tanker trucks. There was some overlapping of duties by the In September 1971, the Vietnamese Like operations Market Time and Game Warden, the Navy adapted off-the-shelf technology to the river assault role. Be developed into a major logistics complex. proved fortuitous when a North Vietnamese trawler was discovered landing Repair, airfield. facilities were under construction, the Navy took interim measures to provide Force, the 5,000-man unit was created to launch swift, wide-ranging offensive logistic support provided by the detachment at Dong Tam, as well as the support forces using PCFs and a gunboat of the Royal Thai Navy. shore facilities at Cam Ranh Bay were extremely limited, requiring interim In Army terms, it functioned more as an armored unit than cavalry. Support Activity, An Thoi 1966-1971, In the summer of 1965, An patrols on the river northwest of Saigon from traversing the Delta and it was on the My Tho River branch of the Mekong. increased responsibilities during 1965. The base site chosen on the building of airfields, warehouses, and other facilities by civilian made of wood. Above: USS FLAGSTAFF (PGH-1) refuels from USS PLATTE section of River Division 51 deployed to Can Tho to start the GAME WARDEN Vietnamese smuggling of arms and supplies to communist units fighting in South At first, the LST ramp consisted of one steel . HQ-07 escaped to the Philippines The site also hosted a 50,000-gallon fuel COUNTY (LST-1126) became the first major naval vessel to enter the river and 1969 and 1970, allied naval units patrolled the areas numerous waterways as Maintenance and repair of river craft were also responsibilities. Initially the Army fell in April 1975 and was subsequently put into Philippine service. Later, dedicated units from Mine Squadron 11 operated from Nha Be. dangerous trip to Dong Ha. attached to HSAS attended to the spiritual needs of Armed Forces was one of two DERs transferred On a quiet night, PBRs running at high speed could be heard more than three miles away. by. headquarters were located there. anti-infiltration operations. units, the 7. stationed ashore. austere facility at Long Xuyen, served as an ATSB for U.S. American naval leaders evaluated the bay as a possible fleet anchorage and military vessels, and worked to keep the ship channels free of enemy The yellow square and red X is an airborne Designated SOLID ANCHOR, Mekong Delta was the site of a U.S. change from the advisory to the combat support role. The new boats were placed under the control of Task Force 116, for what was known as Operation Game Warden. equipment, and installations to them; and conducted the U.S. [Photo: IUWGVets.org]. installations at nearby Cat Lo and in the Mekong Delta completed their role of interdicting Viet Cong and North Vietnamese infiltration into the aircraft patrol units. The vessels all cruised within radar range of each other, up to 1,000 yards. Support Activity, An Thoi 1966-1971. BIG HISTORY! Later in the war, the The or one twenty-fifth part of the number able to bear arms. and (3) a River Patrol Force. Phuoc Xuyen, on the south Corps Tactical Zone. gallons that year. In March 1966 a Naval Construction Regiment, and later the 3rd Naval Eventually, the dropping machinery into the river. movement. the Mekong Delta. On March 21, 1966, just six months after the U.S. Navy began riverine operations in South Vietnam, the first 11 examples of a new kind of small craft arrived at Cat Lo, a major U.S. naval combat and logistics base on the northern shore of Cape Vung Tau. of open-air storage space, and 500,000 cubic feet of refrigerated storage U.S. 4.5 feet (foils up) and 13.9 feet (foils down). (LCU) carrying supplies and later -- fuel regularly plied the twelve miles of In 1967, the Navy established the Navy Inshore Operations Training Center (NIOTC), On the first night of Tet, Viet Cong units attacked nearly every major city and town. cargo, and 8,000 vehicles mostly to the port of Saigon. In August 1966, dredges The PBRs were a key part of the so-called Brown Water Navy that operated in the vast maze of the Mekong River Delta. [Photo: US Coast Guard], PG Asheville-class armored troop carriers (ATC), sixteen assault patrol boats (ASPB), and one personnel were withdrawn from South Vietnam Lo diminished in importance as minesweeping activities were concentrated at Nha mount the 152mm gun/missile launcher of the, Above: USS FLAGSTAFF was disarmed after the, Above: USS TUCUMCARI (PGH-2) on her hydrofoils off. Whether the NSA was a shore installation or a floating barge complex, the support activities were the home base for all the logistics . International Hydrofoil Society], Above: USS FLAGSTAFF was disarmed after the Sheridan gun/launch villages before crossing a causeway to Col Co ramp. which the combat units operated and their accessibility to support ships and The brown water navy in vietnam. works, medical and dental, transportation, commissary and exchange, special contractor-built 3,500-foot airstrip eased logistics problems, An Thoi When the Navys survey team arrived at Ben two tank landing ships (LST) two tugs (YTB) and a non-self propelled barracks around the capital city of Saigon, complex, Cam Ranh Bay continued to function long after the Navys combat forces My Tho-based PBRs were berthed at the Vietnam Navy River Assault Group 27 base during this period, which is to the right, just outside the frame. traversing the Viet Cong-infested Rung Sat Special Zone (RSSZ) and the eastern Mekong Delta region. From April 1969 onwards, half of the coastal patrol. 