Battle of the Paracel Islands
From Wikipedia
The Battle of the Paracel Islands was an engagement fought between the naval forces of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) in the Paracel Islands on January 19, 1974.
Balance of forces
Four warships of the Republic of Vietnam participated in the battle: three frigates, Trần B́nh Trọng (HQ-5), Lư Thường Kiệt (HQ-16), and Trần Khánh Dư (HQ-4), and one corvette, Nhật Tảo (HQ-10). In addition, a platoon of South Vietnamese naval commandos, an underwater demolition team, and a regular ARVN platoon were stationed on the islands.
The People's Republic of China had four warships for most parts of the battle, (PLAN corvettes # 271, #274, # 389 and # 396). This force was then reinforced by two more Kronstad-Class submarine chasers (# 281 and # 282) after the end of the battle. In addition, two PLA marine battalions and an unknown number of irregular militia landed on the islands.
In comparison, the total displacements and weapons of the Republic of Vietnam's four warships were remarkably more than those of the People's Republic of China. There were four ships of each side engaging in the battle. The supporting and reinforcement forces of China's PLAN did not take part in this battle for real.
Prelude
On January 16, 1974, the Lư Thường Kiệt (HQ-16) witnessed a small band of Chinese militia on one of the islands (called Robert Island by international navigators, Cam Tuyen by the Vietnamese). The militia set up a flag and stelae representing Chinese sovereignty over the Paracels; they were supported by Chinese warships (# 389, # 396) and minesweepers (# 402, # 407).
Frigate HQ-16 signaled the Chinese squadron to withdraw, but received the same orders in return. Overnight the two forces remained shadowing each other but did not engage.
On January 17, some 30 Vietnamese commandos waded ashore to Robert Island and, unopposed, removed the Chinese flag. Soon reinforcements arrived: the frigate Trần Khánh Dư (HQ-4) joined HQ-16, while two PLAN corvettes (# 274 and # 271) joined the Chinese.
On January 18, 1974, the frigate Trần B́nh Trọng (HQ-5) arrived at the scene carrying the commander of the South Vietnamese fleet, Colonel Hà Văn Ngạc. The corvette Nhật Tảo (HQ-10) also took its place, moving in cautiously because she had only one functioning engine at the time.
The battle
In the early morning of January 19, 1974, Vietnamese troops from HQ-5 landed on Duncan Island (Quang Ḥa in Vietnamese) and came under fire from Chinese troops. Three Vietnamese soldiers were killed and two others were injured. Outnumbered, the Vietnamese ground forces withdrew by landing craft, but their small fleet itself did not: instead, they drew up close to the Chinese ships in a tense standoff.
At 10:24 a.m., two Vietnamese ships, HQ-16 and HQ-10 opened fire against Chinese ships. Then, HQ-4, HQ-5 did the same thing. The ensuing sea battle lasted for about 40 minutes, with numerous vessels on both sides sustaining damage. The Vietnamese, better trained and equipped, outgunned Chinese. However, they were forced to disengage despite a spirited effort. The Nhật Tảo (HQ-10) could not retreat because her last working engine was disabled in the battle: the ship's crew was ordered to evacuate, but her captain, Major [navy Lt. Commander] Ngụy Văn Thà, remained under fire and went down with his ship. HQ-16, severely shot by a friendly ship, the HQ-5, was forced to retreat westwards. Meanwhile, HQ-4 and HQ-5, slight damaged, retreat towards Subic Bay, the Philippines, regardless the fact that all four Chinese ships were seriously damaged.
The next day, Chinese jet fighters and ground-attack aircraft from Hainan bombed the three islands, and were followed up with an amphibious landing force. The South Vietnamese Marine garrison was captured, and the naval force retreated to Đà Nẵng.
While the battle was going on, the Vietnamese fleet detected two Chinese reinforcing warships rushing to the area; China later acknowledged that these were the Hainan-Class submarine chasers #281 and #282. Despite reports that at least one Vietnamese craft had been struck by a missile, China insisted that no missile-bearing ships were involved in the battle. In addition, the South Vietnamese fleet also received warnings from the United States that their naval radar had detected additional Chinese guided missile frigates and MIG jet fighters on their way from nearby Hainan. South Vietnam requested assistance from the US Seventh Fleet, but the request was rejected.
