\

CONFIDENTIAL

grenades o The fire was r.,"ickly suppressed with no friendly cas­

ualties and Q~determined enemy casualtiesG The two documents cap­

tured substantiated one \oIOr:lEin as being a Viet Congo One document

"~s a letter of introduction, dated 11 November 1966, from the Can

Gia Viet Cong District Headc.uarters to an unknown tmit J introducing

the transferred wanan. The letter further stated that the wonan

had been a 'liet Cong party rember since July 1965. The second doc­

ument was a clinical release, dated 9 September 1967, from a Viet

Cong hospital scating that a woman from Military Staff Section (Al)

T-10 Headcuarters had been admitted 2 September for childbirth and

released 9 September.,

Lessons Learned: This operation employed the armored Boston

-.'/haler for the first time in a quick reaction situation arrl proved

to be hi?hly effective However, prior to an operation, a thorough

aerial reconnaissance 'Jf the area must be conducted by the :Ii'haler

cOITl.'n3.nder to ensure accurate navigation at high speedso Further,

the ambus hing urli t crust irmnediately inf~rm covering boats of the

tactical situation and r~main prepared to mark its own positiono

Abo on the morning of 2 October at 1115., a PBR patrol opera­

tlng on the Lon:":; Tau shipping cronnel 13 miles southeast of Nha Be

observed explosions on the bridge of the OKUNI HARU, a Japanese

merchant ship.. The ship had been hit by recoilless-rifle and

automatic-weapons fireo PBR 23 and PER 24 and a spotter aircraft

25 CONFIDENTIAL

COIWIDENTIAL

with a naval gunfire spotter aboard reconnoitered the area of the

attaok and sighted one abandoned sampano The naval gunfire spotter

adjusted 20 rounds of 6O-mm mortar fired from the PBR, with unknown

resultso A Vietnamese PGM arrived shortly thereafter and fired 50

rounds of 40-mrn into the area" There were no friendly casualties o

At the request of the ship's captain, the PBRs escorted the OKUNI

~'Y~RU to the Saigon River 0

At 0413 on 10 October, PBRs 47 and 57 on patrol in the Long

T.u River 15 miles southeast of Nha Be reported sighting three

flashes of light on the east bank) an area known to be a Viet Cong

crossing point", At the request of Vietnamese authorities at Nha

Be the area 'MaS taken under fire with 100 rounds of 40-mm grenades

and 200 r'ounds of 7 "62-rmn,, However., prior to firing, a check was

:rBde with a RF ambush unit known to be located in the irrmediate

area~ The RF' unit, unflJrtunately,~ erroneously reported their posi~

tien through Vietnamese authcrities as being It miles to the north",

As a result of the error they suffered one Vietnamese killed and

three Vietnamese wounded from the FBR fire" The caswl ties were

evacuated by the PBRs to Thanh Tan f0r ultim3.te evac1.l3.tion by

helicopter ~

In 16 October, while returning up the Long Tau River from a

special patrolf an explosion 0ccurrp.d under the lead PER of a two=

b:)at patrol" The boats cleared the area of the explosion} which

26 CONFIDENTIAL

I .

CONFIDENTIAL

was probably caused by a command detonated mine, with no damage or

casualties sustained. A U. S. Army spotter aircraft and an armed

Navy helicopter were dispatched to the area, located about five

miles southeast of Nha Be o The "Seawolf" received slIBIl arms fire

when it arrived in the area. Tt.~ fire was suppressed with artillery

fire adjusted by the spotter aircraft. There were no U. S. casual­

ties and unknown enemy casualtieso

On 21 October, SEALs established an ambush on a stream four

miles southeast of ~llia Be. The team sprung the ambush about seven

and a half hours later when a sampan containing two men approached

from the north 0 ltlhen the sampan was wi thin 10 meters of the am­

bush, the two occupants were instructed to put ashore; however,

they were taken under fire and killed as they attempted to escape.

