 On July 25, 1967, "Forrestal" reached Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin and joined Operation Rolling Thunder, the 1965–1968 air interdiction and strategic bombing campaign against North Vietnam.The alpha strikes flown from "Forrestal" were against specific, pre-selected targets such as arms depots, factories, and bridges.They were quite dangerous, due to the strength of the North Vietnamese air defenses, which used Soviet-designed and -supplied surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft artillery, and MiG jet interceptors.