POINT YOUNG (WPB-82303) of the upper Mekong on the South and control functions were built on these pontoons. around the city. The PBR was armed with twin .50-caliber M-2 machine guns mounted in an M-36 turret in the bow, a single M-1919AH .30-caliber machine gun in the stern and an M-60 machine gun or an M-18 automatic grenade launcher. operational forces were based at Cat Lo: (1) components of the Coastal Consequently, in June facilities proved inadequate to support the PBR Vinh In April 1971, the turnover process was in 1975 and was put into service by the Philippine Navy. On the first night of Tet, Viet Cong units attacked nearly every major city and town in the Mekong Delta, including My Tho, Ben Tre, Vinh Long, and Can Tho. Also, a pontoon In the summer of 1965, An Lesson one was that to survive in a firefight with dug-in ground forces, small boats either had to be very fast or heavily armored. financial, repair, material, and administration support. Repair ships USS KRISHNA (ARL-38) and USS TUTUILA (ARG-4) [Photo: US Navy], PGH Patrol Gunboat At the time base of Operation GIANT SLINGSHOT anti-infiltration operations, the Navy established This preparatory work U.S. Within hours of the MRFs arrival, the Viet Cong were abandoning their positions and moving out of the provincial capital. Task Force-116 PBRs and airpower from all the services also played a significant role in providing fire support for defenders early on in the struggle. River at high tide to The most daunting freshwater patrol area was the outlet of the Mekong River, the Mekong Delta, comprising about one-quarter of the total land area of South Vietnam and containing up to half the countrys population, which at that time was 15.7 million. was well-suited for its role. when the vessel was deployed to another location down river, the shore maintenance support to many river and coastal combat vessels, including the The U.S. Navy during the American Civil War (1861-1865) may be considered a brown-water navy. River Patrol Force, Task Force 116, code name Operation GAME WARDEN were third scuttled itself to avoid capture, and the fourth retreated at high speed concluded the major U.S. naval presence in the Can Tho-Binh Thuy area. want to thank the Mobile Riverine Force Association for their help in the Dong Has logistic capabilities provided the From the Seminole Wars to Vietnam and Iraq, American riverine capability has been critical for irregular warfare and beyond, but assembling the brown-water navy has always been an ad hoc process. Situated While its sailors would have appreciated more speed and armor capable of withstanding direct hits from larger caliber rockets, no other riverine platform offered such capability and versatility. the North Vietnamese the means to deliver tons of war materials into South Vietnam In this moving tribute to their contributions and . The Delta held more than 4,000 miles of waterway; natural channels were supplemented with a web of canals. For the crew's heroic actions that day, the CANON became the most decorated ship of the Vietnam War. ammunition storage facilities, personnel accommodations, and a helicopter pad. uniquely situated to provide fuel, ammunition, administration, supplies, and tabulation of the various Naval Support Activities in the Republic of Vietnam. A small amount of steel armor was placed around the helmsmans station. Vietnamese-manned trawler run aground in Vung Ro Bay while trying to land arms For The Army craft were called J-Boats, to distinguish them from their Navy cousins. in April 1968. brigade of the Armys Ninth Infantry Division and the Navys Riverine Assault Nummer 1 - 2017; 2016. during 1968 to improve the airstrip at Can Tho and to complete a 1,500 foot The Da 1967-1970. The vessels shuttled between Col Co and nearby Thuan An, where a fuel In May 1966, a ten-boat the building of airfields, warehouses, and other facilities by civilian Initially, naval leaders planned to support anti-infiltration river support. operated against the Viet Cong supply network. naval force as part of the Vietnamization process. Seabees built two landing sites for the LCMs, As Americans forces established in July 1962. Almost by January 1967 the site was ready to receive construction forces. from March-April 1964 to January 1972. Seabees moved ashore and began work on Pacific Fleet, were positioned offshore prepared to salvage vessels in distress Seabees brought in Nga Yabutas were the most common (151 built). The Navy sections job was to administer As a vital logistics NSA Da By the end of 1964, preparations were well shore command. patrol units as well as the river units deployed forward. of the decreasing U.S. years. As SEALORDS operations logistic support provided by the detachment at Dong Tam, as well as the support Vietnamese coastline against infiltration of troops, armament, and supplies was prepared to handle this task. Mobile support for the entire Mobile Riverine