Captured were two CHICOM 7062-~m carbines, 50 rounds of 7.62-mm

ammunition and two documentsG Two days later in the same general

area SEALs killed two of three Viet Cong as they attempted to

escape after detectiono

DELTA RIVER PATROL GROUP

Operati~ns in the Mekong (My Tho) River

On 1 Clctober a cOll1m3.nd-detonated mine exploded ten reet in

front of a PBR patrol operating on the My Tho River, nine miles

southwest of their base at MY Thoo The explosion sent a geyser of

27 CONFIDENTIAL

MY THO ''''/ER I)PERATIONS I,.. THE

• III P"UOC TAl

,e.o., LAY

II1LE5

BEN r~AN" •

CONFIDENTIAL

water 150-200 feet into the air, however no dallBge was sustained

by the two-boat patr":.. One sailor received slight burns on the

arm when the water mine exploded. The PBRs immediately opened

fire i"to the north bank and withdrewo A U. S. Navy helicopter

light fire team patrolling in the area observed and took under

fire enemy personnel running into the tree line on the bank of the

river. Three additional MY Tho-based PBRs operating in the area

sped to the scene to a ssist and received enemy fire when they

arrivedo As the "Seawolves ll made firing runs on the enemy position

they also recei ved gm und fire 0 Meanwhile the PBRs commenced

firing runs with machine guns, 6O-mm mortar and 40-mm grenade fire,

and were suct;essful in suppressing the enemy fire ~ Ttli th a PER

spotter providing spotter services, 105-mm artillery from Cho Gao

subsector was also called into the area~ Enemy casualties were

unknown, however, fire from the NaV'J helicopters caus ed one secon­

dary explosion, destroyed two structures and damaged four otherso

The area in which the incident occurred had for the previous four

days been t .18 scene of intensive PBR loudspeaker broadcasts and

psychological operations that had netted one Viet Gong rallier.

It was also the scene of a fire fight.

On 5 October at 1235H the U. S. merchant tug PACIFIC MARINER

with tow received 500 rounds of automtic-weapons fire from the

n')rth bank of Ilo Ilo Island, located at the mouth of the MY Tho

29 CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDt,NTIAL

diver. PlJRs on routine patrol proceeded to thd scern · .. hen advised

of the attack. A Navy lif,ht fire team was dispatched from Dong

Tam and commenced n(.Lu(:x.S OIl Lne enemy ambush. The he! icopters

encountered heavy automatic-weapons fire on all firing passes. Two

secJndary explosions were observed before the helicopters broke o~f

the attack to return to Dong Tam to rearm and refuel. The PBRs,

which had now arrived in the ambush area, continued the attack,

observing a secondary explosion after their second firing run& The

"SeawoJ.ves l! l'eturned and pr')vided cover fire for the i·'tlRs. Enemy

fire was suppressed .... !ith no friendly casualties. memy losses were

undetermined.

