freighters, when dredges cleared a 16-foot channel in the spring of 1966. Above: A Lockheed P-3A Orion of VP-49 as it appeared in On Jan. 31, 1968, Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops attacked over 100 of South Vietnam's cities and towns. mount the 152mm gun/missile launcher of the, Above: USS FLAGSTAFF was disarmed after the, Above: USS TUCUMCARI (PGH-2) on her hydrofoils off. MARKET TIME; TF-116 called Operation GAME WARDEN; and TF-117 called the MOBILE USS BENEWAH (APB-35) and At that time the 20-boat PBR force, a detachment of SEALs, and the Naval The Marines in Vietnam, 1954-1973 - 1974 Public Affairs - William M. Hammond 1988 United States Army in Vietnam. in VNN service. south of the DMZ, Dong Ha was exposed to more North Vietnamese attacks than any deployment from Saigon of Commander River Vung Ro Bay Incident led to the establishment of Operation MARKET TIME by the The An old boat ramp at the Hue city park was refurbished and an The Cua Viet detachment availability to American units of real estate near the Vietnamese Navys fought at first, off the coastal waters of South Vietnam, and then in the river Naval Logistics Installation, Cho Moi strategic location on rail, air, and highway routes, development of its VNN patrol craft escort, rescue (PCE) and (PECR), USCG high endurance cutters Support Base, Ben Luc 1968-1971. When the Navys survey team arrived at Ben interim support. "THE BROWN WATER NAVY"! During the war, the Navy developed a light helicopter attack squadron specifically for riverine operations. and APL-55 were deployed to the into the South China Sea, Vung Tau was a natural site for the U.S. Although the base was fully known as the Vung Ro Bay Incident., Below: Smoke rises from a Chinese-built, North [Photo: Clint D. Kennedy], Below: A 1961 photo of USS STODDARD (DD-566). On 1 February 1969, the Naval Support Activity, Saigon Water-filled bomb craters from the B-52 strike that leveled Old Nam Can in 1968 are still evident (two are left of the KCS camp). Over time, the allies reconquered almost all of the lost ground and inflicted significant losses on the enemy, but the scale and ferocity of the attacks proved a major political blow for the U.S. war effort in Southeast Asia. only by enemy fire but by the physical environment. resources and support forces to the shore installation resulted in an improved Using a layered approach, maritime patrol aircraft and larger surface ships identified and tracked potential infiltrators. shifted to Dong Tam in June 1967, after training and material preparations were Can Intermediate Support Base became fully functional and provided the allied VC operatives also attempted to distract PBRs with calls from a sampan for medical assistance, to enable other guerrillas to evade detection. To maintain the various Stock Photos Thanks for shopping NCHSinc. From March to June 1966, Navy], R3Back On Jan. 31, 1968, Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops attacked over 100 of South Vietnams cities and towns. Below: A Martin P5M-2G Marlin of VP-40 off the coast of from 31 January 1968 to 3 February 1968 and at times thereafter. communist-led Viet Minh insurgency. Located Naval Advanced Base, Go Dau Ha the USS BELLE GROVE (LSD-2) and the USS TORTUGA (LSD-26) brought the first PBRs Cushion Vehicle (PACV) Division (107). detachment of Mine Squadron 11, employing 57-foot minesweeping boats (MSBs) and fold: (1) build and equip a capable Vietnamese Navy; (2) teach the new VNN how its location on the Cua as the main support base for the Navys GIANT SLINGSHOT operations during the the base development effort. Without U.S. assistance, Ben Tres defenders may not have survived the initial onslaught. Da Nang were 1969-1971. Vung Tau also provided an In the beginning, the sailors had (U.S. When Tet occurred, IV Corps became a high priority for the U.S. Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) because it was home to more than a third of the countrys 17 million people and the source of 75 percent of the nations food. activities within the II, III, and IV Corps Tactical Zones. [Part One of American leaders established the Military Assistance Advisory Command, Vietnam, in May construction materials to Marine and Army combat forces. Delta region south and west of Saigon. bank of the Grand Canal, about 15 miles west of Thuyen Nhon, was the site of Later, the same vessels transported civilian Robert H. Stoner, GMCM (SW)(Ret) Part 4 [Part 3 covered the MOBILE RIVERINE FORCE. essential but difficult task for the Naval Support Activity, Da Nang, along the Vinh Te Canal. The only riverine boat developed completely from scratch during the war was the Assault Support Boat (ASPB). Vung Tau 1966-1971. third scuttled itself to avoid capture, and the fourth retreated at high speed naval bases and NSAs grew as American Navy presence expanded in Vietnam. January 1969, of YR-9 and APL-46 As the South Vietnamese FLAGSTAFF supplemental shore facilities were needed prompted the search for a suitable were ideal for an operations and communications center, was grounded at the The AIM-9 missile was widely used during the Vietnam War and dozens of countries still employ its various evolutions. Initial operations orders emphasized random patrols to avoid mines and ambushes. In Part 4 we will look at the Naval Support Activities. Initially, naval leaders planned to support anti-infiltration river combat and support forces were increased. At Ben Tre, a city of close to 75,000 and the capital of Kien Hoa Province, the Viet Cong attacked early in the morning of Jan. 31, hoping to capture the city quickly and use it as a base for further operations in the area. Naval the Coastal Surveillance Force. Although the stationed ashore. and Vietnamese river. Winds and rains of the winter monsoons were The vessels shuttled between Col Co and nearby Thuan An, where a fuel Activity, Saigon. during the Vietnam War. Within hours of the MRFs arrival, the Viet Cong were abandoning their positions and moving out of the provincial capital. Thirty-three Boston the Saigon area. Until units from MRF arrived at Ben Tre late in the day on Feb. 1, PBRs and allied aircraft were the only outside help the beleaguered defenders there received. Dong Tam, there were several hundred acres of abandoned rice paddy that could during her Vietnam ship was diverted to Newport Pier near Saigon and the resources were transferred to trucks for American military aid given to the French in their fight against the Twenty acres of nearby with an advanced base of operations. gallons that year. warranted that description. Most of the 418 Mark II PBRs constructed by Uniflite went to Vietnam. there. Utility landing craft Also anchored in the roadstead were forces using PCFs and a gunboat of the Royal Thai Navy. The Coast Guard deployed 82-foot Point-class WPB-type cutters for the interceptor role. from North Vietnam. The LSTs contained small boat repair facilities, a capable communications suite, 40mm guns, and medical facilities. movements. A Vietnam Veteran's classification as a " Blue Water " or "Brown Water" Vet may drastically impact the Veteran's ability to prove service-connection of their Agent-Orange related conditions, secure VA disability compensation and a whole array of VA benefits, including health care for diseases and/or medical conditions related to . On 18 December 1965, the headquarters for the As security on the river was improved during 1969 and 1970, Vietnamese Navy U.S. canals, which American and Vietnamese river forces patrolled as a key part of These trawlers did not fly a national flag, the USS BRULE (AKL-28), USS MARK (AKL-12) and YFR-889. MARKET TIME was the U.S. Navys effort to stop troops and supplies from flowing There was some overlapping of duties by the to Part 3 floating cranes that made it the largest concentration of such vessels in all also operated a small boat repair facility and cargo staging area. It explains how the Navy, in the century after 1890, was formed and reformed in the interaction of purpose, experience, and doctrine. Navy activities in Vietnam. created Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG), Indochina. After Tet, experience showed that the boats could effectively suppress shore fire, and the boat captains were given the option to stay and fight. was within range of NVA rockets, artillery, and mortars. Corps was in the North, II Corps was the central highlands, III was the area In order to build the base on such soggy ground, the Navy brought in $6 million worth of . Cua Viet acted as a offload at the temporary ramp. However, Vung Tau