Subsequent to the end of Operation Sea Dragon and for the remaining months of the deployment, the Newport News participated in Naval Gunfire Support operations near the DMZ. This was in support of of the Third Marine Division on the coastal area. The ship fired around the clock for periods sometimes lasting for weeks.
During this deployment, the ship expended 59,241 rounds of high-explosive ammunition, while conducting 239 observed and 602 unobserved missions. She came under fire of enemy coastal defense batteries on seventeen separate occasions, hit by shrapnel but never suffered a direct hit.
The Newport News departed Subic Bay on 21 April and arrived at her homeport of Norfolk, Virginia, on 13 May 1968, via the Panama Canal.
Following an extensive overhaul to prepare for future combat , the ship departed Norfolk 21 November 19 68 for her second deployment to Vietnam.
Combat operations during this tour during this tour commenced on December 1, 1968, focused on providing naval gunfire support to the 7th and 9th ARVN (South Vietnamese Army) on Vinh Binh Province and the DMZ.
She returned to Norfolk in early July 1969.
--Cooter
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