On the afternoon of 11 October a rBR patrol entered the Ciao

!loa Sanal, located six miles southeast of their base at IV Tho, to

investig6.te sampan activi ty in the canal. As the two-boat pltrol

was proceeding out of the canal a "hootch" (VN thatched hut) on the

>lest bank .xplc>d~d followed by a volley of about 40 rounds of small

arIT~ fire directed at the PBRs 9 The boats cleared the area and re­

quested per~ssion from the Kien Hoa sector advisor to return the

fire, A light. fire team was scrambled and together >lith the PBns

c:)l1lcaenced firing runs ')n the enemy p:1sitiono During the a=tion a

Uo S~ Army spotter plane relayed visual observations to the sector

advisJr. The c:)rnbined awesome firepower of the 050 caliber machine

guns and 40-mm grenades from the PBRs and the 2.75 rocket and

JO CONF IDJ:.NTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

machine-gun fire from the helicopters silenced the ene~ fire, The

PERs landed a quick-reaction unit of 20 Popular Forces, obtained

from an outpost located close to the scene of action, however neg­

ative contact was made o

As the PERs were withdrawing from the area a large crowd of

people were observed heading back across the canal to the area

where the hut exploded, When questioned by the PER sailors as to

their movements, it was learned that 10 Viet Cong had moved into

the area to attempt an ambush on the river boats and that the

people had ~~ved to the safety of the opposite bank, It was as­

certained that the Viet Cong had fired a B-40 rocket at the PBRs

from the west bank, however, the rocket had hit the "hootch" before

i"t reached the waterway, During the fire fight one Viet Cong was

wounded but had escapedo One civilian male was killed, Two civil­

ians wounded during the action were evacuated by the PERs to MY Tho

for treatment, The previous evening the PERs had evacuated two

wounded male civilians who would only state that they had been at­

tacked by the Viet Cong, For the past few days PBRs had been con­

ducting psychological operations in the area and it was concluded

that the Viet Gong squad was detailed to harass the people and the

PBRs in an attempt to counter these operationso

On the evening of 14 October PBRs landed a Viet"~,,,ese Provin­

cial Reconnaissance Unit (PRU) six miles down river from the PBR

31 CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

base at Sa Dec, At 0l30H the next IOOrning the PRUs were wi.thdrawn

when they encountered two squads of Viet Cong, The PBRs covered

the area with ,50 caliber machine gun fire killing four of the

ene~ without sustaining any friendly casualties,

Later the same afternoon a PBR patrol discovered a concrete

ene~ bunker with an antenna, supplies, and a large junk in the

same area where the morning incident occurred o Permission to de-

stroy the bunker and supply cache was granted by the ARVN 7th Di­

vision authorities, A third PBR equipped with a 3,5 rocket launcher

sortied to assist in the destroy mission" In the meantime it was

learned from the local people that there were approximately 120

Viet Cong massed in thp. area, An obvious attempt was made by the

Viet Cong to lure the PBRs into a small ~iver by revealing five

sampans 0 The PBRs remained in the main river area and continued

their attack on the bunker, U, S, Navy armed helos were scrambled

to a~5ist in the operation" lNhen the "Seawolves:t arrived on the

scene they observed a woman and child standing on the bunker, All

fire ceased while the helos made several passes over the bunker

forcing the civilians to clear the area o Fire was resumed" The

"Seawolves ll observed two stockpiles of material covered with tar­

paulins in addition to several additional bunker~,o The new targets

were taken under fire with rockets and machine guns achieving a

medium secondary explosiono The PERs intensified their fire into

32 CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

the area when it was observed that a rocket had been fired at the

helos by the ene~ ground forces, The PBRs continued the attack

when the helos returned to base with one oounded man and to re&rm.