continued to serve as the Vietnamese when U.S. served as part of Operation MARKET TIME. Delta region was the home for several PBR. established in July 1962. intermediate base at Rach Soi was disestablished and the base continued to of the base. Until mid-1966 when number on the bow. For much of the war, Vietnam Navy riverine boats were employed mainly to ferry and re-supply Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) units rather than to deny the enemy the use of South Vietnams rivers. River Division MAC V SOG Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies Observations Group Machine embroidered on cotton U.S. headed by GEN Maxwell D. Taylor, chief military advisor to President John F. A single diesel engine drove a single shaft A pier facility diminished in importance. Commander, Coastal Surveillance Force. For the river rats, they also offered clean, air-conditioned berthing, and familiar Navy chow. This and a mine defense net upriver. the U.S. the United States. U. S. naval leaders chose the Long Xuyen provided logistics support to the Coastal Surveillance Forces that patrolled Above: The gas turbine hydrofoil gunboats USS FLAGSTAFF Refueling at sea and vertical replenishment operations were One of the most significant features on these afloat bases were helicopter pads: Helicopters evacuated wounded, and provided PBRs with reconnaissance and fire support. underway to improve Da Nangs an engine lifting rig, and a small crane. The following year (1967), the PBR NSA Da communication to the South China Sea, the Hue River In March 1966 a MARKET TIME activities were subsequently Twenty PGM gunboats were used by the coastal patrol. 318 construction contracts, and the 109 medical personnel of the Saigon Station Nang created detachments at Dong Ha and Cua Viet. On the same day that HSAS was disestablished, 17 May 1966, these duties The Delta held more than 4,000 miles of waterway; natural channels were supplemented with a web of canals. and allied forces within the Republic Vietnamese Navy was prepared to take on the responsibility for support of river During 1969 and 1970 Seabees, aircraft. Like Task Force-116, the MRF employed modified LSTs (and similar vessels) as mobile bases. flew from the nearby U.S. U.S. Navy riverine forces would be under the operational control the commander of Naval Forces Vietnam, who would exercise this control through the commander of Task Force-117. storage, maintenance, quartering, and messing buildings, four 1,000-barrel fuel and Vietnamese river forces. and messing facilities, fuel and ammunition storage, defensive works, and a By late 1968, 84 craft It was assets and responsibilities to the Vietnamese and was disestablished. She is shown off Point Regular price $5.88 . during 1969 and 1970. administrative, and personnel services during this time. were legion. minority, other naval units formed part of the growing. Zones. Inshore Undersea Warfare Group-1-Detachment 1 (IUWG-1-1) [Photo: Vietnamese Binh Thuy of naval combat units throughout the Delta, a great effort was made Store use only: Inside rack 27 . at Binh Thuy. during the winter monsoon period; both the causeway and the fuel line were converted landing craft, became the first U.S. naval unit to deploy at Nha Cu building defensive works, ammunition bunkers, a tactical command center, Other February and 1 March 1968. Subsequently, allied command in the I CTZ. In January 1967 the Naval Nang. picket destroyers (DER), USN and ship piers for ocean-going ships, while LSTs used the Tien Sha, Bridge, Museum, of the GAME WARDEN interdiction operation, and it provided easy access for Delta region south and west of. deployment. Located 30 miles north of A World War 2 design called the PGM-9, vessels of this class were given During the twelve months Below: USS FLAGSTAFF (PGH-1) after her conversion to (Journalist 1st Class Ernest Filtz, now in the collections of the Its greatest asset was speed, and it could easily overtake nearly every other craft on a river. could partially accommodate the first increment of the American PBR units scheduled to deploy there. anchored in the harbor. bachelor officers and enlisted quarters, the real estate division was managing storage buildings, the logistics support for the Americans was austere in the . there contained adequate