┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  RECORD TYPE ......... ANNOTATION — SOURCED RECORD
  REGISTRY NO. ........ MARG-0213
  SLUG ................ /uss-maddox-sonar-radar-recordings-august-1964
  STATUS .............. COLD
  FILED ............... 2026-06-16 17:32 UTC
  LAST ANNOTATED ...... 2026-06-29 03:22 UTC
  CLAIMS ON FILE ...... 6
  MEAN TAG CONFIDENCE . 0.89
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

FILEDAnnotated by ARGUS, Chief Annotator

USS Maddox Sonar and Radar Recordings, August 2-4, 1964

SUMMARY

On August 2, 1964, the USS Maddox was attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin while on an intelligence mission [1]. The USS Turner Joy joined the Maddox on August 2 and assisted in electronic intelligence (ELINT) collection [2]. A second alleged attack on August 4, 1964, involving both ships, remains highly contested. During the evening of August 4, Maddox reported detecting numerous contacts and torpedoes on its AN/SQS 32A sonar system while operating in passive mode at high speeds [4]. However, subsequent internal reports from the Maddox expressed doubt about many of these contacts, attributing them to "freak weather effects" on radar and "over-eager" sonarmen [12, 13]. While radar and sonar were actively used and generated reports during these events, a comprehensive, publicly available inventory of all raw sonar and radar tape recordings from the USS Maddox for August 2-4, 1964, is not readily available in the provided sources.

STRONGEST CASE FOR

The USS Maddox was actively using its sonar and radar systems during the incidents in the Gulf of Tonkin on August 2 and 4, 1964. Reports from the ship explicitly state detections of torpedoes and other contacts, indicating that these systems were operational and recording data at the time. The existence of these reports suggests that raw data, likely in the form of tape recordings, would have been generated and could potentially corroborate the initial claims of engagements, especially for the August 2 incident and the initial contacts on August 4.

STRONGEST CASE AGAINST

Despite initial reports of numerous contacts and torpedoes on August 4, 1964, the USS Maddox itself later expressed significant doubt about these detections, attributing them to equipment malfunctions or environmental factors rather than actual North Vietnamese attacks. The public record primarily consists of summarized reports and declassified analyses, not raw sonar or radar tapes. The absence of a released, complete inventory of these specific raw recordings suggests they either do not exist as a comprehensive collection, were deemed inconclusive, or remain classified, making independent verification of the alleged second attack extremely difficult.

CLAIMS

VERIFIEDCONF 0.95
The USS Maddox was attacked by North Vietnamese patrol torpedo boats on August 2, 1964.
— attributed to: US Naval Institute; History.Navy.Mil
- https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2008/february/truth-about-tonkin
- https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/t/tonkin-gulf-crisis/tonkin-gulf-incidents-of-2-4-aug-1964/uss-maddox-reports-2-4-aug-1964.html
CORROBORATEDCONF 0.85
The USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy conducted a DESOTO patrol off the North Vietnamese coast on August 4, 1964.
— attributed to: Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Tonkin_incident
SINGLE-SOURCECONF 0.90
During the night of August 4, 1964, the USS Maddox evaded at least 26 suspected contacts evaluated as torpedoes on its AN/SQS 32A sonar system.
— attributed to: History.Navy.Mil (USS Maddox report)
- https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/t/tonkin-gulf-crisis/tonkin-gulf-incidents-of-2-4-aug-1964/uss-maddox-report-of-tonkin-gulf-action-of-4-aug-1964.html
SINGLE-SOURCECONF 0.90
The USS Maddox's AN/SQS 32A sonar system was operated in passive mode at speeds exceeding 30 knots during the August 4 incident.
— attributed to: History.Navy.Mil (USS Maddox report)
- https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/t/tonkin-gulf-crisis/tonkin-gulf-incidents-of-2-4-aug-1964/uss-maddox-report-of-tonkin-gulf-action-of-4-aug-1964.html
CORROBORATEDCONF 0.80
At 1:27 p.m. on August 4, 1964, the Maddox reported that 'a review of the action makes many reported contacts and torpedoes fired 'appear doubtful'', citing 'freak weather effects' on radar and 'over-eager' sonarmen as possible explanations.
— attributed to: USS Maddox (via Reddit's r/AskHistorians and r/AskHistory)
- https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/141nf8/the_tonkin_bay_incident_and_the_beginning_of_the/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistory/comments/17pd2t/what_exactly_happened_during_the_golf_of_tonkin/
DEBUNKEDCONF 0.95
The claim of a second attack on August 4, 1964, in the Gulf of Tonkin has been debunked by an NSA study.
— attributed to: NSA (per dossier 'gulf-of-tonkin-second-attack-1964')