Upon their return the "Seawolves" expended their weapons load on

the bunker stockpiles and on the tip of Qui Island, an ar~~ from

which they had previously received small-arms and automatic-weapons

fire '0 Based on a second report from local inhabitants that Viet

Cong were massed in the area, the PBR patrol officer requested an

air strike and artj.llery fire from Giao Due Districto The river

boat spotted and adjusted the artillerf fire, however, the air

strike was not received c The extent of enemy personnel casualties

was not known due to the heavy foliage in the area, One U, S,

Navyman was wounded slightly during the action that continued for

two hours and forty-five minutes o

Also on the afternoon of 15 October a U, S, Army spotter plane

made a forced landing near the My Tho River about eight miles south­

west 0f the city of My Tho, A Navy UH-IB helicopter piloted by

LTJG M, J, STOCK, USN, on a routine GAME WARDEN patrol heard the

I<IAYDAY call and rushed to rescue the two occupants, After picking

up the survivors l the armed helo flew high cover over the downed

aircraft for about one hour until the area was secured by Popular

Forces from a nearby outpost, The Navy helo then returned the

rescued to the Army base at Dong Tamo The Navy helos were soon

33 CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

called into action again to provide cover for an Army recovery

helicopter that was to salvage the downed aircraft, PERs were

stationed on the river bank to provide additional fire support,

As the downQd aircraft was about to be lifted off the ground,

heavy-weapons and IOOrtar fire was received from a nearby tr~elineo

The recovery helo cleared the area and the Navy helicopters at­

tracked the enemy positions with rockets and rna.chine gun fire, kil­

ling seven of the Viet Congo The PBHs also provided suppressing

fire with their ,50 caliber machine guns, \>/hen the fire fight

ended the recovery helicopter returned and recovered the downed

plane 0 Three enemy fortifications were destroyed or darraged with

no friendly casualties o

On 18 October the Viet Cong attempted once again to mine a

PBR patrol on the Hy Tho River, six miles southeast of the P;lR base

at l1y Tho, The mining attempt failed when the mine exploded pre­

maturely 200 yards from the nearest boat, sending water 100 feet

into the air, There were no casualties fr8m the explosiono This

was the secord mining attempt against PBRs in less th,:1n_·thrc€ weeks

in an area which had been t:~":l scene of intense psychological op~

erations that had resulted in one Hoi Chanh,

On 24 October two patrolling PERs responded to a report that

two Popular Force outposts on the Coo. Dai RiverJo eighteen miles

southeast of I1y 1''00] were under attack and being overrun o When

34 CONF IDl'.NTIA L

CONFIDENTIAL

the PERs arrived on the scene, it was learned that the attacking

Viet Cong had fled before the PERs arrived 0 The PERs took a re­

ported Viet Gong regrouping position under harassment and inter­

diction fire with unknown results, The outposts suffered three

Popular Forces killed am three woumedo

On 26 October a Navy helicopter light fire team was scrambled

to support Vietnarese Popular Forces and Regional Forces which were

in heavy contact with a Viet Cong battalion about 8 miles northeast

of Vinh Longo The "Seawolves" conducted a strike against ~I1e enemy

position and sampans in the irmnediate area o One structure arrl two

sampans were destroyed and four Viet Cong were killed by the air

strikes.,

SEALs set up ambush sites early on the morning of 31 October,

26 miles southeast of My Tho, in an area that bordered on the South

China Sea juot south of the mouth of the My Tho Rivero The SEALs

sprung their anbush and killed t"" Viet Congo The SEALs then pro­

ceeded to make a sweep of the area and were taken under fire by

semi-=autorratic weapor.s am grenade fire from a bunker complex., In

the ensuing fire fight two escaping Viet COn5 were killed, A Navy

light helo fire team provided suppressing fire during the encounter

and continued to provide support throughout the operationo Prior

to being withdrawn the SEALs destroyed 14 bunkers and 20 structures

and captured 300 rounds of 30006 caliber a~nunition and a number of

35 CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

ene~ documents. There were no U. S. casualties.

Operations in the Ham Luong River

On 2 October four Navy UH-lB armed helicopters ("Seawolves")

destroyed four ene~ sampans and damaged five others in the Ham

Luong River, 5 miles south of Ben Tre. Th~ helicopters also

attacked and destroyed a forty-foot Gea-going junk, one sampan,

one structure and damaged five other structures that were detected

two and a half miles south of the initial incident~ Once again,

as the lISeawol ves" swung north, they attack,,: i and destroyed one

more sampan. All action was conducted in a 24 hour curfew area

closed to all sampan traffic. Enemy casualties were undetermined o

On 3 October, in the same area of the previous day I 5 activity ~

the "Seawolves" destroyed six DOre sampans and killed seven Viet

Cong tJ-e t tried to evade.

On 5 October a Navy "Seawolf '1 helicopter en route to its base,

after supporting PBRs off 110 110 Island, detected and destroyed

two sampans a nd killed two Viet Gong on the Bai Lai canal about

three miles east of Ben Tre. A third sampan and a 40-50 foot junk

were damaged.

