Maya Carlin
In the 1960s, the USNS Card (T-AKV-40) - an old World War II escort aircraft carrier performing supply-carrying duties at the time - was sunk after 180 pounds of explosives detonated at the ship’s hull.
This tragic event represents the last time an American aircraft carrier was sunk by enemy forces - although the vessel was no longer being used as such.
In the early morning on May 2, 1964, two Viet Cong commandos emerged from a sewer tunnel in Saigon Port carrying 90 pounds of high explosives each plus the components required to make two time bombs.
The sinking of the Card was a stunning victory for the Viet Cong and demonstrated the dangers of a low-tech enemy combatant.
How the 'Aircraft Carrier' Was Attacked
During the mid-1960s, the Port of Saigon was a civilian port under the control of the Republic of Vietnam’s governmental port authority.
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