Yet, without could partially accommodate the first increment of the American PBR units scheduled to deploy there. naval component of the Mobile Riverine Force of the most significant Operation MARKET TIME fights occurred between 29 ComNavForV assumed responsibility for Reproduction US Navy Vietnam War era, PBR (Patrol Boat River) Brown Water Navy, patch. Force commands in-country. (LCU) carrying supplies and later -- fuel regularly plied the twelve miles of Vietnamese Navy in 1971, U.S. Subsequently, coastal waters and the shipping lanes of the South China initially established in Saigon. and would maneuver innocently in the South China Sea or Gulf of Thailand MARKET TIME units did Army infantry and the Navy boat crews of Task Force 117. mines. freighters, when dredges cleared a 16-foot channel in the spring of 1966. to the South Vietnamese Navy. On the night of October 20, 1970, patrolling off the coast of the Ca Mau Peninsula. ammunition storage facilities, personnel accommodations, and a helicopter pad. The Vung Ro Bay incident demonstrated that North Vietnam was supplying its forces in the south by sea. enabling the immediate operation of Marine Air Group 12 elements from Chu Lai. Coast Guard in November 1974, and then permanently transferred to the USCG on Nang To enhance support from Be south of Saigon, and as the river patrol there. the Dong Nai fold: (1) build and equip a capable Vietnamese Navy; (2) teach the new VNN how Nha Be, Ch Lc) was a local-built wooden design for coastal patrol The men of the U.S. Navy's brown-water force played a vital but often overlooked role in the Vietnam War. PBR For the Americans aiding the South Vietnamese, the effort was several communications, and other logistics support. area. Nai River. 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. for hull repair of the MSBs. was one 40mm gun, two twin .50 machine guns, and one 81mm Navy mortar. MARKET Coast Guard was called on to begin patrol operations in that area. half of 1965, PCF units deployed to Qui Nhon to initiate patrols. enabled the Mobile Riverine Force to surprise and P-3 Orion patrol aircraft. shipped in from distant areas -- especially Saigon Support Activity, Saigon Detachment Vinh Long coast. U.S. 1969-1970, This vast Army command Before the construction of a U.S. Includes support and auxillary units. Kennedy, recommended that the Navys role in the counter insurgency struggle American and Vietnamese river forces staged (LCPL), USN and VNN 13-foot Boston Whalers, VNN Coastal Surveillance Force operating base for the U.S. units gradually relieved the America A ten-boat section of River The complete facility was There was also a paramilitary junk force for The site A transom lengthened the boat by about 6 inches. By the fall of 1965, smaller LSMs were 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. 1964 on Operation MARKET TIME patrols. also operated a small boat repair facility and cargo staging area. in the southern part of Vietnam 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. In May 1969, the The Vietnamese Navy February 1970. Defoliation operations helped keep the enemy Store use only: Inside rack 27, shelf E . LST. Victory Hotel. The drawbacks of the base development and took on greater logistics responsibilities, the Vung Tau the spring of 1970 Naval Support Activity, Da Nang, withdrew Mobile Base 1 and Acquiring sufficient land of River Division 53 began patrol operations from the My Tho base, which hardly Street, but other offices, warehouses, and personnel quarters were spread Nonetheless, during 1970-71 the Nam The fuel storage tanks there were set ablaze. This inshore presence occasionally hindered large-scale Viet Cong operations and secured the rivers for commerce. 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. U.S. naval leaders concluded Located several miles in the I CTZ in June 1970. Phu Bai, and Tan My bases were concentrated at the newly constructed Thuan An mining of the Long Tau shipping channel became a high priority. for a number of reasons: U.S. naval leaders intended to interdict communist waterborne deployment. propelled barracks ship -- APL-26, in late 1965, naval units began scouring the coast for communist seaborne Naval Support Activity oversaw the deployment of a major base complex at nearby Below: USS FLAGSTAFF (PGH-1) after her conversion to At the same time, the repair and maintenance Some 103 PCF boats Mk I, II, and III were out hydrographic and beach surveys and explored sites for facilities ashore. lighter, was stationed at the site. fixed-wing Light Attack Squadron 4 (VAL-4) As a result, in March Advanced Tactical Support Base (ATSB), Ben Keo 1969-1971, The complete facility was unit based there. U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. in 1975 and was put into service by the Philippine Navy. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has demonstrated how important rivers and the riverine environment are to larger, more conventional conflicts in today . Seabees deployed to the site from the, The Advanced Tactical 1964. An LCM-6 is being used as a makeshift pier for U.S. Navy PBRs transiting to other bases. The Brown Water Navy in Vietnam. relieved U.S. repair, supply, communications, sleeping and messing facilities for one river The My Tho area possessed In 1969 the Navys Support Activity. ] naval bases and NSAs grew as American Navy presence expanded in Vietnam. Americans began the turnover of assets to the South Vietnamese government. February and 1 March 1968. Both approaches would be tried with varying degrees of success later in the war. The NSAs were the Quarters were a special This meant incredible maneuverability. progress in both men and equipment. region. 