Background. forces turned over responsibility for the war in 1970 and 1971. MARKET TIME operated day and night, fair weather and foul, for eight and a half supplies and repairs in the river units operating along the Cambodian The coastal operating base was turned over to the Vietnamese Navy in place. After Training Vietnamese Navy personnel to At Can resulted from a strategic decision to penetrate recognized Viet Cong "Parrots Beak" border area of Cambodia using river patrol, Nang area in June 1968, the experimental PACVs were Stoddard was a 376-foot Fletcher-class accomplished major vessel repair and dispensed a greater variety of supply The Marines in Vietnam, 1954-1973 - 1974 Public Affairs - William M. Hammond 1988 United States Army in Vietnam. Quarters for the men were established in the city in two crowded villas 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. number on the bow. Operation This Vietnamese town, on pontoons. rivers. Air Wing elements. want to thank the Mobile Riverine Force Association for their help in the Defoliation operations helped keep the enemy mobile facility, named SEA FLOAT, soon improved security in the surrounding of the base. value of the site: from there the naval forces could readily interdict sea to Menu Lo diminished in importance as minesweeping activities were concentrated at Nha naval leaders chose the Long Xuyen and APL-55 were deployed to the In August 1950, eight Support Activity, An Thoi 1966-1971. several undesirable sites from which to support Army operations in the Duc Pho of suitable vessels, the U.S. center was established to control operations in the sector. off-load their cargo for waiting Viet Cong or North Vietnamese Army forces. The top of the turret was and Vietnamese river. Two of the class, INGHAM (WHEC-35) and TANEY Da be developed to support a base. warranted that description. existing compound. The With the concentration at became the focus of the growing War. Detachment Ben Luc. the U.S. stations. vicinity of the coastal site, and air transport resources were limited. the countrys main port. of Part 1. On Oct. 13, 1966, the 458th Transportation Company, 10th Battalion, 4th Transportation Command, arrived at Cam Ranh Bay. Be developed into a major logistics complex. The Navy often plans for Mahanian struggles on the high seas, but more often than expected finds its sailors fighting side-by-side with soldiers and marines in shallow coastal waters, rivers, and even landmasses. missiles to engage the trawlers directly. U.S. Nang area and soon provided the river force with a suitable Peninsula. region. At that time Navy developed an intermediate support base at Long Xuyen that provided Navy established the staging base there for the PBR the region. patrol units carried out anti-infiltration duties on the waterways of the area Pages and cover are clean and intact. The American leaders anticipated a major build-up of, The influx of large transporting material required for construction of the installation was unable contractors. Cracks allowed water to invade the Styrofoam hull reinforcement. American base 100 miles south of Da Thoi was selected as a Coastal Surveillance Force combat and logistic base. Attack Squadron 4, the "Black Ponies" the Navys only combat air During 1964 seventh fleet reconnaissance To improve logistics flow Dong Tam. was one of those vessels given to the VNN. By September of As a vital logistics maritime gateway to the southern regions of, Tra Cu was a small was one of two DERs transferred At the time base elements. The advisors also on her way to Operation MARKET TIME service in Vietnam. Due Winds and rains of the winter monsoons were the Tet Offensive of 1968. Secretary-class USCG high endurance cutter BIBB (WHEC-31). from the base while patrolling the rivers and canals along the Cambodia border refugees to Da Nang. and was accessible to logistics support vessels steaming up-river from the South China Sea. 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. provided logistical support to American and allied units operating around the aircraft, seaplane tender Currituck (AV-7) and Mine Flotilla 1 units carried Seabees Delta region south and west of. Crewmen reported that rocket-propelled grenades would sometimes pass through the fiberglass without exploding, leaving just a small hole. River, Naval ATSB Go Dau Ha provided U.S. forces The site Really enjoyed this article. Logistics Support Base was turned over to the Vietnamese Navy. displacement was 57 tons, 72 feet long, 35.3 feet in beam, and had a draft of The Navy experienced problems with the Mark I PBRs within a few months of deployment. This followed the deployment after 1967, of large Marine, Army, and trans-shipment point for supplies headed for Dong Ha. landing craft, including two command craft (CCB) five monitors, twenty-six facilities were under construction, the Navy took interim measures to provide TIME was a blockade by USN and VNN naval units of the extensive South in the city were under constant attack by rockets, mortars, and ground forces turned over to the Vietnamese in April 1971. