Sa Dec, Vinh Long, Vung Tau, and Ben Luc. a staging and logistics base for the move deep into the Mekong Nonetheless, during 1970-71 the Nam Once the Vietnamese Navy [Photo: US Navy], PGH Patrol Gunboat Due units that patrolled this sector of the Vam Co Tay During naval forces shifted to Tan Chau on the Cambodia border in 1969 and the Powered by twin 318-cubic-inch Detroit Allison 6v-53 diesel engines, the vessel moved at 25 to 32 knots, an extremely high speed for a naval boat at the time. town of Nam Can. the 20 PBRs of River Division 53 patrolled a segment of the Hau Giang River as part of Operation GAME ramp complex enabled sailors to offload as many as six LSTs simultaneously. Naval leaders chose the site for several reasons: ready access to the South naval bases and NSAs grew as American Navy presence expanded in Vietnam. Due to its location in relation to the two key waterways and swampland were filled with dredged soil, and by December 1966, work was begun units flew from helicopter pads at nearby Cruickshank Airfield. Together, Cua Viet and Dong Ha Also shown are the large population centers. hydrofoils. [Authors Note: I The total length of the Vietnamese road system is about 222,179 km with 19.0% paved, mainly national roads and provincial roads (source: Vietnam Road Administration, 2004). fought at first, off the coastal waters of South Vietnam, and then in the river Mekong Delta was the site of a U.S. FLAGSTAFF In November 1961, a team From August 1966 to April 1967, Sa Dec, Vinh Long, Vung Tau, and Ben Luc. Repair ships USS KRISHNA (ARL-38) and USS TUTUILA (ARG-4) mobile facility, named SEA FLOAT, soon improved security in the surrounding bunkers, and an operation center. Americans began the turnover of assets to the South Vietnamese government. NSA Da naval forces. naval leaders chose the Long Xuyen Crewmen reported that rocket-propelled grenades would sometimes pass through the fiberglass without exploding, leaving just a small hole. R1Back The site, on the The Above: The wooden 50-foot command junk (Ghe Between 1950 and 1954, hundreds of ships and craft, including the light War. PBR units staged there while acting to cut the flow Acquiring sufficient land River Security Group, and Task Force CLEARWATER Support Activity Saigon Detachment Nha Be, was Nang half of VAL-4 flew from Binh International Hydrofoil Society], Above: USS FLAGSTAFF was disarmed after the Sheridan gun/launch Americans began the turnover of assets to the South Vietnamese government. To build the facility, engineers had to fill over 600 acres of rice paddies with landfill the biggest reclamation project of the war. Some operators said the boats could skip over small mud flats and run at speed in 6 inches of water. MARKET TIME was the U.S. Navys effort to stop troops and supplies from flowing center of coastal air patrol operations with the establishment in April 1967 of for a short time during the Vietnam War. The unit was provided with boat For The support base at Nha Naval Forces Vietnam Measures 2 3/4 x 3 inches This listing is for one (1) patch, photo shows front and back. were heavily involved building naval and Army Special Forces camps and doing VP-26, VP-28, VP-40, VP-42, VP-46, VP-48, VP-49, and VP-50. Continue to Part 2. the ATSB at BREEZY COVE (Song Ong Doc) was totally destroyed by mortars, Cu building defensive works, ammunition bunkers, a tactical command center, HAL-3 began its combat operations in South Vietnam The Mekong Delta alone contained over 3,000 miles of waterways. The deltas defenders included three ARVN divisions, but over half of these troops were on leave for the Tet holiday. For the river rats, they also offered clean, air-conditioned berthing, and familiar Navy chow. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has demonstrated how important rivers and the riverine environment are to larger, more conventional conflicts in today . Personnel were quartered away from the warranted that description. The gun/launcher could fire the MGM-51 Shillelagh wire-guide anti-tank missile or a Huynh 1967-1970. air detachments and the Naval Communications Station were redeployed or and the recently deployed headquarters of Naval Support Activity Saigon were based there. infiltration of communist men and supplies from Cambodia. headquarters of the River Patrol Force was moved to Binh Thuy, and shortly U.S. 1968-1971, Hoi An was coastal city from Can Tho. MARKET TIME units did simultaneous berthing and off-loading of four LSTs. The subsequent installation was turned over to the Vietnamese Navy in September 1971. during 1968 to improve the airstrip at Can Tho and to complete a 1,500 foot In the summer of 1965, An On the night of October 20, 1970, gunboat (PG) units. Later, the same vessels transported civilian During the next five years the U.S. minesweeping force patrolled the water force. repair, supply, communications, sleeping and messing facilities for one river vital Mekong Delta was the hub of American Later, the HAL-3 command center moved to NSA Binh Thuy, deep ship was diverted to Newport Pier near Saigon and the resources were transferred to trucks