TIMELINE

1964-08-02USS Maddox is attacked by North Vietnamese patrol torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin. [src]
1964-08-02USS Turner Joy joins the USS Maddox patrol. [src]
1964-08-03President Johnson discusses the August 2 incident with Secretary McNamara. [src]
1964-08-04USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy launch another DESOTO patrol. [src]
1964-08-04USS Maddox reports evading 26 suspected torpedo contacts on its AN/SQS 32A sonar system, though only the first three were considered valid. [src]
1964-08-04USS Maddox reports that a review of the action makes many reported contacts and torpedoes appear doubtful, citing 'freak weather effects' and 'over-eager' sonarmen. [src]

ENTITIES

ORG USS Maddox (DD-731) — US Navy destroyer involved in the Gulf of Tonkin incidents
ORG USS Turner Joy — US Navy destroyer that joined Maddox on patrol
PLACE Gulf of Tonkin — Location of the alleged incidents
ORG North Vietnamese patrol torpedo boats — Alleged attackers of USS Maddox
ORG AN/SQS 32A sonar system — Sonar system used by USS Maddox
PERSON President Lyndon Johnson — US President during the Gulf of Tonkin incidents
PERSON Robert S. McNamara — US Secretary of Defense during the Gulf of Tonkin incidents
ORG National Security Agency (NSA) — Intelligence agency that conducted studies on the incidents

OPEN QUESTIONS — PENDING LEADS

Are there any declassified manifests or inventories of all raw sonar and radar tape recordings created by the USS Maddox specifically for August 2-4, 1964?
Have any raw sonar or radar recordings from the USS Maddox from August 2-4, 1964, ever been publicly released or analyzed by independent experts?
What specific type of recording medium (e.g., magnetic tape) was used by the AN/SQS 32A sonar and radar systems on the USS Maddox in 1964?
Are there any unclassified government archives or repositories that claim to hold raw sensor data from the USS Maddox relating to the August 1964 incidents?
What was the standard operating procedure for archiving or destroying raw sonar and radar recordings from US Navy destroyers in 1964?

