadalcanal,' 'Iwo Jima,' etc...

[|)\/8]

Nice and sharp, and good color too. But I have a question you might be able to answer. I find it somewhat strange the Navy would have a cruiser named Hue City. Wasn't Hue a city in Vietnam?

This information is quoted from this link.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/navy/cg-66.htm

USS Hue City (CG-66), the first United States ship to bear this name and the only ship named after a battle of the Vietnam War.
The Battle of Hue

The city of Hue, South Vietnam, was the site of one of the fiercest battles of the Vietnam War. Three understrength U.S. Marine battalions, consisting of fewer than 2,500 men, attacked and soundly defeated more than 10,000 entrenched enemy troops, liberating Hue for South Vietnam.
Situated in central Vietnam, Hue was the country’s cultural capital, a unique blend of French and Vietnamese influence. The Imperial City, it gracefully retained the glory of Vietnam’s past while its universities educated Vietnam’s brightest minds for the future. Hue was a symbol of everything the Vietnamese people admired and respected. For this reason, it was spared the terrible effects of war—until Tet 1968.
During the lunar new year holiday of Tet—a very important week-long religious holiday during which half of South Vietnam’s 730,000-man army was on leave—the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army launched a massive assault on South Vietnam. Within 48 hours, attacks were made on Saigon, Hue, Quang Tri, Da Nang, Kontum, and virtually every other major city in South Vietnam—36 provincial capitals, 5 autonomous cities, and 23 military airfields and installations. The city of Hue, with its 140,000 citizens, was occupied by the North Vietnamese. This Tet Offensive began on January 31, 1968. Marines of the First and Fifth Regiments, fighting alongside the Army of the Republic of Vietnam’s 1st Division, were supported by U.S. Army 7th and 12th Cavalry Regiments, among other units, in the battle for Hue.
That same day, U.S. Marines launched Operation Hue City to retake the city for the South Vietnamese. North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces were driven out of Hue little by little as U.S. Marines retook the city one block at a time. The Marines retook the Treasury building, the university, the hospital, the Provincial Headquarters and, finally, the citadel. On February 26, 1968, the city of Hue was declared secure. U.S. forces remained another week to ensure the city’s safety. Marine casualties were 142 dead and 857 wounded. While they held the city the North Vietnamese executed 5,000 civilian political enemies.
U.S. Marine Seargent Alfredo Gonzalez was awarded the Medal of Honor for his fearless gallantry above and beyond the call of duty. Today, USS Gonzalez (DDG-66) honors the memory of this hero. Additionally, countless Silver Stars and Purple Hearts were awarded for other acts of heroism.

[BobOh]

Thanks for the info. The whole Tet thing was most unfortunate. AFAIK it was really an overall loss for the the Viet Cong and the NVA militarily, but its toll on public opinion in the USA was devastating. I believe it was the North Vietnamese General Giap who recently said that the US virtually had the war won militarily and that Tet was the last gamble of the north and that it worked its magic on US public opinion.