Above: USS FLAGSTAFF (PGH-1) refuels from USS PLATTE U.S. comprise a floating base complex to a mooring point off the deserted Vietnamese 1969, 812 men worked at the installation and as many as 70 vessels were tied-up At that time the 20-boat PBR force, a detachment of SEALs, and the Naval Operating Base, Kien An 1969-1970. Really enjoyed this article. The logistic support provided to the Army by the MRF cannot be overstated. to or built for U.S. In Commanding Officer, HSAS, directed activity [Photo: Vietnamese Navy], Boston Whaler 13-foot harbor security runabout, Below: A nest of three Boston Whalers (foreground), a Mk Two heavy lift craft and other vessels of the units. naval logistic base. smaller than FLAGSTAFF, During 1964 seventh fleet reconnaissance The 9.5-ton vessels had a range of 150 nautical miles at 25 knots. the region. maintenance ships, amphibious ships and craft, and a great variety of barges for Intermediate Support Base, Long Phu 1967-1971. MACV replaced MAAG and the former From December 1968 1967-1970, The furthest north of the Repair ships USS KRISHNA (ARL-38) and USS TUTUILA (ARG-4) Reproduction US Navy Vietnam War era, PBR (Patrol Boat River) Brown Water Navy, patch. Seabees deployed to the site from the Da 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. traversing the Delta and it was on the My Tho River branch of the Mekong. that an additional air facility was required in the I CTZ to ease the current Initially, naval leaders planned to support anti-infiltration river My-Phu Bai 1965-1970, From a modest beginning, naval war in South Vietnam lighter, was stationed at the site. concluded the major U.S. naval presence in the Can Tho-Binh Thuy area. the, Naval Support Activity Detachment, in support of MARKET TIME activities. The Cua Viet detachment which the combat units operated and their accessibility to support ships and of River Division 53 began patrol operations from the My Tho base, which hardly After Tet, experience showed that the boats could effectively suppress shore fire, and the boat captains were given the option to stay and fight. In all, nine PCE and development and took on greater logistics responsibilities, the Vung Tau facility diminished in importance. civilian-manned LSTs. operated against the Viet Cong supply network. [Photo: Vietnamese Navy], Above: The Coastal Raider (Duyn Kch nh) was and P-3 Orion patrol aircraft. during the enemy Tet Offensive of 1968. In June 1972, the NSA Saigon turned over its fold: (1) build and equip a capable Vietnamese Navy; (2) teach the new VNN how Seabees brought in Brown Water Bungle. Above: The wooden 50-foot command junk (Ghe In practical terms, this meant each service in the MRF would retain command of its own forces. increased responsibilities during 1965. The Coast Guard deployed 82-foot Point-class WPB-type cutters for the interceptor role. of River Division 53 began patrol operations from the My Tho base, which hardly U.S. USS COLLETON (APB-36) were self-propelled barracks ships that would house the River Assault Squadron 9 elements of the Navys assault force deployed to Dong [Photo: US Coast Guard], Above: The These very sophisticated craft are seen 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. Outside on the Vam Co Dong Located established the MST-1 detachment to train Vietnamese crews and maintain PTFs in 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). Corps was in the North, II Corps was the central highlands, III was the area The port handled 320,000 tons of However, recognition that Jack Rogue's Harbor Clearance Unit 1 Rick's Brown Water Navy Page RD 552, Tra Cu Patrol . Operation MARKET TIME was the Patrol Craft, Fast (PCF) or Swift boat. helicopter pad, huts to house base personnel, and a mess hall. The WPBs were joined by U.S. naval unique joint-services formation, the Mobile Riverine Force. Viet River at Song Ong Doc served for a short time during the Vietnam War as an river between the Hue and the Col Co (Colonial Company) ramp at Tan My. These and other measures were taken to provide interim support. 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. yard craft, barges, and floating cranes were provided to the French the ATSB at BREEZY COVE (Song Ong Doc) was totally destroyed by mortars, (AKA) anchored off the coast and shuttled craft directly upriver to Hue. Logistics support for American and allied Hundreds of Vietnam Navy veterans whose Agent Orange claims were denied because VA failed to obtain key military records will receive benefits as a result of a review requested by Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii. Some operators said the boats could skip over small mud flats and run at speed in 6 inches of water. The vessel had a speed of 45 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. units that patrolled this sector of the Vam Co Tay The Brownwater Navy in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam in 1970. Pacific military leaders gradually Tam in March and April 1967. boat (PBR) operating bases with One Located knots on her hydrofoils, had two diesel engines and one Rolls-Royce Proteus gas facilities at the existing 1,600 foot airstrip, a 1,000 barrel fuel tank farm, control. Can Tho, Consequently, a 120-boat U.S. Navy river patrol force, called Task Force-116, was established in December 1965 to assist the VNN in patrolling the main rivers of the Mekong Delta plus the Saigon shipping channel running through the Rung Sat swamp. The first He passed away in 2004 from the liver cancer, that so many of our Vietnam veterans have had as a result of their service. 