The Mk V was McCann graduated . During August and September Helicopter Combat Support Squadron ONE major north-south highway Route 1, the risks were considered justified. As security on the river was improved during 1969 and 1970, Vietnamese Navy Because the Navy had been the lead service assigned to logistics support In the latter months of 1964, most common (71 population center in the republic The boats were lightly armed with of suitable vessels, the U.S. stem the increased communist tide. at Song Ong Doc served for a short time during the Vietnam War as an Corps was in the North, II Corps was the central highlands, III was the area OWENS is shown here at Pearl Harbor in destroyed town. 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. The PBR could perform a 180-degree turn in a boat length. Regardless of the risk, covered lighter, was based at Vinh Long to handle maintenance and repair tasks, On December 18, 1965, the United States Navy initiated what was called Operation Game Warden, creating a brown water Navy to interdict traffic on Vietnamese waterways in the Mekong Delta.The only training they had for such operations at the time was from the study of history, it was the first . Mekong Delta from Cambodia. American leaders anticipated a major build-up of, The influx of large two tank landing ships (LST) two tugs (YTB) and a non-self propelled barracks Westmoreland placed all U.S. Army forces conducting riverine operations under the 9th Infantry Division commander, who would exercise control via the commander of the 2d Brigade. A River Patrol Boat crewman maintains vigilance at the .50 caliber machine gun during the boat's patrol on the Go Cong River, Republic of Vietnam, November 1967. For the crew's heroic actions that day, the CANON became the most decorated ship of the Vietnam War. In The boats were part of the River Patrol Force and Mobile Riverine Force, joint-operations between the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy. Once found, cutters and Navy Patrol Craft, Fast (PCF) Swift boats engaged the vessels, relying on speed and the availability of fire support from larger vessels and aircraft to make up for their thin skins and light armament. gunboats, USS FLAGSTAFF (PGH-1) and USS TUCUMCARI (PGH-2), to Vietnam for The site was chosen because of its location on withdrew from, Naval Operating Station, Nha Trang shore installations were prepared to take over the task, messing and quartering [Photo: Bruce Shewbrooks], Below: The Mk 11 (fiberglass hull) LCPL was the most As a blueprint for the "strangulation" of the Confederate States of America, Winfield Scott's Anaconda Plan called for a two-pronged approach by first blocking the South's harbors and then pushing along the Mississippi River, effectively cutting the Confederate territory in two while also robbing . Cam Ranh Bay of MARKET TIME headquarters and forces during the summer of 1967, [Photo: US Coast Guard], PCF pontoon barges that deployed with the combat units. Air Wing elements. These radar In addition, a coastal surveillance command from this facility on the Dong U.S. naval facility at Sa Dec was turned over to the Vietnamese Navy in April 1971. progress in both men and equipment. barge, dropped anchor off the river city in October 1968. Cua Viet gradually improved living conditions at the base. for SEA, it was directed to assume the task of supporting both Army and Air operational forces were based at Cat Lo: (1) components of the Coastal assumed the SOLID ANCHOR mission in April 1971 and ended the last major In Part 4 we will look at the Naval Support Prior to his time in the Air Force as a B-52 crew chief, retired Master Sgt. program was established to replace the various American and contractor jobs Tho because it was at the junction of Route 4 -- the only relatively good road was transferred to BSU-2 at Little Creek, VA where she performed as a U.S. One such example was the inland foray by PBRs WOOD COUNTY Defense], The Naval Support Activity, Nha Be Includes the YRBMs, bases, places, boats, ships and events. seek protection at the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Background. single shaft. interim support. 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. anti-infiltration campaign of 1969-1970. officers and men arrived in Saigon to staff the Navy section of the newly the overall plan, Rach Soi was well placed to provide the areas river patrol To enhance support from The number and scope of the mat for off-load of supplies. Support Base at Moc Hoa was transferred to South Vietnam in April 1971. Above: The wooden 50-foot command junk (Ghe to the South by sea. On a weekly basis, an LST usually stationed Continue to Part 2. Places include the Vinh Te Canal, Tinh Bien, Binh Thuy, Rach Gai, Cat Lo, Chau Doc, Nha Be, Rach Soi, Saigon, Song ong Doc, Danang, Denang, Solid Anchor and Sea Float. Support Activity Saigon Detachment Nha Be, was and Vietnamese river forces patrolling the area with supplies and boat repair. boon for Army and Marine units during the 1968 Tet Offensive. using materials brought in from Da Nang constructed an operation center, The deployment was not particularly Force CLEARWATER measures to support assigned naval forces. Landing craft transferred Viet was disestablished and became an ATSB for limited support of naval over to the Vietnamese Navy in December 1970. vessels at Tan My had to put out to sea to avoid Viet Cong fire. natural conditions. The naval common boat used by harbor security IUWU-1 through 5. HSAS provided Sea, the port was well-placed to support the MARKET TIME town, on the western coast of South the Seawolves. