Task Group 72.1 Command
Herrick embarked aboard USS Maddox as the on-scene commander of Task Group 72.1 for the destroyer's intelligence patrol in the Gulf of Tonkin.
Role range: 1960-1975
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
John Herrick Biography and Timeline
Follow John Herrick through 8 dated historical records for United States of America.
John Herrick, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
8Distinct records
1 of 1Page
1964–1964Years on this page
1964
Turner Joy Operational Control
Herrick assumed operational control of USS Turner Joy after it joined USS Maddox, creating a two-destroyer patrol group for the renewed DESOTO mission.
Role range: 1960-1975
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
Commands the Maddox during the first Gulf of Tonkin incident
Role range: 1960-1975
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
Commands the USS Maddox during the first Gulf of Tonkin incident
Role range: 1960-1975
Two-Destroyer Formation Orders
Herrick directed Turner Joy to follow Maddox while retaining freedom to maneuver for gunfire and torpedo evasion if the patrol was attacked again.
Role range: 1960-1975
Doubt over Second Attack
After reviewing the reports from his ships, Herrick warned Pacific Command that many supposed contacts and torpedoes were doubtful and might have resulted from weather and sonar errors.
Role range: 1960-1975
Night Contact Alert
Herrick's task group reacted to high-speed radar and sonar contacts during the stormy night patrol and initially reported that hostile craft were closing on the destroyers.
Role range: 1960-1975
Revised Ambush Assessment
Herrick later reported that the opening phase still appeared to him to be a genuine ambush, while acknowledging that the subsequent action remained confused and the number of attackers could not be determined.
Role range: 1960-1975
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.