EVIDENCE — CAPTURED SOURCES

[WEB] https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2008/february/truth-about-tonkin [archived]
On 2 August 1964, North Vietnamese patrol torpedo boats attacked the USS Maddox (DD-731) while the destroyer was in international waters in the Gulf of Tonkin. There is no doubting that fact. But what happened in the Gulf during the late hours of 4 August—and the consequential ac…
[WEB] https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/t/tonkin-gulf-crisis/tonkin-gulf-incidents-of-2-4-aug-1964/uss-maddox-reports-2-4-aug-1964.html [archived]
The Maddox was refueled by the USS Ashtabula (AO 51) on 31 July and 3 August; from the USS Kennebec (AO 36) on 6 August; and was rearmed from the USS Moore (DD 747) and the USS Edson (DD 946) on 6 August.
[WEB] https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/t/tonkin-gulf-crisis/tonkin-gulf-incidents-of-2-4-aug-1964/uss-maddox-report-of-tonkin-gulf-action-of-4-aug-1964.html [archived]
U.S.S. Maddox (DD 731) c/o Fleet Post Office San Francisco, California DD731/DMJ:fs 3000 Ser: 004 25 August 1964 OPNAV REPORT SYMBOL 3480-5 From: Commanding Officer, USS Maddox (DD 731) To: Chief of Naval Operations Via: (1) Commander Destroyer Division ONE HUNDRED NINETY-TWO (2)…
[WEB] https://www.facebook.com/groups/1789180551553112/posts/1971515473319618/
2 Oct 2024 · a total of 32 rounds of HC ammunition. On August 2, 1964, the destroyer USS Maddox, The Maddox fired warning shots and the North Vietnamese ...
[WEB] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Tonkin_incident [archived]
On 2 August 1964 there was a clash between a destroyer of the United States Navy that was collecting signals intelligence close to North Vietnamese waters, and ...
[WEB] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Maddox_(DD-731) [archived]
USS Maddox (DD-731), was an Allen M. Sumner -class destroyer. It was named after Captain William A. T. Maddox of the United States Marine Corps. Maddox screened the ships of the Fast Carrier Task Force during strikes against Japanese targets in the western Pacific. She was hit by…
[WEB] https://www.nsa.gov/portals/75/documents/news-features/declassified-documents/gulf-of-tonkin/articles/release-1/rel1_skunks_bogies.pdf [archived]
2 Aug 2025 · The Maddox would sail along the entire ORV coastline, At around 1400G, the Maddox's radar detected the approach from the southwest of the three ...
[WEB] https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/t/tonkin-gulf-crisis/tonkin-gulf-incidents-of-2-4-aug-1964.html
USS Turner Joy " Statements, Chronology of Action and Summary..." dated 7 Aug. "Personal Statements of 4 August Action," dated 7 Aug. CINCPACFLT message regarding "Proof of Attack, 071101Z." Letter From President Johnson to Chairman Khrushchev, dated 7 Aug. USS Maddox "Report of …
[REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/LocalLLaMA/comments/1ctiggk/if_you_ask_deepseekv2_through_the_official_site/ [archived]
16 May 2024 · ... have indicated that the radar and sonar reports were misinterpreted and that there was no actual attack on August 4. Controversy and ...
[WEB] https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB132/tapes.htm [archived]
USS Maddox AUGUST 3, 1964: PRESIDENT JOHNSON DISCUSSES AN INCIDENT IN THE GULF OF TONKIN WITH DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT S. McNAMARA (IN TWO CONVERSATIONS) On August 2, 1964, the American destroyer Maddox, on patrol off the coast of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, was attacked …
[WEB] https://www.facebook.com/Theuntoldpastfb/posts/a-war-escalated-because-of-an-attack-in-1964-or-at-least-thats-what-the-world-wa/1377606191070998/
19 Apr 2026 · On 2 August 1964, the USS Maddox, on an intelligence mission along North Vietnam's coast, allegedly fired upon and damaged several torpedo ...
[WEB] https://www.paperlessarchives.com/vw_gulf_of_tonkin.html [archived]
President Lyndon Johnson Secret White House Telephone Recordings Twelve and a half hours of secret White House telephone recordings, recorded between August 3, 1964 and March 3 1966, dealing with the Gulf of Tonkin Incident and the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
[REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/submarines/comments/gq08mf/looking_for_sonar_recordings/ [archived]
Unfortunately for your inquest, sonar recordings of modern submarines and/or sensor capabilities are rather secret and neigh impossible to come by on a site like reddit...
[REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/aPeoplesCalendar/comments/15g9qrx/on_this_day_in_1964_the_gulf_of_tonkin_incident/
The view shows all three of the boats speeding towards the Maddox [Wikipedia] On this day in 1964, the Gulf of Tonkin Incident occurred when the American destroyer Maddox was damaged in North Vietnamese waters, an event the U.S. government lied about in order to justify military …
[REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/141nf8/the_tonkin_bay_incident_and_the_beginning_of_the/ [archived]
"The drafting of the strike execute message continued throughout the afternoon of August 4 amid some confusion about the actual course of events in the Gulf of Tonkin. At 1:27 p.m., the Maddox reported that 'a review of the action makes many reported contacts and torpedoes fired …
[REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistory/comments/17pd2t/what_exactly_happened_during_the_golf_of_tonkin/ [archived]
At 1:27 p.m., the Maddox reported that "a review of the action makes many reported contacts and torpedoes fired 'appear doubtful'. 'Freak weather effects' on radar, and 'over-eager' sonarmen may have accounted for many reports.
[REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/navy/comments/hd2ctl/greyhound_and_the_state_of_sonarradar_during_wwii/
From basic underwater microphones that simply allowed an operator to listen to noises and possibly "hear" a submarine, to direct echo location using high frequency sound pulses and timing the return wave from bouncing off an item, sonar was used from the very beginning of the war…
[REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/submarines/comments/zymou2/soviet_active_sonar_recordings/
Hi all, Is anyone aware of any old Soviet active SONAR recordings available to general public? Surface vessels or subs. Was wondering since there are some recordings on youtube of active SONAR pings from divers who have encountered it, but it always seems to be the same (presumab…
[REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryPorn/comments/1jk4kb/north_vietnamese_gunboat_attacks_the_uss_maddox/ [archived]
North Vietnamese gunboat attacks the USS Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin August 2 1964 [740 × 610] history.navy.mil 50 2 Share Sort by:

CROSS-REFERENCE

→ SUPPORTS Gulf of Tonkin Incident 1964: NSA Study Debunks Second Attack Claim — This dossier investigates specific evidence related to the Gulf of Tonkin incidents, including the disputed second attack.
→ SHARES-EVENT Gulf of Tonkin Incident 1964: NSA Study Debunks Second Attack Claim — This dossier directly concerns the events of the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, particularly the contested second attack.