Osa missile boats would become priority targets off Vietnam

Could Soviet-supplied Osa-class missile boats sink United States Navy ships off North Vietnam?

Yes, if they achieved surprise, but the United States would respond by making the boats priority targets for carrier aircraft and submarines.

Osa-class missile boats supplied to North Vietnam could damage or sink an American warship if they achieved surprise. Their arrival would also make them priority targets for the United States Navy. Carrier aircraft and submarines are expected to hunt them intensively. The scenario therefore couples their potential for a surprise attack with an immediate American effort to destroy them.