“Yankee Station (officially Point Yankee) was a fixed coordinate off the coast of Vietnam where U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and support ships loitered in open waters over a nine-year period during the Vietnam War. The location was used primarily by aircraft carriers of Task Force 77 to launch strikes over North Vietnam. While the coordinate’s official designation was “Point Yankee”, it was universally referred to as Yankee Station. Carriers conducting air operations at Yankee Station were said to be “on the line” (in combat) and statistical summaries were based on days on the line. Yankee Station was initially located at 16° 00′ N, 110° 00′ E,[1] however with a massive increase in operations over North Vietnam in 1966 the station was moved about 145 miles (230 km) northwest to 17° 30′ N, 108° 30′ E,[2] placing it about 90 miles (145 km) from the North Vietnamese shore.”
Placing aircraft carriers in a location where they can be easily found in today’s threat environment would be, to say the least, not sound military thinking. Vietnam didn’t have subs, but China has about seventy of them. Also, China can launch long range antiship missiles and deliver mines from a variety of an estimated 1,000 dual use “civilian” ships.
Indeed. If we are as reliant on aircraft carriers strategically as it appears we are (ie, a carrier group sent off at every crisis) it could very likely prove to be our Achilles heel. I doubt they are as defensible as we wish them to be.
I sorted it out to one carrier and escorts doing unrep and the duty carrier and escorts launching and recovering planes. The duty carrier passed on my starboard side and made a 180 degree turn hull down on the horizon. Soon I saw his starboard bow, but his bearing was about 10% relative. The plan guard destroyer was not visible. By the rules of the road, I should execute a port-to-port passage.
However, there were special rules for Yankee Station. Basically, the admiral in charge could to whatever he pleased, and your job was to stay out of the way and crossing his bow was definitely not staying out of the way. So, I made a sharp turn to port toward the unrep carrier, and the duty carrier passed down my starboard side launching aircraft.
Later we passed through the Taiwan Straits as all navy ships did on trips to and from Japan and Vietnam. It was a much simpler world and we fell asleep in years to come.