Seeking information about 1954 China operations.

I have been reading some of official War Diaries at the Navy's Operational 
Archives.  They list a task group operating out of Subic bay in March 1954, made 
up of the two carriers, USS Essex and USS Wasp, with destroyers USS Gregory, 
USS Twining, USS Marshall, USS Shields, USS Halsey Powell, USS Erben, USS 
Porterfield, and USS Colahan.  

On 22 March 1954, pursuant to COMFIRSTFLT operation order 10-54, the ESSEX., 
WASP, GREGORY, COLAHAN, ERBEN, MARSHALL,  HALSEY POWELL, and PORTERFIELD 
sailed to a location in the South China Sea and commenced air operations.  On 26 
March, they were joined by the SHIELDS.  On 28 March, they were joined by the 
TWINING, at about 16 deg. N, 109 deg , 35' E.

On March 28, the Carrier Air Group commenced operations in preparation for 
air strikes to relieve the Viet Minh siege of the French at Dien Bien Phu.  On 
April 10, the task group was sighted by the French in the Gulf of Tonkin.  The 
CAG stood down in April and Dien Bien Phu fell on May 7.  Do any of your 
association's members have recollections or pertinent documents from that period?

My e-mail is spam_control____ftims@aol.com

Frank M. Tims, Ph.D.
Director of Public Affairs
Cold War Veterans Association

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