Results
The Paracel Islands have been under the control of the People's Republic of China since the end of combat. The casualties of the Republic of Vietnam were agreed on by both sides, but the casualties of the People's Republic of China were not.
Vietnamese casualties
The South Vietnamese claim of her own casualties were agreed to by the Chinese. According to the claim, warship HQ-10 was sunk, HQ-16 was heavily damaged, HQ-5 and HQ-4 were both lightly damaged. Fifty-three (53) Vietnamese soldiers including Captain Ngụy Văn Thà of HQ-10 were killed, 16 others were injured. On January 20, 1974, the Dutch tanker Kopionella rescued 23 survivors of HQ-10. On 29 January 1974, Vietnamese fishermen found a group of 15 Vietnamese soldiers near Mũi Yến (Qui Nhơn), who had participated in the combat on Quang Ḥa island, and escaped on lifeboats.
After their amphibious assault on January 20, the Chinese held 48 war prisoners, including 1 American advisor. They were all later released in Hong Kong through the Red Cross.
Chinese casualties
According to South Vietnam, corvette #271 of China sunk, #396 ran aground, and #274 and #389 were both heavily damaged. The Western press also reported at least one Chinese vessel had been sunk.
According to China, however, although all Chinese ships were hit numerous times, none of the vessels sank. China said warships # 271 and # 389 suffered speed-reducing engine damage, but they returned to port safely and were rapidly repaired. Warship #274 was damaged more extensively and had to stop at Yongxing Island for emergency repair, returning to Hainan under its own power the next day. Warship #396 was damaged the most, with an engine room explosion: with the help of the minesweepers, it managed to run aground and put out the fire, and was towed back to its base. The Chinese confirmed 18 deaths among their various forces; Vietnamese estimates were markedly higher.
Because the Vietnamese force was not a high-seas fleet, their radar and surveillance equipment was perhaps inadequate for assessing actual combat damage. According to the Chinese, the heavy smoke reported around #271 and others was not the result of damage but a deliberately laid smokescreen, although this explanation has been viewed skeptically. The reluctance of the Chinese military to release further details or evidence has left the issue clouded. In any case, the Chinese squadron left the pursuit of the Vietnamese to their reinforcements (ships #281 and #282, among others), giving the impression that they were unable to continue.
Aftermath
As a result of the battle, the People's Republic of China established control over all of the Paracel Islands, which it calls the Xisha Islands. South Vietnam protested bitterly to the United Nations, but was unable to achieve any action nor even public consideration: China, with veto power on the UN Security Council, blocked all efforts to bring up the matter. By January 25, the President of the Security Council, Gonzalo Facio Segreda, publicly advised South Vietnam to give up, because they simply "could not muster the votes." (NYT, 1/26/74.)
China's motivations for the seizure remains speculative. Although the remote islands held little value militarily, geological surveys had indicated the potential for significant petroleum deposits in the surrounding waters: after a year of worldwide fuel crises, this alone may have been sufficient motivation. Diplomatically, the projection of power was certainly beneficial to China during a time of regional turmoil; it also proved humbling to the older superpowers, who pointedly took no sides in the matter from the very beginning. (NYT, 1/19/74, 1/21/74.)
North Vietnam gave a glimpse at its worsening relationship with China by conspicuously not congratulating their erstwhile allies: official statements mentioned only a desire for "a peaceful solution". Indeed, after the reunification of Vietnam in 1976, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam publicly renewed their claim to the Paracels, and this dispute continues to the present day.
A potential diplomatic crisis was averted when China quietly released an American prisoner taken during the battle. Gerald Emil Kosh, 27, was a former US Army captain captured with the Vietnamese on Pattle Island. He was described as a "regional liaison officer" for the US Embassy, Saigon, on assignment with the South Vietnamese Navy. China released him from custody on January 31 without comment.