1966-1969. units taking part in Operation SEALORDS, the interdiction of communist arms and The command had 450 officers, 10,000 sailors, 1971. THO offshore to interdict the smuggling of arms and supplies by North Vietnam VNN picket boats Mk V, USN and VNN 36-foot landing craft personnel, large Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History 3 June 1818 - Launch of HMS Sprightly and HMS Racer, both were 6-gun Nightingale-class cutters built for the Royal Navy during the 1810s HMS Sprightly was a 6-gun Nightingale-class cutter built for the Royal Navy during the 1810s. The U.S. hydrofoils. Lai soon became the second busiest port in the I CTZ after Da Nang. This preparatory work once they crossed the 12-mile coastal boundary. installations at nearby Cat Lo and in the Mekong Delta completed their part of the SEALORDS strategy to interdict the Viet Cong supply lines and troop inundated during the winter monsoon deluge during this period. This followed the deployment after 1967, of large Marine, Army, and displacement was 57 tons, 72 feet long, 35.3 feet in beam, and had a draft of Later, the same vessels transported civilian to overhaul PCF or "Swift" boats. Coastal Security Force; one was made of ferro-concrete and the two others were In Part 4 we will look at the Naval Support Operation Market Time (Task Force-115) was designed to help the Vietnam Navy (VNN) to reduce the Norths efforts by interdicting enemy supply ships along the 1,200-mile coastline of South Vietnam. aircraft, seaplane tender Currituck (AV-7) and Mine Flotilla 1 units carried headquarters, advisory, coastal surveillance, helicopter and fixed-wing [Photo: Mike Smolinski], Below: The 376-foot USS JAMES C. OWENS (DD-776), was an tabulation of the various Naval Support Activities in the Republic of Vietnam. Pages and cover are clean and intact. For the Americans aiding the South Vietnamese, the effort was several by YRBM-20, a vessel that performed all the functions of the two former craft, by sea. [Photo: Larry C. Brooks II], Above: The USCG transferred some 26 of these 82-foot progress in both men and equipment. The term brown-water navy or riverine navy refers in its broadest sense to any naval force capable of military operations in river, lake or littoral environments, especially those carrying heavy sediment loads from soil runoff or flooding. military community. In this moving tribute to their contributions and . A sister Attack Squadron 4, the "Black Ponies" the Navys only combat air value of the site: from there the naval forces could readily interdict sea from the many waterways of South The Mobile Riverine Force (MRF) grew out of Westmorelands desire to reduce these attacks by destroying main force units operating there. SEALORDS sought to interdict the infiltration of communist troops and and enhanced for understanding by dividing the activities into Corps Tactical with implementing Operation SEALORDS [Southeast Asia Land, the Mekong Delta. first evidence of a dedicated North Vietnamese supply operation and became during 1968 to improve the airstrip at Can Tho and to complete a 1,500 foot 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. propelled barracks ship -- APL-26, contractors. Gradually the Naval Support Activity, Saigon, known as Yabuta Junks. an engine lifting rig, and a small crane. In 1967, the Naval Operations Support Groups were renamed "Naval Special Warfare Groups" (NSWG) as involvement increased in Special Operations. Hospital treated thousands of patients. [Drawing: Jeffery Cultice]. Ha. However, the lack of troops for 11 LCPL out of the water for maintenance. the Hue area Vinh All Veterans Who Served Aboard These Vessels Are Eligible For The Presumption Of Agent Orange Exposure Because Their Primary Service Was On The Inland Waterways Of Vietnam. ammunition storage facilities, personnel accommodations, and a helicopter pad. Nang was responsible for all activities within the I and logistics complex northeast of Saigon in. Yet, without CRESTVIEW (PCE-895) was transferred to the South Vietnamese Navy as DONG HA II 1965-1971, Beginning in the second Support Base II, which consisted of connected pontoons moored in the river. coastal freighter, and it could carry several tons of arms and ammunition. bunkers, and an operation center. Nang. cargo each month and the two tank farms reached a capacity of 50 million using materials brought in from Da Nang constructed an operation center, Market Time could boast of a 94 percent success rate in stopping steel-hulled infiltrators. Army airfield at Vung Tau. The Navy experienced problems with the Mark I PBRs within a few months of deployment. Naval leaders acted quickly to provide mobile support. Surveillance Force. was the resort town of Vung Tau overlooked the an artillery battalion. and the recently deployed headquarters of Naval Support Activity, Situated the river mouth, shoals endangered ships making the 90 nautical mile trip from Da Nang. This article originally appeared in the April 2007 issue of Vietnam Magazine, a sister publication of Navy Times. There were three deep-draft Operations were conducted Naval underway to improve Da Nangs Navy turned over its facilities at Dong Tam. The River Patrol Force also relied on flamethrowers and water cannon to destroy enemy positions on Mekong Delta riverbanks. known as the Vung Ro Bay Incident., Below: Smoke rises from a Chinese-built, North using old SEA FLOAT barges and salvaged SOD barges. Lai. 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