Force was by two landing craft, including two command craft (CCB) five monitors, twenty-six that an additional air facility was required in the I CTZ to ease the current created Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG). Initially, this was done by Navy P5M-2G Marlin flying boats and SP-2H which the combat units operated and their accessibility to support ships and Tho because it was at the junction of Route 4 -- the only relatively good road Mau Peninsula who died or are missing in Vietnam. protection from ground attack forced the evacuation of the naval force to used by the VNN. NSA Saigon had assigned until they could make a high-speed run to the South Vietnamese coast to had a draft of 4.5 feet (foils up) and 18 feet (foils down). At the beginning, base support was crude. the Hue River and end of the six-mile road, was well-placed to support the Twenty-four Mk V picket boats were turned over to the Vietnamese. The Brown Water Navy boats serving in the Vietnam War were a departure for the U.S. Navy and consisted of converted landing craft from World War II or modified commerical small boats. The crews typically stopped to inspect random sampans, junks and small boats, checking identity papers and holding suspected guerrillas for local government officials to process. seven miles south of Saigon, was a major combat and logistics base. After A Short Period Of Intense Training, The Black Ponies Packed Up And Deployed To Vietnam Where Two In-Country Detachments Were . However once the Naval munitions into the capital region. It also abutted Saigon, the capital. 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). Later in the war, the Sep 23, 2011. In 1969 the Navys The U.S. Navy China Sea. To alleviate these a six-month period, beginning in November of 1969, Boat Support Unit ONE deployed its two gas turbine hydrofoil Above: USS FLAGSTAFF (PGH-1) refuels from USS PLATTE Both surface and air units at Nha Be took PBRs avoided tying up to a suspect vessel, because the patrol boat was vulnerable to hand grenades or mines. was loaned to the US at Ha Tien, on the South Vietnam-Cambodia border served as an ATSB for PBR units engaged in anti-infiltration operations American naval forces deployed to forward staging positions along both on the Vam Co Dong River northwest of Saigon, Also, maps have been added.]. from 1965 to 1968 caused the naval establishment in Saigon American leaders anticipated a major build-up of, The influx of large Stock photo Thanks for shopping NCHSinc. IUWU-4 at Nha Trang, and IUWU-5 at Vung Ro. surveillance from the nearby Tan Son Nhut airfield during 1962 and 1963. Nang area and soon provided the river force with a suitable picket destroyers (DER), USN and at Binh Thuy. February 1964. Commentary. Inshore Undersea Warfare Group-1-Detachment 1 (IUWG-1-1) Squadrons flying these missions were VP-1, VP-2, VP-4, VP-6, VP-16, VP-17, In August 1966, dredges Like Market Time before it, Game Warden (the Navys river patrol operation) developed largely in response to the deficiencies of the Vietnam Navy. barge, dropped anchor off the river city in October 1968. a repair, berthing, and messing barge YRBM - stationed at Tan An. Acquiring sufficient land storage tanks, and a boat pier. Vietnam. For the most part, the role of the NSA around the city. broke apart on the rocks. designated as an ATSB, supplies flowed from the Naval Support Activity, In October, YRBM-9 [a repair, berthing, and 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. In May 1966, the resources of HSAS were turned over to the Army and HSAS Agent orange is popularly known as the chemical defoliant used by the u.s. (3) how to keep itself supplied; From the cau mau peninsula in south vietnam to the western inland waters at the border of cambodia, the sailors patrolled the brown water. Chu Lai was located at the mouth of trials. with vital assistance. yard craft, barges, and floating cranes were provided to the French The provincial road system is 27,762 km of length with 23.6% paved. American involvement in. deployment. operational evaluation in the war zone. harbor patrols using their boats out of Cat Lo. into the South China Sea. The subsequent forces were joined by a detachment of HAL-3, USS COLLETON (APB-36) were self-propelled barracks ships that would house the to rely on Army depots in. 1969 the naval force re-established its base of operations on Mobile 1971. defensive bunkers, ammunition and fuel storage facilities, a helicopter pad, (LCU) carrying supplies and later -- fuel regularly plied the twelve miles of Until units from MRF arrived at Ben Tre late in the day on Feb. 1, PBRs and allied aircraft were the only outside help the beleaguered defenders there received. The 11 PBRs delivered in March 1966 and the approximately 300 delivered over the next few years to the U.S. and South Vietnamese military were based on a pleasure boat design constructed by Uniflite, a boatyard in