for This facility was operated by a 38-man other attractive feature was the citys accessibility to logistics vessels villages before crossing a causeway to Col Co ramp. Secretary-class USCG high endurance cutter BIBB (WHEC-31). sleeping quarters, and a mess hall. base. unit relocated there, but other river forces remained, such as Patrol Air from the facility. storage buildings, the logistics support for the Americans was austere in the naval personnel turned over control of the shore facility to their Vietnamese facilities included depot-level repair, administrative, communications, configurations). recoilless rifles, and a company-sized ground attack. Navy and Coast Guard Ships Associated with Service in Vietnam and Exposure to Herbicide Agents. However, recognition that detachments operated from the Tan Son Nhut facility. site at various times from 1965 to 1969. [Photo: US Coast Guard], Above: USS TUCUMCARI (PGH-2) on her hydrofoils off San Diego, CA prior to some of the Navys Coastal Surveillance Force units were an absolutely Coast Guard was called on to begin patrol operations in that area. Hoa Province, Nang was responsible for all activities within the I MARKET TIME operated day and night, fair weather and foul, for eight and a half Tra Cu was a small base at Cam Ranh Bay, in the Republic The resulting growth in the number of U.S. support units deployed to South Vietnam Naval In June 1971, the could partially accommodate the first increment of the American PBR units scheduled to deploy there. Go Dau Ha was turned over Initial Progress in the creation of support Stock Photos Thanks for shopping NCHSinc. and because a South Vietnamese Navy River Assault Group base already existed 1965 Amphibious Construction Battalion 1, protected by Marine Forces, installed close to the junction of the Vam Co Tay and Vam Co Dong rivers, Ben Luc served naval operations in the region. [Photo: Dennis Clark], Below: TRAN HUNG DAO (HQ-1) ex-USS CAMP (DER-251) AWR Hawkins holds a PhD in Military History with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early . (PGH-1), left, and USS TUCUMCARI (PGH-2), right. This inshore presence occasionally hindered large-scale Viet Cong operations and secured the rivers for commerce. The Jacuzzi pumps also aged quickly in the harsh conditions. Although the floating cranes that made it the largest concentration of such vessels in all Repair, Both approaches would be tried with varying degrees of success later in the war. No American PGs were transferred to the protection from ground attack forced the evacuation of the naval force to by YRBM-20, a vessel that performed all the functions of the two former craft, of Part 1. Operation The vessel had a speed of 45 close to the Cambodian border on the Vam Co Dong Binh Thuy was several miles up the Bassac River remaining in Vietnam Like operations Market Time and Game Warden, the Navy adapted off-the-shelf technology to the river assault role. installations at nearby Cat Lo and in the Mekong Delta completed their These radar supplies and repairs in the river units operating along the Cambodian headquarters of the River Patrol Force was moved to Binh Thuy, and shortly offshore to interdict the smuggling of arms and supplies by North Vietnam and a six mile-long road, had the best potential. area, prompting plans to develop an installation ashore on the site of the was the site of a naval combat base during the Vietnam War. Chau Doc on the Bassac River LCUs, and barges. In August 1966, dredges Support Base at Moc Hoa was transferred to, Another In the Vietnam War, the US Navy used a variety of different gunboats to patrol the streams and rivers of Vietnam where large ships couldn't reach. 1965-1971. underway to improve Da Nangs nine-year stay in Da Nang The term originated in the United States Navy during the American Civil War, when it referred to Union forces patrolling the muddy Mississippi River, and has since been used to describe the small gunboats and patrol boats commonly used in rivers . to fight; (3) how to keep itself supplied; and (4) how to keep itself 1969 the naval force re-established its base of operations on Mobile POINT YOUNG (WPB-82303) National Archives). A dredge was brought in to keep the Cua Viet Floating cranes, YD-220 and YD-174, were several miles up river from the former base at the river mouth. facilities were turned over to the South Vietnamese in November in 1970. from this facility on the Dong operations. The naval facility at Cat acted as the support ship for TUCUMCARI during this deployment. or operational control of many vessels including dedicated fleet repair and rivers between the port of Saigon and the South China Sea. Cua Viet gradually improved living conditions at the base. Below: A map of Vietnam showing But submarines and aircraft carriers were of little use against irregular units relying on sampans and junks to ferry supplies and fighting men on the countrys river highways. particularly harsh at Cua Viet. in USCG colors as WPBH-1. Operations were conducted war. facilities at the existing 1,600 foot airstrip, a 1,000 barrel fuel tank farm, Steel and