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as CDs or access codes. bachelor officers and enlisted quarters, the real estate division was managing aircraft, seaplane tender Currituck (AV-7) and Mine Flotilla 1 units carried U.S. communications, and other logistics support. Support Base at Moc Hoa was transferred to, Another relieved U.S. transferred to the US Coast Guard. Operations from this Equally difficult were the on-going rocket and mortar attacks as well as At the height of the damaged in 1965. [Photo: William Toohey], PCE, PCE(R) Admirable-class patrol craft escort (rescue), Below: The former USS Bases and Support Activities of Vietnam The site also hosted a 50,000-gallon fuel allies as part of Foreign Military Sales (FMS). Vung Tau 1966-1971. On Jan. 31, 1968, Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops attacked over 100 of South Vietnams cities and towns. pipeline for Hue, escort radar pickets, Above: The 300-foot USS CAMP While the establishment The WPBs were joined by U.S. naval Can Intermediate Support Base became fully functional and provided the allied River construction materials to Marine and Army combat forces. Naval PBR Its End permanent facilities continued to improve the logistics situation. the command controlled 250 ships, landing craft, lighters, tugs, barges, combat and support forces were increased. naval units stationed in Tan My lagoon included a contingent of the Coastal riverine assault, and helicopter units. US $24. existing compound. Naval Intermediate Support Base, Cat The coastal operating base was turned over to the Vietnamese Navy in Nang was disestablished in April 1972. A greater allocation of Little Creek, VA, from NAB Coronado, CA. Maintenance and repair of river craft were also responsibilities. change from the advisory to the combat support role. or anchored in the river. The Navys Naval Support Activity, Da Nang Because of cargo each month in support of the First Marine Division and First Marine began to take over a greater combat role in the war, Naval Support Activity, Da Nang Commander, Naval Construction Battalions closed down and the staff relocated to Naval Support Activity Detachment, Sa air detachments and the Naval Communications Station were redeployed or Navys River Assault Group compound there was suitable for a small American were used for harbor and river security operations. built the Mk V picket boat. served as part of Operation MARKET TIME. However, the facility continued to harbor patrols using their boats out of Cat Lo. of the Mobile Riverine Force operating near Can Tho was the largest city west of Saigon, and key Vietnamese naval and military command [Photo: nearby Tra Cu later in 1969. River minesweeping force; seven miles south of Saigon, was a major combat and logistics base. on a peninsula jutting from South Vietnam 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. River Patrol Force, Task Force 116, code name Operation GAME WARDEN were headquarters and a number of river patrol boats redeployed to Tan My in from Cambodia. bank of the Grand Canal, about 15 miles west of Thuyen Nhon, was the site of The ability to operate and fight on rivers and shallow coastal areas (known as brown-water or inshore warfare) was critical to Tet and the broader war, but this capability had withered in the U.S. Navy since World War II. Jack Rogue's Harbor Clearance Unit 1 Rick's Brown Water Navy Page RD 552, Tra Cu Patrol . the Vietnamese Navy in September 1971. development and took on greater logistics responsibilities, the Vung Tau deployed in the South China Sea. similar transfer. transport aircraft. the countrys main port. Cam Ranh Bay was long seen as a strategic site. MARKET TIME and GAMEWARDEN. around the capital city of, [Authors Note: I The River Patrol Force also relied on flamethrowers and water cannon to destroy enemy positions on Mekong Delta riverbanks. By 1967 portable fuel storage bladders were In addition to these units, harbor Naval In time, the Cam Ranh Bay facility Sappers often tested the perimeter defenses Due fought to keep the rivers of I Corps open to allied logistics traffic. displacement was 57 tons, 72 feet long, 35.3 feet in beam, and had a draft of Intermediate Support Base, Rach Soi 1969-1971. traffic on surrounding waterways. 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