NOT true:
You're reading it wrong:
The Gridley departed FOR Vietnam January 68, arrived off the coast for plane guard and SAR duty first week in March, and departed in late May 68 (a grand total of less than 90 days - all of it safe, easy, air-conditioned duty off-shore!) to arrive BACK in Long Beach the first wek in June.
Kerry, in a March San Diego paper interview this year, told of being "off-Midway" on the way to Vietnam on Feb 25, 1968.
I don't know how I got involved in this, but Kerry's fitness reports make it quite clear concerning ship movements. They are as follows:
OPS/UPKP SOCAL (13 JAN-8 FEB); ENR AND WESTPAC COMBAT OPS (9 FEB-22 MAR);CVA TASK GROUP OPS (23 MAR-27 MAR); ENR AND UPK SUBIC (27 MAR-31 MAR); ENR AND SAR OPS GULF OF TONKIN (1 APR-5 MAY); ENR AND AT WELLINGTON, N.Z. (CORAL SEA CELEBRATION)(10-27 MAY); ENR CONUS 27 MAY- 7 JUNE); LV UPK LONG BEACH (7 JUN-20 JULY)
The Gridley departed for Vietnam on February 9, not January. It departed the combat area in early May.