SIGINT Collection Ships Part 4 of 8 – CLICK BEETLE Operations

The environmental research ship USS Banner (AGER 1) (featured image) carried out SIGINT operations in the Western Pacific from August 1965 to December 1967 under the code name CLICK BEETLES.

During ten of the missions, USS Banner was the target of Soviet and Chinese Communist harassment. The hostile actions included shouldering, closing to short range and maneuvering dangerously, one minor collision, closing with guns trained on Banner, surrounding the ship with trawlers, and signaling “Heave to or I will open fire.” In two of the instances, Commander Naval Forces, Japan (COMNAVFORJAP) directed Banner to move to another area, and in two other incidents involving Chinese harassment, destroyer or destroyer escort assistance was dispatched from the Taiwan Defense Patrol.