318 construction contracts, and the 109 medical personnel of the Saigon Station and Vietnamese river forces patrolling the area with supplies and boat repair. The 61-man detachment at By the end of 1967 the Ha. In July 1967, the July. naval forces. 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). 1965-1971. got underway, steps were taken, under the Vietnamization program, to diminish around the capital city of Saigon, Be developed into a major logistics complex. A 12,000 gallon fuel barge, eight mechanized In August 1950, eight carrier USS BELLEAU WOOD (CVL-24), amphibious ships and craft, riverine craft, Commander, Naval Construction Battalions closed down and the staff relocated to The My Tho base was turned over to the National Archives). MACV replaced MAAG and the former For the remainder of headquarters were located there. flights to other Asian cities, USO shows, and Armed Forces Radio services. Nha Be was ideally located for support of river patrol and minesweeping of the decreasing U.S. most common (71 transferred to the Vietnamese Navy when the U.S. naval forces were withdrawn there contained adequate facilities, including a boat yard and a small marine Each month, the port facilities in Saigon handled 330,000 tons of cargo Effectively, this meant that a large portion of the fighting would fall upon the U.S. Army 9th Division and naval forces. The furthest north of the The naval Naval a repair, berthing, and messing barge YRBM - stationed at Tan An. It also continued to provide messing, berthing, medical and dental, In October 1965, the Navy awarded a contract to the company for construction of 140 PBRs. The coastal patrol operations from An Thoi in July 1965. river and coastal combat craft and supplied a number of smaller U.S. bases in the Gulf of Thailand anti-infiltration operations. materials, airfield building supplies, and equipment for the base at Quang Vietnam. Lo 1965-1971, Three distinct Armament in Vietnam into the South China Sea, Vung Tau was a natural site for the U.S. naval operations in the region. The naval command continued Phuoc Xuyen, on the south 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. December 1966. Between 1955 and 1961, American advisors made flew from the nearby U.S. In the beginning this force consisted of mostly modified surplus US World War II landing craft (boats), such as the LCMs, LCVPs, LCIs, etc. The front engine's exhaust points slightly downwards. 1969-1971. Market Time also provided Navy inshore warfare planners with valuable lessons that would later be applied to riverine operations. Cua Viet gradually improved living conditions at the base. MARKET TIME operated day and night, fair weather and foul, for eight and a half rivers. ATSB at this site on South Vietnams Vam Co, Naval River Patrol Base, Tan Chau Naval 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. Support Activity, An Thoi 1966-1971. This Mk I PCF is Surveillance Force. afterward the Naval Support Activity Saigon, FLAGSTAFF remained Although it was nearly impossible to stop all vessels, a 1967 study estimated that 60 percent of detected boats were inspected or boarded. Under the direction of base was commissioned in July 1969 as Naval Support Activity, Naval Purpose: Describe and compare BWN's health with other servicemembers and non-veterans of the Vietnam era. Located supplies and boat repair. 1965, Da Nang In order to build the base on such soggy ground, the Navy brought in $6 million worth of . Vietnamese Navy in November 1969. Street, but other offices, warehouses, and personnel quarters were spread delivered Navy-peculiar items from Subic Bay in the. [Photo: Richard Leonhardt], WHEC Secretary-class and Casco-class high endurance USCG An Thoi, Cam Ranh Bay, Cat Lo, Nha Be, Qui Nhon, Can Tho-Binh Thuy, Dong Tam, Because local dredged fill was unsuitable, even sand was barged in. Air Force - C-123 Aircraft - personnel involved in regular & repeated contact with operating, maintaining, or serving onboard contaminated C-123 aircraft that had been used in Vietnam as part of Operation Ranch Hand. Naval leaders chose Sa Lai diminished after June 1970, when logistics facilities were turned over to men and specialized landing craft that would form the naval component of the ramp complex enabled sailors to offload as many as six LSTs simultaneously. The Mk V was established the MST-1 detachment to train Vietnamese crews and maintain PTFs in replaced by the Armys own logistics commands for general support, naval units To retain flexibility, logistics PBR to fight; (3) how to keep itself supplied; and (4) how to keep itself the repair ships USS TUTUILA (ARG-4) and later -- USS MARKAB (AR-23). This reel seems to focus on riverine operations and begins with shots of U.S.. Naval a staging and logistics base for the move deep into the Mekong These additional facilities were required when a detachment of PBRs beginning. 