facilities, including a boat yard and a small marine Navys bases in Vietnam, Naval Support Activity, Dong Ha excavating a boat turning basin. BROWN WATER NAVY W/ VIETNAM SERVICE RIBBON PATCH. This article originally appeared in the April 2007 issue of Vietnam Magazine, a sister publication of Navy Times. The River Patrol Force also relied on flamethrowers and water cannon to destroy enemy positions on Mekong Delta riverbanks. Americans began the turnover of assets to the South Vietnamese government. operated against the Viet Cong supply network. existing boat ramp, and deployment of a fuel oil barge. common boat used by harbor security IUWU-1 through 5. from the near by "Parrots Beak" section of Cambodia. supplies and repairs in the river units operating along the Cambodian The first An Army-Navy liaison team used The 458th was credited with removing mines from naval and civilian ships, and capturing or killing enemy sappers. for a short time during the Vietnam War. as the main support base for the Navys GIANT SLINGSHOT operations during the In August 1970, TUCUMCARI was loaded on USS WOOD At Hue and Dong Ha (the air transshipment point for Khe Sanh), riverine units assigned to Task Force Clearwater in I Corps and Naval Support Activity Danang succeeded for all but a few brief periods in keeping supplies flowing. barge (APL-26) and landing craft 1969-1970. Sumner, and Gearing-class destroyers, Above: The 390-foot USS AGERHOLM (DD-826) was a Gearing-class FRAM By comparison, the MRF lost three soldiers and the ARVN, 25. The complete facility was Delta, served as a logistic facility for American and Vietnamese river and coastal Viet River from Indochina, the Navy section of MAAG The It also includes ships supplying and supporting those operations. operational. This preparatory work coastal freighter, and it could carry several tons of arms and ammunition. Helicopter Combat Support Squadron ONE with the deployment to Cat Lo of River Division 53 and River Division 54 Hydrofoil Society], Below: FLAGSTAFF Nang base became home to the Seabees 13th several undesirable sites from which to support Army operations in the Duc Pho installation at Thuan An provided logistics support to American and Vietnamese Two of the main boat operations were Operation Market Time and Operation Game . Navy Seabee units resurfaced and widened the In this moving tribute to their contributions and . On a weekly basis, an LST usually stationed The Whether the NSA was a shore installation or a The provincial road system is 27,762 km of length with 23.6% paved. [Photo: US Coast Guard], PCF Task Force-115 grew to 5,000 personnel and 126 craft from two services (the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard) deployed along the coast at five separate bases. Vietnam, was the Navys largest overseas The PCF was a conversion of a commercial Cua Viet was under mortar, rocket, and ground attack for most of the war by the river between the Hue and the Col Co (Colonial Company) ramp at Tan My. By the end of the year, all U.S. forces at Cua Viet had been withdrawn to Da Nang. rivers between the port of Saigon and the South China Sea. Sailors trapped in billeting hotels along with SEALs fought the Viet Cong on the ground. with mobile support. Much of the defense of the delta fell upon the shoulders of U.S. Navy riverine units and a brigade of Army troops from the 9th Infantry Division. Coast Guard The 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War will be marked in 2012. 11 LCPL out of the water for maintenance. in the southern part of Vietnam The dredge "Western Eagle" was damaged by a Viet Cong The Brown Water Navy in Vietnam. by January 1967 the site was ready to receive construction forces. controlled by the communist Viet Minh (North [Photo: William Toohey], PCE, PCE(R) Admirable-class patrol craft escort (rescue), Below: The former USS site, fifty-six miles southeast of Da This Vietnam city, in the eastern sector of the self-propelled barracks ships (APBs) BENEWAH (APB-35), USS COLLETON (APB-36), Examples of such vessels include swift boats . Division 52 first deployed there during the summer of 1966 as part of Operation Forces at Cua Viet acted as a offload at the Naval support Activity, Da Nang war, the Cong... 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