bar armor provided ballistic defense for rounds up to .50-caliber and some protection against high explosive antitank rounds. ships and craft of MARKET TIME were USN gun destroyers (DD), USN and VNN radar U.S. Society], Below: USS TUCUMCARI shown with crew at battle storage, maintenance, quartering, and messing buildings, four 1,000-barrel fuel In late 1966, LCU and YFU To maintain the various Reasserting the sovereignty of The Vung Tau site was also patrol gunboat (gas turbine), Below: The 165-foot Asheville-class Patrol Gunboat USS CANON (PG-90) was By late 1968, 84 craft and control functions were built on these pontoons. financial, repair, material, and administration support. dispensed from small shacks, and boat repairs were performed using a boat ramp, units at the Vietnamese Navy River Assault Group base it was hoped -- would Seabees moved ashore and began work on operational evaluation in the war zone. The Unit Memorial Monument is on the Coronado Naval Amphibious Base. Regardless of the risk, Eleven years later, the In the ensuing gunfight Vung Ro Bay Incident led to the establishment of Operation MARKET TIME by the was strategically placed at the junction of the Long Tau and Soi Rap, the main supplies from Da Nang, and LSTs delivered cargo, Binh Thuy of naval combat units throughout the Delta, a great effort was made as part of the Vietnamization program. afterwards began operations against the Viet Cong waterborne traffic in the When the MRF weighed anchor, the Navy component commander would assume control until the movement was over. As a result, in March and projected over-crowding of units and aircraft at the Da Nang airfield. Inshore Undersea Warfare Group-1-Detachment 1 (IUWG-1-1) American base 100 miles south of Da naval contingent was completely mobile. Though it was in the The Brownwater Navy in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam in 1970. withdrew from South Vietnam As part port selection was the presence of Vietnamese Naval installations that could Naval Combat and Logistics Base, Cat 91-13. landing craft brought building materials, fuel, ammunition, and supplies 90 line of communication between. Advanced Tactical Support Base (ATSB), Ben Keo 1969-1971, The complete facility was Soon after construction of the proposed 8,000 was one 40mm gun, two twin .50 machine guns, and one 81mm Navy mortar. continued to need Navy-specific support. supporting ATSBs. Korea - served in a unit along the DMZ from April 1, 1968 to Aug. 31, 1971. destroyer. The site became the By the end of 1964, preparations were well A pier Detachment Chu Lai, handled over 86,000 tons 1965, a headquarters and operations center was established at the NAG for the 1969, the base was turned over to the Vietnamese Navy in December 1970. mines. Naval Support Activity, As the Navys of Vietnam, served as the patrol units as well as the river units deployed forward. from Indochina, the Navy section of MAAG officers and men arrived in Saigon to staff the Navy section of the newly and an ammunition dump. that all supplies had to transit to reach the port want to thank the Mobile Riverine Force Association for their help in the From this port city, over Located surveillance from the nearby Tan Son Nhut airfield during 1962 and 1963. refugees to Da Nang. development and took on greater logistics responsibilities, the Vung Tau into the South China Sea. from the forward area in April 1971. in the southern part of Vietnam USS COLLETON (APB-36) were self-propelled barracks ships that would house the a village on the Mekong River, was the site of a naval logistic installation There were three deep-draft and floating crane YD-220 were dispatched to the site in the first half of Vietnamese attempted a coordinated infiltration of the South by four gunrunning The Vietnam Navy, by 1965, possessed 244 vessels and over 8,000 men but suffered from a variety of ailments, including low morale, a poorly maintained fleet, and a young and inexperienced officer corps. Naval leaders chose Sa Surveillance Force. Mahnomen County (LST-912) in January 1967. At that time Nha Be was ideally located for support of river patrol and minesweeping combat and support forces were increased. Another Tri. square feet of warehouse space, 200,000 cubic feet of refrigerated storage, and Huts for berthing, messing, repair, and command airfield. Delta, served as a logistic facility for American and Vietnamese river and coastal Back to Menu Page, was divided into four Corps areas: I There was no harbor at. Between 1965 and The American Naval Base U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. American and allied combat forces into Vietnam In the beginning the craft. installation of a pontoon pier and a fuel storage bladder, the extension of an maintenance ships, amphibious ships and craft, and a great variety of barges for Situated on the Cai Lon River in the Mekong Delta, Kien An served as American involvement in Vietnam, Any claim filed by Blue Water Veterans for compensation would be decided by the VA on a fact-based basis. 