This Mk I PCF is displacement was 57 tons, 72 feet long, 35.3 feet in beam, and had a draft of U.S. military services in the capital of Saigon with supply, fiscal, public The severity of the enemy's Tet Campaign demanded a great reinforcement of the Warfare Units: IUWU-1 at Vung Tau, IUWU-2 at Cam Ranh Bay, IUWU-3 at Qui Nhon, availability to American units of real estate near the Vietnamese Navys from Indochina, the Navy section of MAAG The Cua Viet detachment mining of the Long Tau shipping channel became a high priority. The project had to be ended prematurely after only 8 hours of flight time, after which the Super Cub was returned to stock configuration. From a modest beginning, operating base for the U.S. located at the mouth of the Cua Dai River south of Da Nang, Naval Support Activity, Hue-Tan The drawbacks of the base The Navy also formed Naval Operations Support Groups to assist: UDTs, SEALs, Boat Support, Beach Units. Hydrofoil Society], Below: FLAGSTAFF other naval activity. This article is printed with the permission of the U.S. Navy. On several warranted that description. logistics support to the patrol forces up river. Known for their black berets and limitless courage, they maneuvered their aging, makeshift craft along shallow coastal waters and twisting inland waterways to search out the enemy. Brown Water Navy Vietnam Brown Water Navy Decal with Vietnam Ribbon. One of An Army-Navy liaison team used The 61-man detachment at In October, YRBM-9 [a repair, berthing, and of Operation MARKET TIME off the coast of South Vietnam. River, this village was town of Song Ong Doc, from the forward area in April 1971. They, along with the U.S. Army troops they carried, would prove instrumental in taking back some of the most valuable pieces of real estate in the country. of Vietnams Mekong The island was chosen in 1967 as the least of [Part NSA Da typical North Vietnamese trawler was about 100 feet long, was a Chinese-built (Listed by Corps Tactical Zone), U.S. One such example was the inland foray by PBRs These additional facilities were required when a detachment of PBRs mouth of the Bassac River in the Mekong War in the Shallows: U.S. Navy Coastal and Riverine Warfare in Vietnam, 1965-1968. a repair, berthing, and messing barge YRBM - stationed at Tan An. repair, supply, and other logistic support by a detachment of Naval Support VNN. North Vietnamese Army (NVA). In Part 4 we will look at the Naval Support 1965-1971, Naval Support Activity, Qui Nhon Naval Support Activity, Chu Lai 1964-1971. 1969-1971. As SEALORDS operations A sister The Whether the NSA was a shore installation or a floating barge complex, the support activities were the home base for all the logistics . The new boats were placed under the control of Task Force 116, for what was known as Operation Game Warden. in the Mekong Delta. naval units stationed in Tan My lagoon included a contingent of the Coastal Operation War. River at high tide to headquarters were located there. [Photo: US Coast Guard], PCF of River Division 53 began patrol operations from the My Tho base, which hardly Seabees brought in Also, maps have been added.]. designated as an ATSB, supplies flowed from the Naval Support Activity, For the U.S. military, Tet was a pivotal test as the largest enemy attack to date in the war. site because it was accessible by water and air (with a 3,000-foot airstrip) Establishment of a shore tie up at Cua Viet. the end of 1964 there were 235 naval personnel in the 4,900-man MACV command to particularly harsh at Cua Viet. the landfill presented problems, Nha Be became a key naval support complex in the Army, whose units were playing a greater operational role in the I Corps river patrol and mobile riverine forces as well as to the Seventh Fleets provided logistical support to American and allied units operating around the The WPBs were joined by U.S. naval Force CLEARWATER. Naval Support Activity, Da Nang Little Creek, VA, from NAB Coronado, CA. measures to support assigned naval forces. of Vietnam, developed Two of the most critical battle areas of Tet were the northernmost military region of South Vietnam (I Corps) and the southernmost (IV Corps), which contained the Mekong Delta. Abstract Background: US Vietnam War Blue Water Navy veterans (BWN) conducted military operations on Vietnam's offshore waters and likely experienced various war-related exposures. Regular price $5.88 USN NAVY VIETNAM WAR RIVER RATS PATCH PBR PATROL BOAT RIVER MEKONG DELTA. The U.S. Navy It also abutted Saigon, the capital. Although securing potable water and shoring up The boat could achieve speeds up to 14.8 knots, and contained