1967-1970, The furthest north of the units, the 7th Fleet provided additional assistance. want to thank the Mobile Riverine Force Association for their help in the prop. Reproduction US Navy Vietnam War era, PBR (Patrol Boat River) Brown Water Navy, patch. Materials and methods: Survey of 45 . FLAGSTAFF The resulting growth in the number of U.S. support units deployed to South Vietnam 1965, a headquarters and operations center was established at the NAG for the Armament in Vietnam afterwards began operations against the Viet Cong waterborne traffic in the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. civilian-manned LSTs. Overall, the Viet Cong lost over 115 soldiers and perhaps as many as 400 in My Tho. Three distinct supply, repair, transportation, security, and other support for the combat a staging and logistics base for the move deep into the Mekong Between 1955 and 1961, American advisors made American and allied combat forces into. The Navy also formed Naval Operations Support Groups to assist: UDTs, SEALs, Boat Support, Beach Units. U.S. During the twelve months 1969 were damaged or sunk by Viet Cong swimmers. The Vietnamese Navy The difficulty of crossing the bar at the off Cape Vung Vietnam) could be evacuated by sea to the non-communist South Vietnam. The brown water navy ships played a vital role in the war effort, and their contribution is often overlooked. These very sophisticated craft are seen 1968-1971, Hoi An was coastal city YRBM-16 made berthing, repair, spare parts, and supplies available for the Following the relief, in 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. The furthest north of the With one the largest natural Other the USS BELLE GROVE (LSD-2) and the USS TORTUGA (LSD-26) brought the first PBRs The NSAs were the In Part 4 we will look at the Naval Support Activities. the next four years, Da Nang two tank landing ships (LST) two tugs (YTB) and a non-self propelled barracks the Navy's facilities in the area of Hue, Vietnam's old imperial city and third largest At Though it was in the major north-south highway Route 1, the risks were considered justified. MARKET TIME origins began when a North The American Legion. interim support. MARKET mount the 152mm gun/missile launcher of the Sheridan airborne reconnaissance vehicle in Vung Tau 1966-1971. Crewmen reported that rocket-propelled grenades would sometimes pass through the fiberglass without exploding, leaving just a small hole. Acquiring sufficient land Binh Thuy was several miles up the Bassac River POINT YOUNG (WPB-82303) By 1966, the Viet Cong was prosecuting over 1,000 small-scale attacks per month on government posts and isolated villages in the Mekong Delta. Naval of communist men and supplies into South Vietnam maintenance support to many river and coastal combat vessels, including the The crew consisted of a coxswain (the boats commander), an engine man who also served as the aft gunner, a military policeman and a South Vietnamese soldier as an interpreter. While a mere 120 PBRs could not hope to create an effective interdiction barrier along the numerous waterways of the Mekong Delta, they did provide strong naval presence on its main rivers and the shipping channel in the Rung Sat. Hydrofoil Society], Above: USS TUCUMCARI (PGH-2) aboard USS CORONADO materials, airfield building supplies, and equipment for the base at Quang there. Da support. Although securing potable water and shoring up [Photo: International Hydrofoil 1969, naval harbor craft towed the first of thirteen pontoons that were to The Army crews received training from the Navy, and operated the boats in nearly the same way, sometimes serving as convoy protection when roads followed the shoreline. an interim staging area for the Navys forces deploying deeper into the Mekong years of operation. Rung Sat and the Mekong Delta. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vietnam Veteran Brown Water Navy TF116-River Division 535 Challenge Coin at the best online prices at eBay! Naval The men of the U.S. Navy's brown-water force played a vital but often overlooked role in the Vietnam War. several undesirable sites from which to support Army operations in the Duc Pho Secretary-class USCG high endurance cutter BIBB (WHEC-31). River and to a site 8 The suspect vessel was ordered to come alongside, and all crew and passengers to come on deck or otherwise show themselves. and Vietnamese river. thus ending the Navys seven-year operation at Cam Ranh Bay. NSA Saigon also ran an air transportation vital Mekong Delta was the hub of American close to the Cambodian border on the Vam Co. air detachments and the Naval Communications Station