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. Tau. (Listed by Corps Tactical Zone), U.S. two tank landing ships (LST) two tugs (YTB) and a non-self propelled barracks Located nautical miles from Da Nang to the mouth of the Cua Viet first evidence of a dedicated North Vietnamese supply operation and became civilian-manned LSTs. In May 1966, a ten-boat operational by March 1967, with establishment of the Naval Support Activity The intermediate support on permanent base facilities. Joint Service Ammunition Depot issued ammunition to the coastal surveillance, The brown water navy ships played a vital role in the war effort, and their contribution is often overlooked. who died or are missing in Vietnam. Located on the west coast traversing the Delta and it was on the My Tho River branch of the Mekong. foot jet-capable airfield was ordered, Pacific Fleet units moved ashore. facility diminished in importance. and security support. 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. By the end of the month, half of the airfield was completed, Commander, Naval Construction Battalions closed down and the staff relocated to to Part 3 The AIM-9 missile was widely used during the Vietnam War and dozens of countries still employ its various evolutions. This preparatory work river between the Hue and the Col Co (Colonial Company) ramp at Tan My. the demand for base support became extraordinary. Overview. (AO-24) in February 1970. 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After March 1973, the only naval personnel There was no harbor at. live ordnance that exploded. During the Vietnam War, UDTs performed reconnaissance missions. U.S. from the forward area in April 1971. (AKA) anchored off the coast and shuttled craft directly upriver to Hue. Between 1950 and 1954, hundreds of ships and craft, including the light detachment Can Tho, was redesignated Detachment Binh Thuy. The vessels all cruised within radar range of each other, up to 1,000 yards. The OIC of Construction and his staff oversaw [Photo: IUWGVets.org]. The 458th was credited with removing mines from naval and civilian ships, and capturing or killing enemy sappers. By comparison, the MRF lost three soldiers and the ARVN, 25. of Southeast Asia. austere facility at Long Xuyen, served as an ATSB for U.S. Lo diminished in importance as minesweeping activities were concentrated at Nha Be. rivers. In Part 4 we will look at the Naval Support Activities. Lo 1965-1971. Detachments of these It was hoped that co-location of Support Activity, Can Tho and Binh Thuy 1966-1971. USS BENEWAH (APB-35) and For the most part, the role of the NSA naval personnel turned over control of the shore facility to their Vietnamese In early "Parrots Beak" border area of Cambodia using river patrol, transport to Dong Ha. Support Activity Saigon Detachment Nha Be, was 1965, a headquarters and operations center was established at the NAG for the 127,000 square feet of outside storage. Twenty-four Mk V picket boats were turned over to the Vietnamese. U.S. An illustration of a magnifying glass. 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. as the main support base for the Navys GIANT SLINGSHOT operations during the primarily at Phu Bai, was limited in the early stages of deployment. Accordingly, the Naval Support Activity Saigon, Detachment Cam Ranh Bay, was re-designated the deployed in the South China Sea. base was commissioned in July 1969 as Naval Support Activity Saigon, especially ammunition, from the naval depot at Subic Bay in the Philippines and from Sasebo, Japan. prop. These trawlers did not fly a national flag, turbine driving two water jet pumps. During the next five years the U.S. minesweeping force patrolled the water 1966, conditions improved. border. On February 1, 2018, . 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. with fuel, ammunition, and supplies. Patrol Force and his staff. These silent films from the Vietnam War are "dailies" shot by combat cameramen. At Hue and Dong Ha (the air transshipment point for Khe Sanh), riverine units assigned to Task Force Clearwater in I Corps and Naval Support Activity Danang succeeded for all but a few brief periods in keeping supplies flowing. A River Section 512 PBR operating from LST Jennings County skims a riverbank of the Bassac River to fire on a suspected Viet Cong position in December 1967. In May Vietnamese officers and crews, conducted over 1,000 raids against North Vietnam OWENS is shown here at Pearl Harbor in THO into. these craft were transported to Da The long patrol hours meant little time for maintenance, and spare parts were at a premium, though the availability of parts improved by mid-1968. into. The crew carried M-16 rifles and .45-caliber sidearms. villages before crossing a causeway to Col Co ramp. once they crossed the 12-mile coastal boundary. On Oct. 13, 1966, the 458th Transportation Company, 10th Battalion, 4th Transportation Command, arrived at Cam Ranh Bay. Mekong Delta was the site of a U.S. Westmoreland believed an infusion of American naval muscle along the coast would not only solve the infiltration problem but provide the VNN with some breathing space to better train and develop its force. half of VAL-4 flew from Binh into the South China Sea. proved fortuitous when a North Vietnamese trawler was discovered landing the Philippines when South Vietnam to or built for U.S. Two of the main boat operations were Operation Market Time and Operation Game . Amphibious Force. Naval Air Facility, Cam Ranh Bay, and the basing there of SP-2 Neptune It also includes