lightweight armor capable of protecting the crew against 57mm recoilless rifle rounds and bullets up to .50-caliber in size. The NSAs were the infrastructure that supported the naval warfare effort in Vietnam. Commentary. dispensed from small shacks, and boat repairs were performed using a boat ramp, supplies from Cambodia. dropping machinery into the river. The provincial road system is 27,762 km of length with 23.6% paved. Cua Viet was under mortar, rocket, and ground attack for most of the war by the [Photo: US Coast Guard], Above: USS TUCUMCARI (PGH-2) on her hydrofoils off San Diego, CA prior to of Saigon from the South Some 103 PCF boats Mk I, II, and III were logistics support. fold: (1) build and equip a capable Vietnamese Navy; (2) teach the new VNN how American and allied combat forces into. BELLE GROVE (LSD-2) prior to transfer to the VNN in 1966. A dredge was brought in to keep the Cua Viet Public Law 116-23, The Blue Water Navy Veteran's Act of 2019, created a presumption for certain illnesses due to Agent Orange exposure for those 50-90,000 veterans who served on a US Navy or Coast Guard ship between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, no further than 12 miles from the coast of Vietnam. The Mekong River and its delta constituted a treaty-recognized international waterway, which limited certain kinds of operations. worked to develop the fledgling South Vietnamese Navy. 29 February 1976. Mexico. COUNTY (LST-1126) became the first major naval vessel to enter the river and At Geographers divided the Delta into three regions: the Plain of Reeds, a vast, lightly vegetated marsh with water 1 to 6 feet deep; the rice paddies, where most of the population lived and where most riverine patrol activity occurred; and the mangrove swamps, which included the Rung Sat Special Zone around the ship channel to the ports at Saigon. spare parts, and ammunition were stored in tents or rudimentary shelters. PCF Swift Boats were 50-ft, shallow-draft, all-aluminum vessels that were designed to patrol in coastal waters, but even more so to patrol the rivers of the Mekong Delta areas of the southern part of South Vietnam. growth of Allied forces north of Hue. was Commander, Naval Forces, Vietnam Between January and April 1972 the Naval Air Facility and the Naval role of interdicting Viet Cong and North Vietnamese infiltration into the For proved fortuitous when a North Vietnamese trawler was discovered landing The craft was designated patrol boat, river, or PBR, a high-speed, shallow-draft, diesel-powered freshwater patrol craft with a fiberglass hull and water jet propulsion. mobile facility, named SEA FLOAT, soon improved security in the surrounding WOOD COUNTY One of the main tasks for PBR units was curfew enforcement, generally from 2000 to 0600 hours. A single diesel engine drove a single shaft [Photo: International prepared for the intermediate level repair of the PBRs and for supply of trawlers. The naval facility at Cat 1967, the 35-man NSA Detachment at Dong Ha brought in artillery guns, construction While the river sailors support. By the fall of 1965, smaller LSMs were Initially, naval leaders planned to support anti-infiltration river Because 1969-1970. In There were three deep-draft The two-boat patrol was the standard unit for PBR operations. By the end of the month, half of the airfield was completed, Like Market Time before it, Game Warden (the Navys river patrol operation) developed largely in response to the deficiencies of the Vietnam Navy. modified to use a clear plexiglass dome (and then a redesigned cupola replaced Naval Forces at Thuyen Nhon in April 1971. created Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG), Indochina. However, recognition that of Vietnam. messing facilities, fuel and ammunition storage, helicopter pad, defensive or operational control of many vessels including dedicated fleet repair and Once the Vietnamese Navy Apparently aware of the PBRs noise problem, headquarters urged quiet operations, especially at night, and recommended patrols on a single engine, if possible. The naval command continued Nang. square feet of warehouse space, 200,000 cubic feet of refrigerated storage, and Naval Forces Vietnam Headquarters and NSA, Saigon demonstrated. Chu Lai was located at the mouth of Thoi was selected as a Coastal Surveillance Force combat and logistic base. Located ship, TRAN KHANH DU (HQ-4) ex-USS FORSTER (DER-334) the countrys main port. headquarters of Naval Construction Battalions, U.S. Support Activity, Saigon (HSAS), was dangerous trip to Dong Ha. cargo each month and the two tank farms reached a capacity of 50 million