Today in 1972, off the coast of Vietnam,

The aircraft carrier USS Constellation joined the aircraft carriers Coral Sea and Hancock for military operations against North Vietnam.

From 1964 to 1975, there were usually three U.S. carriers stationed in the water near Vietnam at any given time. Carrier aircraft participated in the bombing of North Vietnam and also provided close air support for U.S. and South Vietnamese forces in South Vietnam. In 1972, the number of U.S. carriers off Vietnam increased to seven as part of the U.S. reaction to the North Vietnamese Eastertide Offensive that was launched on March 30.  Carrier-based aircraft played a critical role in the air operations that helped the South Vietnamese defeat the communist invasion and led to peace talks that allowed the U.S. to withdraw combat troops from southeast Asia.

[February 9, 1972]