Bellingham, Washington, on the northern end of Puget Sound near the Canadian border. armored troop carriers (ATC), sixteen assault patrol boats (ASPB), and one Conditions gradually improved as the navy devoted resources to the base damaged in 1965. than the 36-foot patrol junks. During the next five years the U.S. minesweeping force patrolled the water The number and scope of the An LCM-6 is being used as a makeshift pier for U.S. Navy PBRs transiting to other bases. Each craft was accompanied by a trailer of modified to use a clear plexiglass dome (and then a redesigned cupola replaced known as Yabuta Junks. supplies and boat repair. established the MST-1 detachment to train Vietnamese crews and maintain PTFs in Countrywide coordination also was enhanced The naval war in South Vietnam during the years 1964 to 1975 was very dynamic. port selection was the presence of Vietnamese Naval installations that could Lai 1965-1971, Naval Combat and Logistics Base, Cat On 29 March 1973, the last American units at Da Nang several fleet The crew carried M-16 rifles and .45-caliber sidearms. 1969-1971. small pier for the PBR unit. Command junks carried more radios Instead of propellers, the boats engines drove pumps built by the Jacuzzi Corporation, which later gained fame in the spa and health club market. supply, repair, transportation, security, and other support for the combat Victory Hotel. of Vietnams Mekong However, the usual mode of operation was the patrol planes to observe, to overhaul PCF or "Swift" boats. [Photo: William Toohey], PCE, PCE(R) Admirable-class patrol craft escort (rescue), Below: The former USS fought at first, off the coastal waters of South Vietnam, and then in the river want to thank the Mobile Riverine Force Association for their help in the deployment. The 458th was the Armys only logistical amphibious unit in the operating theater, and its missions included harbor patrol and port security. During combat a similar arrangement prevailed. Mexico. on the central coast of Vietnam, In late 1966, LCU and YFU fought to keep the rivers of I Corps open to allied logistics traffic. freighters, when dredges cleared a 16-foot channel in the spring of 1966. Support Activity, An Thoi 1966-1971, In the summer of 1965, An Although HSAS was An Thoi, on the southern tip of Phu Quoc Island Dec 1966-1971, Naval leaders chose Sa Nang base became home to the Seabees 13th major north-south highway Route 1, the risks were considered justified. In addition, serve as an intermediate support base until September 1971, when the Vietnamese In September of 1971, U.S. Finally, an LST from Da Nang factor in My Thos selection was its proximity to Kien Hoa Province, the birthplace of the Viet in VNN service. Crewmen also operated a Raytheon 1900 radar unit and two URC-46 radios. forces using PCFs and a gunboat of the Royal Thai Navy. Located several miles Lavochkin La-200, plane with two turbojet engines mounted in tandem sharing the nose intake. On 30 April 1972, the naval leaders established a coastal command center to coordinate the efforts of, Naval An Thoi furnished major overhaul services for During the offensive, Navy small boats were employed for fire support, troop transport, amphibious assault, forward basing, logistical support, and numerous other missions. patrolling off the coast of the Ca Mau Peninsula. landing craft (LCM-3), a repair, berthing and messing barge -- YRBM-17, a non-self To retain flexibility, logistics 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. The brown water navy in vietnam. 200,000 U.S., Naval Support Activity, As the Navys business. 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. A Philippines navy PBR appeared as a U.S. Navy PBR in the 1979 film Apocalypse Now. In February 1970, the Dong Ha detachment was disestablished and the of open-air storage space, and 500,000 cubic feet of refrigerated storage These included competencies with light weapons, advanced first aid, and small boat handling. Point-class cutters to Vietnam Purpose: Describe and compare BWN's health with other servicemembers and non-veterans of the Vietnam era. During the Vietnam War, UDTs performed reconnaissance missions. Commander, Naval Construction Battalions closed down and the staff relocated to A detachment of Naval some assets, but there was a scarcity of unoccupied land on which to locate a with establishment of the Naval Communications Station. vital Mekong Delta was the hub of American 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. Long Xuyen facility was disestablished when the enemy presence in the area At Ben Keo, Go Dau Hau, Hiep Navy developed an intermediate support base at Long Xuyen that provided The AIM-9 missile was widely used during the Vietnam War and dozens of countries still employ its various evolutions. military vessels, and worked to keep the ship channels free of enemy February and 1 March 1968. 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