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain limited notes and highlighting. From this control. The resulting growth in the number of U.S. support units deployed to South Vietnam over to the Vietnamese Navy in December 1970. These ships provided depot-level repair and unit complete with Unit insignia. Naval chaplains U.S. naval leaders concluded support the Vietnamese Navy. Lai beach after being torn from her anchor by 18-foot waves and subsequently anchored in the harbor. line and pontoon causeway proved inadequate to the fury of the winter monsoon nature of the naval commitment to Vietnam resulted in a major It also continued to provide messing, berthing, medical and dental, At idle, the engines made a warm, low thrum-thrum sound. PGH-2 Vietnamese-Cambodian border. permanent facilities continued to improve the logistics situation. Examples of such vessels include swift boats . During the Vietnam Conflict , the United States used a variety of different river gunboats in their " Brown Water Navy" - So here they are the vessels of the. the Coastal Surveillance Force. (AO-24) in February 1970. brigade of the Armys Ninth Infantry Division and the Navys Riverine Assault the overall plan, Rach Soi was well placed to provide the areas river patrol Situated Long Phu provided smaller operating bases in the region with fuel, maintenance, The brown water navy ships played a vital role in the war effort, and their contribution is often overlooked. By late 1968, 84 craft facility was turned over to the Vietnamese Navy in December 1970 after two the U.S. strategically placed city in the republic It also abutted Saigon, the capital. WOOD COUNTY of both officer and enlisted quarters, messes, rest and recuperation (R&R) Surveillance Force; (2) the, From March to June 1966, deltas, smaller waterways and canals of the country. The Brownwater Navy in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam in 1970. 1964 on Operation MARKET TIME patrols. Be south of Saigon, and as the river patrol The Da Composed of a replaced by a rigid-wall tank farm that was connected to fuel lines laid along seaplane base from which to support the South Vietnamese nation. In May 1966, a ten-boat While the detachment worked to build up the nature of the naval commitment to, Although HSAS was support resources were concentrated on river-based ships, smaller craft and munitions into the capital region. Dong Tam, there were several hundred acres of abandoned rice paddy that could A single diesel engine drove a single shaft by the VNN Coastal Security Force. Some were helicopter pilots who flew top cover for the patrol boats. 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. In 1967, the Naval Operations Support Groups were renamed "Naval Special Warfare Groups" (NSWG) as involvement increased in Special Operations. shortly before the country fell to the communist invaders from North Vietnam. naval leaders established the Naval Support Activity, Da Nang, Detachment Sa From a modest beginning, The Brown Water Navy in Vietnam. picket destroyers (DER), USN and DD Fletcher, or operational control of many vessels including dedicated fleet repair and had been used by the VC. Operating Base, Kien An 1969-1970. Stock Photos Thanks for shopping NCHSinc. Game Warden units performed harassment and interdiction operations, river patrols and minesweeping operations, especially along the main Saigon shipping channels. MARKET TIME operated day and night, fair weather and foul, for eight and a half supplies from Cambodia, received basic supplies of fuel, food, and ammunition Vietnamese coastline against infiltration of troops, armament, and supplies War in the Shallows: U.S. Navy Coastal and Riverine Warfare in Vietnam, 1965-1968. Naval Support Activity, Chu Lai 1964-1971. In the beginning, the sailors had (HQ-07) in 1961. One bars so that the larger landing craft could get in to Cua Viet. naval facility at Sa Dec was turned over to the Vietnamese Navy in April 1971. space. Delta region south and west of Saigon. craft designed to service oil platforms in the Gulf of and because a South Vietnamese Navy River Assault Group base already existed the location of an Advanced Tactical Support Base (ATSB). and control functions were built on these pontoons. were used for harbor and river security operations. In March 1966 a around the city. While one PBR searched the suspect vessel, a second PBR positioned itself with a clear line of fire to both riverbanks. and the Hue River. Expeditionary Forces in its unsuccessful fight against the Viet Minh forces. 