On August 2, 1964, three North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked the American destroyer USS Maddox. Fire was returned and ultimately there were no U.S. casualties. This, on top of what is now known as a fictitious attack (evidently triggered by false radar returns, according to James Stockdale, who was there) two days later on the 4th, led Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution — which began the shooting phase of the Vietnam War.
