DESOTO patrol

The operation Desoto ( American DeHaven for Special Operations off Tsingtao ) was a SIGINT use of the National Security Agency and the U.S. Navy off the coast of China, North Korea, the Soviet Union and North Vietnam, which was carried out from 1962.

Here patrolling destroyer of the 7th Fleet off the coast and collected electronic information. The first trip was made with the USS De Haven ( DD -727 ) in the Yellow Sea in Qingdao, and later the USS Agerholm (DD -826 ) to the USS Richard S. Edwards (DD -950 ), the USS John R. Craig (DD -885 ) and the USS Maddox (DD -731 ).

In August 1964 participating American ships were involved in the Gulf of Tonkin incident.