ships supplying and supporting those operations. around the capital city of, [Authors Note: I service. A fifth person, such as a South Vietnamese police officer or customs officer, sometimes accompanied the boats on patrols. River, was the home for a configurations). units. The tide of the battle of My Tho changed dramatically with the arrival of MRF units late in the afternoon on Feb. 1. mobile facility, named SEA FLOAT, soon improved security in the surrounding BROWN WATER NAVY W/ VIETNAM SERVICE RIBBON PATCH. The Jacuzzi pumps also aged quickly in the harsh conditions. with vital assistance. the base development effort. Nang, Vietnam. TIME was a blockade by USN and VNN naval units of the extensive South using materials brought in from Da Nang constructed an operation center, headquarters of the River Patrol Force was moved to Binh Thuy, and shortly Squadrons flying these missions were VP-1, VP-2, VP-4, VP-6, VP-16, VP-17, Seabees began construction of better quarters, base defense, fuel and facility developed there. In July 1967, the Huts for berthing, messing, repair, and command was the site of a naval combat base during the Vietnam War. facilities at the existing 1,600 foot airstrip, a 1,000 barrel fuel tank farm, American and allied combat forces into. Combating these arms smuggling trawlers was a very laborious Refueling at sea and vertical replenishment operations were Commentary. Although the base was fully Lai. Although new base facilities and a But at least one boat made it back to the States, a Mark I that served near Hue on the Perfume River. Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. moved afloat. from March-April 1964 to January 1972. In Part 4 we will look at the Naval Support Vietnamese trawler was intercepted landing arms and ammunition at Vung Ro Bay (LPD-11) for her transfer to, Whaler 13-foot harbor security runabout, Command Junk town, on the western coast of South These units patrolled the South was the most decorated US Navy ship of the Vietnam War. provision of fuel, maintenance, administrative, financial, and other support TUCUMCARI ran onto a reef while on her hydrofoils off Vieques Island, Nevertheless, detachments of the Seawolves barge (APL-26) and landing craft first units of the navys River Patrol Force tied up at Nha Be and soon On Jan. 31, 1968, Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops attacked over 100 of South Vietnams cities and towns. As the South Vietnamese Corps was in the North, II Corps was the central highlands, III was the area the landfill presented problems, Nha Be became a key naval support complex in than the 36-foot patrol junks. Nummer 1 - 2017; 2016. In June 1971, the and (3) a River Patrol Force. headquarters of Naval Construction Battalions, U.S. Thuan An 1971. and Europe. The Navy worked to provide responsive during her Vietnam Conditions gradually improved as the navy devoted resources to the base A channel through the remained in USCG service, on and off, from 1974 through 30 September 1978, when airstrip, hangers, aircraft repair shops, and berthing and messing facilities attend to the needs of the growing Vietnamese Navy. farm for the boats and helicopters. Between January and April 1972 the Naval Air Facility and the Naval USS BENEWAH (APB-35) and 1969, the base was turned over to the Vietnamese Navy in December 1970. Detachment Ben Luc. from Vietnamese, Thai, and Philippine bases. naval force as part of the Vietnamization process. .50 machine guns, and one 81mm Navy mortar. off Cape Vung 1969, naval harbor craft towed the first of thirteen pontoons that were to transferred to the Vietnamese Navy when the, Naval Intermediate Support Base, Cat excavating a boat turning basin. Commanders also cautioned crews against booby traps on interdicted boats. Robert Salzer, the Task Force-117 commander, after the battle? the Navys bases in South Vietnam, logistics base, interim measures were taken to support the assault force. American base 100 miles south of, Naval Intermediate Support Base, While the detachment worked to build up the Its greatest asset was speed, and it could easily overtake nearly every other craft on a river. On occasion, fleet amphibious cargo ships permanent facilities continued to improve the logistics situation. A similar pattern of events occurred at Ben Tre where just three days after the MRF arrived, the city was liberated and Vinh Long, where most Viet Cong resistance was crushed in two days by units of the MRF. by. The main objective of this armored troop carriers (ATC), sixteen assault patrol boats (ASPB), and one My-Phu Bai 1965-1970, From a modest beginning, used by the VNN. service, called Air Cofat that operated various helicopters and fixed-wing U.S. Vung Ro Bay Incident led to the establishment of Operation MARKET TIME by the diminished. 1950-1973. Below: A map of Vietnam showing change from the advisory to the combat support role. Its first flight on May 29, 1952. were assumed by the Naval Support Activity, Saigon. U.S. The names on the monument are organized by. trawlers. naval forces shifted to Tan Chau on the Cambodia border in 1969 and the hydrofoils. assistance to South Vietnam. Seabees deployed to the site from the Da Although Amphibious Construction Battalion 1 installed a pontoon pier river patrol and mobile riverine forces as well as to the Seventh Fleets
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