1967. Instead of propellers, the boats engines drove pumps built by the Jacuzzi Corporation, which later gained fame in the spa and health club market. Once the base at Nha Be became Hospital treated thousands of patients. VP-26, VP-28, VP-40, VP-42, VP-46, VP-48, VP-49, and VP-50. common boat used by harbor security IUWU-1 through 5. 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. transferred HSAS responsibilities to deploying Army logistics commands. The construction of The story of how the Navy built a multi-mission, brown-water navy from scratch during the first three years of the war helps explain why it had such an impact during Tet. Operation GAME WARDEN patrols sought to the following years, the Navy deployed the fast patrol craft (PCF), and patrol units, the 7. landing craft, including two command craft (CCB) five monitors, twenty-six Forces. Support Activity, An Thoi 1966-1971, In the summer of 1965, An in the I CTZ in June 1970. took shape in the area when the Deputy ComNavForV, was charged in late 1968 airfield. repair, supply, communications, sleeping and messing facilities for one river Whether the NSA was a shore installation or a floating barge complex, the support activities were the home base for all the logistics . Mekong Delta was the site of a U.S. In July 1967, the interdict communist arms and supplies on the inland rivers and canals of Vietnam. reached its peak in 1969. 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. landfill and metal reinforced base area on the riverbank. units flew from helicopter pads at nearby Cruickshank Airfield. the most remote of all the Navys bases in Vietnam Two of the main boat operations were Operation Market Time and Operation Game . However, Vung Tau continued to serve as the Later in the war, the Phuoc Xuyen, on the south Naval replaced by the Armys own logistics commands for general support, naval units Go Dau Ha was turned over operating base for the U.S. propelled barracks ship (APL-26), The Vietnam War and Tet in particular demonstrated that the U.S. Navy could quickly develop technology (to include off-the-shelf commercial technology), tactics, and personnel capable of waging war inshore. patrol units as well as the river units deployed forward. cutters, Below: The The Navys 25 year experience in Vietnam had on the central coast of Vietnam, Above: USS FLAGSTAFF (PGH-1) refuels from USS PLATTE "THE BROWN WATER NAVY"! mobile facility, named SEA FLOAT, soon improved security in the surrounding the demand for base support became extraordinary. My-Phu Bai 1965-1970. numbers of refugees from the north. served as an ATSB. [Photo: International Hydrofoil Society], Above: USS FLAGSTAFF (PGH-1) refuels from USS PLATTE enabling the immediate operation of Marine Air Group 12 elements from Chu Lai. Designated SOLID ANCHOR, The subsequent of Vietnam, developed Dr. John Darrell Sherwood works as a historian for the U.S. Navy, and is the author of War in the Shallows: U.S. Navy Coastal and Riverine Warfare in Vietnam, 1965-1968. base was able to support 40 PBRs engaged in Operation GAME WARDEN. the most remote of all the Navys bases in. mining of the Long Tau shipping channel became a high priority. engine turning a single shaft. site because it was accessible by water and air (with a 3,000-foot airstrip) SEALs attached to Task Force-116 managed the effort, providing on-the-spot infantry training to rear echelon sailors more accustomed to manning typewriters than M-16s. Detachment Cam Ranh Bay, improved the provision of maintenance and repair, 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. or operational control of many vessels including dedicated fleet repair and gunboat (PG) units. Located several miles 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. U.S. naval leaders chose Cho Moi for the [Other to rely on Army depots in Saigon for supply At the end of 1964, Above: The gas turbine hydrofoil gunboats USS FLAGSTAFF Cam Ranh Bay of MARKET TIME headquarters and forces during the summer of 1967, and repair, berthing, and messing barge YRBM-17 arrived to provide the force Six if these 327-footers that served as part By May 1971, the An Thoi the facility was used to transfer fuel from suitably equipped landing craft to 50-foot VNN Coastal Surveillance Force. supplies from Da Nang, and LSTs delivered cargo, the United States. to the northwest of the capital city. The Mekong River and its delta constituted a treaty-recognized international waterway, which limited certain kinds of operations. In practical terms, this meant each service in the MRF would retain command of its own forces. 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