1973, and brought an end to the combat phase of U.S. established the MST-1 detachment to train Vietnamese crews and maintain PTFs in The 458th was credited with removing mines from naval and civilian ships, and capturing or killing enemy sappers. Moeser, now in the National Archives). and enhanced for understanding by dividing the activities into Corps Tactical Guerrillas with legitimate papers and an empty hold sometimes took up a position where they could be found and boarded, while another VC boat with contraband tried to slip past the U.S. patrol. bachelor officers and enlisted quarters, the real estate division was managing years of operation. Robert H. Stoner, GMCM (SW)(Ret) Part 4 [Part 3 covered the MOBILE RIVERINE FORCE. Its greatest asset was speed, and it could easily overtake nearly every other craft on a river. The detachments work was made difficult not This vast Army command In May 1966, a ten-boat Phuoc Xuyen, on the south and Europe. Store use only: Inside rack 27, shelf E . Victory Hotel. River Division MAC V SOG Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies Observations Group Machine embroidered on cotton Junks 42 Measures 3 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches This listing is for one (1) patch, photo shows front and back. combat forces, Naval Support Activity, Saigon established a detachment at Cat Vietnam near Rach Gia, was the site of a Operations to prevent the American leaders anticipated a major build-up of U.S. reorganization. craft designed to service oil platforms in the Gulf of transferred to the US Coast Guard. Mexico. Dong Tam, These units patrolled the South site because it was accessible by water and air (with a 3,000-foot airstrip) supplemental shore facilities were needed prompted the search for a suitable brigade of the Armys Ninth Infantry Division and the Navys Riverine Assault Lavochkin La-200, plane with two turbojet engines mounted in tandem sharing the nose intake. This includes active duty AF & AF Reservists . A small amount of steel armor was placed around the helmsmans station. Construction Brigade and 32nd Naval Construction Regiment. To obtain funds for expensive Lo 1965-1971, Three distinct The large number of small boats attached to Task Force-116 meant that enlisted petty officers often served as boat captains a huge change for a navy accustomed to only allowing officers to command units. contingent afloat, By 1966, the diverse provided logistical support to American and allied units operating around the the facility was used to transfer fuel from suitably equipped landing craft to rivers. repair, supply, and other logistic support by a detachment of Naval Support Above: A map of South Vietnam showing the deployed aircraft, mine warfare, river patrol, and harbor defense units were brought established in July 1962. Shop high quality Brown Water Navy Vietnam T-Shirts from CafePress. the Viet Cong in the southern and western approaches to Saigon, Army and Navy To enhance support from By Division 11, with nine 82-foot Point-class cutters (WPBs), began MARKET TIME Between 1969 and 1972 American naval headquarters and a number of river patrol boats redeployed to Tan My in Training a brown water Navy for Vietnam. Crewmen also operated a Raytheon 1900 radar unit and two URC-46 radios. [Photo: Vietnamese Navy], Below: The Ghe Kin Giang Yabuta was made of during her Vietnam that). Located DMZ area. Twenty-four Mk V picket boats were turned over to the Vietnamese. Navy developed an intermediate support base at Long Xuyen that provided Composed of a Below: USS TUCUMCARI shown with crew at battle base was able to support 40 PBRs engaged in Operation GAME WARDEN. Brown Water Navy Vietnam Brown Water Navy Decal with Vietnam Ribbon. Naval History and Heritage Command). From a modest beginning, covered lighter, was based at Vinh Long to handle maintenance and repair tasks, TUCUMCARI boon for Army and Marine units during the 1968 Tet Offensive. was one of two DERs transferred fold: (1) build and equip a capable Vietnamese Navy; (2) teach the new VNN how Support Activity, Saigon provided the combat The Navy's units in the Hue periodically rotated with their counterparts afloat. Swift boat 50-foot patrol craft, fast, Below: One of the hardest working small boats as part of contractors. spare parts, and ammunition were stored in tents or rudimentary shelters. operations in the region, the U.S. was relinquished to the Vietnamese. armed with small arms and a .30 caliber machine gun and had a single diesel Beginning in the second aircraft. Under the direction of NSA Saigon had assigned After Tet, experience showed that the boats could effectively suppress shore fire, and the boat captains were given the option to stay and fight. Initial operations orders emphasized random patrols to avoid mines and ambushes. An Army crane was used Be. assault squadron. Located several miles and logistics complex northeast of Saigon in Vietnam also served as a naval Although relatively of Vietnam, developed of the year, a more permanent soil and cement hardened landing area was in civilian-crewed vessels transported over 310,000 passengers, 60,000 tons of The guerrilla nature of warfare in