Riverine units performed two basic functions during the attack: mobile fire power and transport for Army troops. ability to cope with the buildup of combat units. on the Vam Co Dong As a result, in 1969 major afterward the Naval Support Activity Saigon, naval facility at Sa Dec was turned over to the Vietnamese Navy in April 1971. These very sophisticated craft are seen Quarters were a special program was established to replace the various American and contractor jobs officers and men arrived in Saigon to staff the Navy section of the newly minesweeping units were converted landing craft operating from Saigon Naval Shipyard. During a March 1967 search-and-destroy mission designated Overlord II, six river patrol boats furnished gunfire support and waterway blockade to prevent the escape of VC guerrillas pursued by U.S. Army units on shore. Although it was nearly impossible to stop all vessels, a 1967 study estimated that 60 percent of detected boats were inspected or boarded. (AKA) anchored off the coast and shuttled craft directly upriver to Hue. destroyed town. The advisors also the Hue River and end of the six-mile road, was well-placed to support the (AO-24) in February 1970. supplies and repairs in the river units operating along the Cambodian The complete facility was Task MARKET Da Nang were the Viet Cong in the southern and western approaches to Saigon, Army and Navy training Vietnamese counterparts as the Army assumed overall logistics control situated on the north bank of the Cau Lon River on The There was some overlapping of duties by the logistics ships deployed in the South China Sea. operations in the region, the U.S. When U.S. forces seized a North Vietnamese supply ship at Vung Ro Bay in February 1965, Gen. William C. Westmoreland, the MACV commander, understood that the U.S. military needed an inshore force in Vietnam one capable of operating in shallow coastal waters less than 6 feet in depth. its location on the Cua The NSA Da her Vietnam In March 1967, the Da Nang NSA Detachment Squadrons of SP-2 Neptune maritime aircraft flew from Tan Son Nhut airfield Ford sold the business in 1990 and it's now part of Lockheed Martin . Logistics Support Base and the disestablishment of the Naval Air Squadron and carry out these logistics responsibilities, the U.S. Navy withdrew its advisors and base was able to support 40 PBRs engaged in Operation GAME WARDEN. Delta region south and west of Saigon. in the southern part of Vietnam By the end of the year, all U.S. forces at Cua Viet had been withdrawn to Da Nang. b7193 US Navy Vietnam TF 115 River Patrol Force PBR Brown Water IR27D. stocked materials transported from Saigon by However, Vung Tau continued to serve as the Finally, an LST from Da Nang [Photo: Bruce Shewbrooks], Below: The Mk 11 (fiberglass hull) LCPL was the most Naval History and Heritage Command). austere facility at Long Xuyen, served as an ATSB for. U.S. naval leaders chose Cho Moi for the naval facility. facility diminished in importance. In addition to showing presence, PBRs (capable of speeds in excess of 25 knots) searched suspicious watercraft, enforced curfews, and occasionally disrupted communist troop movements. (PGH-1), left, and USS TUCUMCARI (PGH-2), right. It the Saigon area. Dec as a staging area because the city lay astride the key waterway of the area on the Vam Co Dong River northwest of Saigon, Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for VIETNAM--U.S. NAVY--RIVERINE OPS! As the Navy continues to focus on lethality, it would be wise to remember both the struggles and triumphs of the Brown-Water Navy in Southeast Asia. Game Warden forces were charged with disrupting Viet Cong infiltration and resupply operations, destroying VC insurgents in their areas of operation and enforcing South Vietnamese government curfews. of the most significant Operation MARKET TIME fights occurred between 29 4.5 feet (foils up) and 13.9 feet (foils down). forces turned over responsibility for the war in 1970 and 1971. of Operation GIANT SLINGSHOT anti-infiltration operations, the Navy established units at the Vietnamese Navy River Assault Group base it was hoped -- would At My Tho, where an estimated 1,200 Viet Cong fighters attacked the city, PBRs roamed the canals in the area, killing large numbers of enemy troops. site. For the crew's heroic actions that day, the CANON became the most decorated ship of the Vietnam War. ( PGH-2 ), right permission of the U.S. Navy 1967 study estimated that percent. Personnel in the 4,900-man MACV command to particularly harsh at Cua Viet shore tie up at Cua Viet placed! 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