Also on the 5th, another light fire team sighted loaded sam­

pans in a curfew area three miles southeast of Ben Treo The sam­

pans, that had beached when the helos arrived, were immediately ta­

ken under fire o Five sampans were destroyed, 10 damaged and two Viet

36 CONFIDENTI4L

I..EG£NO: X· PBR INCIDENT 0- HELICOPTER

INCIDENT

SCA1..E: •

g, .. , -":;,,;;;, L'ES".'--~'

. ~'iI .. I ... ~~ " __ f ' .•• ~ ". _ II'"

*- SEAL INCIDENT # _arHER

GONF IDENTIAL

Gong were killedo The helos then detected, close by, a large cam­

ouflaged sampan and immediately encountered ene~ automatic-weapons

fireo During the ensuing fire fight in which two sampans we~e dam­

aged, the wingman sustained a hit in the tail section of the heli­

copter, The "Seawolves" then adjusted artillery fire from Mo Cay

and 6O-nnn m::;rtar fire provided by a PBR into the Viet Gong posi­

tiono Enemy losses were unknown~

"Seawolves" on a Ham Luong River patrol, on the rrorning of

the 8th, detected a number of sampans and junks off-loading ammu­

nition on the coast of the Thanh Phu Secret Zone four miles south

of the mouth of the rivero LGDR Ro Co SCHWARTZ, USN, led his armed

helicopter patrol in two attacks on the ene~, destroying eight

sea-going junks and eight sampans, One Viet Gong was killed and

f0ur :;.ther sampans were heavily darmged..,

:)ver the previous seven-day period U" S~ Navy h~l icopters

acc"unted for 27 samnans and 9 junks destroyed, 12 Viet Gong killed

and 19 sampans heavily da~geGo There were no Uo S~ casualties

durinv the engagements 0

()n the afternoon of 15 October a confirmed intelligence report

advised that about 150 Viet Gong armed with a recoilless-rifle and

assorted small arms were located about three miles east of Ben Tre

on the Den Tre River, A PBR patrol embarked three Popular Force

troops from an outpost in the area and proceeded down the Ben Tre

38 CONF IDENTIA L

CONFIDENTIAL

River to Cai Son Creek where the boats commenced checking all sam­

pans, One sampan proceeding out of a canal on the south bank ob­

served the PBRs, reversed course, and evaded about 75 yards inland,

The two occupants beached the sampan and fled into t.he underbrush,

Shortly thereafter, another sampan that had proceeded out of the

canal was stoppedo The occupa.nts were a !lE.le and a young girl who

had in her possession a shopping list for Viet Cong troops am

3,025 piasters ($25,64)0 The suspects were detained and later

turned over to the National Police at Ben Treo Another sampan was

soon spot ted trying to e vade in the canal" One PER. entered the

ch::'1al in pursuit while the secorrl boat followed to proyide cover"

The sampan.\' with rt woman aboard, was apprehended and taken in tow

to permit a rapid clearing of the restricted waterway, As the PBRs

were exiting the canal they came under intense enemy recoilless­

rifle, autol1l'3.tic--weapon and srrnll~arms fire from three positions

on the right bank of the canal" The PBRs returned the fire, and

cleared the area after releasing the sampan 0 Artillery fire re­

quested from Giang Sub-~ector suppressed the enemlf fire o One PBR

sailor recei7ed superficial cuts about the face and the boats re­

ceived minor shrapnel damageo One Viet Cong was wounded in the

fire fighL

On 16 October, a Navy light helD fire team led by LCDR Ro M,

HOLLING'';:)RTH .• USN, attacked a large 40-foot junk in a canal five

39 CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

miles up from the IT.outh of the Ba lai River 3.n area ,mere traffic

by heavy s.,a-going junks had steadily increase:!, The "Seawolves"

~ade four rocket and machine-gun firing runs on the target, re­

ceiving rnderate automatic-weapons fire in ret'lrn, before they de­

parted f::lr Ben Tre to rearm and refueL. ',ihen the helos returned

to the area, they found that the junk had sunk" There were no

friendly casualties during the engagement, however, one helicopter

received a hit in the horizJntal stabilizero Observed by the "Sea­

'Holves" during the action were 25-30 small puffs vf white sIIDke

about the si:.::',<; )f :.:asketballs bursting ir~ f}4ont of and below the

lead aircrafto A subsequent inspection of the helicopter that had

been hit, revealed a scratched underside of the main rotors pos­

sibly caused by a fragment producing weapono This'was the ~irst

encounter with possible enemy anti-aircraft weapons o The Naval

lntelligence Liaison Officer, Vinh Long, had reported a month €~r­

lier that a possible AA rocket launcher was in the Viet Cong weapons

inventorYQ Later, on 23 (etober,. the Naval Intelligence Liaison

,)fficer reported that t.he Viet Cong had an anti-aircraft type gun

lacated about six milet; southeast of the sce~:le of the above

inci(\ent?