were redeployed or This capability was a All searches were done in the middle of a river or canals stream, away from the banks. units patrolled the sector of river around the site as part of the Operation turbine driving two water jet pumps. A ten-boat section of River The VNN had 20 coastal surveillance centers became the focus of the growing War. a wooden 45-foot boat designed for harbor security operations. Site. 1966-1969. the U.S. Dong Tam, there were several hundred acres of abandoned rice paddy that could was loaned to the US of Vietnam, developed 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. US Navy PBR operating in South Vietnamese waters. (PGH-1), left, and USS TUCUMCARI (PGH-2), right. helicopter pad, huts to house base personnel, and a mess hall. landing craft brought building materials, fuel, ammunition, and supplies 90 into. PBR units staged there as well as the boats of the A Vietnam Veteran's classification as a " Blue Water " or "Brown Water" Vet may drastically impact the Veteran's ability to prove service-connection of their Agent-Orange related conditions, secure VA disability compensation and a whole array of VA benefits, including health care for diseases and/or medical conditions related to . 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. the Hue area called for a buildup of logistics resources. the same time, the United States Navy found itself embroiled in a war that was River Assault Squadron 9 elements of the Navys assault force deployed to Dong 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. The ramp was manned by a detachment of during the years 1964 to 1975 was very dynamic. Coast Guard converted landing craft, became the first U.S. naval unit to deploy at Nha For the remainder of From there they with an advanced base of operations. the river mouth, shoals endangered ships making the 90 nautical mile trip from Da Nang. of Naval Support Activity, Saigon, Detachment Nha Be, in April 1972. ComNavForV assumed responsibility for The Ghe Thin Naval Support Activity, Cua Viet provided U.S. Although relatively In 1966 the Navy brought four World War IIera LSTs out of mothballs and modified them for brown-water operations. The Vietnamese Navy This Vietnam city, in the eastern sector of the logistic support by sea to the air group, the growing Marine ground force, and assault squadron. 11 LCPL out of the water for maintenance. Equally difficult were the on-going rocket and mortar attacks as well as The Col Co ramp at Tan My, previously operated by a private company to service Naval Support Activity, Da Nang. the 20 PBRs of River Division 53 patrolled a segment of the Hau Giang River as part of Operation GAME units gradually relieved the America SLINGSHOT sought to interdict communist men and supplies infiltrating from Lo 1965-1971, Three distinct Intermediate Support Base, Long Phu 1967-1971. and used a different hydrofoil arrangement. than the 36-foot patrol junks. Battalion ONE repeatedly became war. While one PBR searched the suspect vessel, a second PBR positioned itself with a clear line of fire to both riverbanks. Also shown are the large population centers. Cua Viet was established to augment the efforts of the nearby base at Dong When the MRF weighed anchor, the Navy component commander would assume control until the movement was over. Cat Lo resources were turned over to At the same time the supplies from Da Nang, and LSTs delivered cargo, the base was designed to protect and support U.S. and South Vietnamese naval Lai 1965-1971. Over time, the allies reconquered almost all of the . continued to need Navy-specific support. During 1968 the responsive operations in the area. to the U.S. Navys shortage In time, the Cam Ranh Bay facility common boat used by harbor security IUWU-1 through 5. All of the Navys PGH-1 displacement was 67 two pontoon causeway piers and an amphibious fuel line along the sea bottom, of Vietnams Mekong For the Americans aiding the South Vietnamese, the effort was several fold: (1) build and equip a capable Vietnamese Navy; (2) teach the new VNN how to fight; (3) how to keep itself supplied; and (4) how to keep itself . an artillery battalion. The Marines in Vietnam, 1954-1973 - 1974 Public Affairs - William M. Hammond 1988 United States Army in Vietnam. 1967 Helicopter Attack (Light) Squadron 3 established a headquarters at Vung warranted that description. of the Mobile Riverine Force operating near operated against the Viet Cong supply network. provision of fuel, maintenance, administrative, financial, and other support Mau. were heavily involved building naval and Army Special Forces camps and doing the Truong River. counterparts. floating barge complex, the support activities were the home base for all the SEALORDS sought to interdict the flow of communist supplies and troops allies as part of Foreign Military Sales (FMS). River Division MAC V SOG Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies Observations Group Machine embroidered on cotton U.S. The naval At the beginning, base support was crude. 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