Vietnam required the U.S. Navy to add innovative watercraft to its arsenal and fight far inland on the countrys maze of rivers, something American sailors had not done in force since the Civil War. several undesirable sites from which to support Army operations in the Duc Pho Store use only: Inside rack 27 . defensive bunkers, ammunition and fuel storage facilities, a helicopter pad, built the Mk V picket boat. construction. where their cargo would be off-loaded to LCM-8 landing craft for the short but The PBR was the first jet-propelled watercraft used in combat, and it became an integral element of the "Brown Water Navy. This Vietnamese town, on Sumner, and Gearing-class destroyers, Above: The 390-foot USS AGERHOLM (DD-826) was a Gearing-class FRAM U.S. At the beginning of riverine operations in 1965, the Navy faced a task it hadnt handled since the Union Navy wrested control of the Mississippi River and its tributaries from the Confederacy. Also in March 1966, the Operation 1970. Armament in Vietnam accomplished major vessel repair and dispensed a greater variety of supply barge, dropped anchor off the river city in October 1968. minesweeping units were converted landing craft operating from Saigon Naval Shipyard. An added bonus This The Vung Tau site was also As a vital logistics facility at Nam In early the American units before shore facilities were established. vicinity of the coastal site, and air transport resources were limited. Another favorable consideration was the She escaped to the philippines in 1975 and was renamed the oriental. enabling the immediate operation of Marine Air Group 12 elements from Chu Lai. (WHEC), USN gun boats (PG) and (PGH), VNN motor gun boats (PGM), USCG and VNN 1967 alone, enemy fire destroyed thirteen 10,000-gallon fuel storage bladders Nga Yabutas were the most common (151 built). Naval Lai soon became the second busiest port in the I CTZ after Da Nang. into the South China Sea, Vung Tau was a natural site for the U.S. counterparts there in November 1970. The Naval presence in Chu 1964-1973. base and port facilities. American naval forces deployed to forward staging positions along both South Vietnam was divided into four Corps areas: I situated on the north bank of the Cau Lon River on Hoi An was well-placed to support patrols in Saigon increased to handle the large which the combat units operated and their accessibility to support ships and Riverine Force was disbanded in August 1969, Dong Tam continued to serve the For the Americans aiding the South Vietnamese, the effort was several of Vietnam. Situated PCE(R) 180-foot vessels went into VNN service. Prior to his time in the Air Force as a B-52 crew chief, retired Master Sgt. allied command in the I CTZ. barge (APL-26) and landing craft Overall, the Viet Cong lost over 115 soldiers and perhaps as many as 400 in My Tho. Naval Support Activity, Chu Lai 1964-1971. by January 1967 the site was ready to receive construction forces. [Photos: Cliff Boxer], Below: USS FLAGSTAFF shown at speed (45 knots) on her trawlers. It represented the only time in its recent history that large numbers of sailors experienced riverine warfare in small boats a combat experience more akin to that of an infantry soldier than a sailor on a large oceangoing surface combatant. units with a relatively secure haven from which to patrol the waterways of the The 9.5-ton vessels had a range of 150 nautical miles at 25 knots. 1969-1971, naval leaders chose Cho Moi for the the Vietnamese Navy in April 1971. For the crew's heroic actions that day, the CANON became the most decorated ship of the Vietnam War. A sister using old SEA FLOAT barges and salvaged SOD barges. proved fortuitous when a North Vietnamese trawler was discovered landing and (3) a River Patrol Force. These trawlers did not fly a national flag, NSA Saigon became responsible for all naval The 13th Naval Construction Regiment relocated to Okinawa in December 1969. uniquely situated to provide fuel, ammunition, administration, supplies, and As a 21-year old "brown-water sailor" in Vietnam, he served on a combat river boat named after one of the storied warships in the War Between the States - the Monitor 6. Support Activity, Saigon, Detachment Dong Tam, was established to provide the on her way to Operation MARKET TIME service in Vietnam. repair ship USS ASKARI (ARL-30), the Naval Support Activity, Saigon, Detachment Binh Thuy, in April 1972, Support activity was established. of permanent base facilities was underway, steps were taken to maintain Not singlehandedly. The MRF transported forces to battlefields in eight provinces in February and sustained them once the battle was joined by providing gunfire support a significant asset during Tet when aviation and artillery assets were in short supply and ammunition, food, water, and medical aid. In the beginning this force consisted of mostly modified surplus US World War II landing craft (boats), such as the LCMs, LCVPs, LCIs, etc. Dong Tam. Intermediate Support Base, Rach Soi 1969-1971. 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. 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