)n 17 October, UEiS HUNTi;.RlXlN C'JUNTY (LST 838) blasted a known

er.emy peai tion on the Ham Luong River with her 40-rrnn guns., destroy­

ing three storage structures and starting two secondary petroleum

40 C:lNFIDi;.NTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

fireso

Three Viet Cong were killed by PBRs from Pat~,l Section 521

on the 18th when the two-boat patrol provided fire support for

units of the Vietnarrese Arrrry as they conducted a landing along the

Ham Luong River six and a half miles southeast of Ben Treo

On 20 October a light helicopter fire team on routine patrol

launched a strike against a reported two companies of Viet Cong,

nine miles south of Ben Tre, saturating the area with 2075 rockets

and 7062-m~ machine-gun fireo PBRs commenced receiving small-arms

fire as they joined in the attacko The PBR o5C caliber guns com­

bined with the "Seawol vest! firepower 300n suppressed the enemy

fire? Enem:;;r casualties were unknown~ Two enemy sampans were de­

str0yed and ~ne was damaged in the action~ One hour and a half

later the helos came umer small-arms fire, fi ve miles west of Ben

Tre~ As the enemy fire was returned nutrerous rrales in black paja­

mas were see;1 evading; one of whom had a bush tied to his backo

The Navy v,unships took the Viet Cong und er fire am killed eight 0

The IISeawol'''cs II c:)ntinued down the Ham Luong a short distance and

sank two sarnpans and dallBged two more that were found in a

re~trl.('ted area o

At 1105H on 25 October PBRs 62 and 64, on a routine patrol on

the Ben Tre River aoout one and a half miles east of Ben Tre, came

umer heavy recoilless-rifle am autcHM.tic-weapons fire from a Viet

4l CONFIDENT IAL

CONFIDENTIAL

Cong ambush on the south banko PBR 64 received a direct hit from

a recoillese-rifle in the area of the port engine and fuel tank

that started a raging fire and wounded all six crewmen, A second

recoilless-rifle round impacted cl.ose aboard the forward port side 0

'dhen the boat would no longer respond and the heat from the flames

became too intense~ the wounded crew jumped i~to the water and com­

menced swimming to the opposite bank of the ri 'fer away from the am­

bush site" A Vietnamese National Haritirne policeman, accompanying

the patrol, was not seen after he left the boat" He was later de­

clared missing in action, PBR 62.0 the lead boat .• also took a di­

rect hit on the port beam~ wounding three crewmen and returned to

Ben Tre to debark the wounded c PBR 78 was dispatched to the area

with extra crewmen and joined PER 62 as it returned to the burning

PBR" In the meantime, two U, So Navy helicopter light fire teams

from USS HUNTtRDON COUNTY (LST 838) and Vinh Long, scrambled minutes

after the attack began) arrlved sh0rtly thereafter and took the

area under fire .. darraging four struct.ures which were the ambush

sites, ;"J'nile the air strikes were being conducted it was learned

that the wounded crewmembers from PBI( 64 had mad~ it to a nearby

lietnamese outposta The wounded were e'oracuatcd by helicopter from

the outpost while the rem3.ining helicopters continued their

suppressi ng fir€> ,>

As PBRs 62 and 78 returned to aid the burning PBH. they came

42 CONFIDtNTIAL

CONPID]"NTIAL

PBR 64 being lifted aboard YRBM 16.

43 CONn Dc.NTIA L

CONFIDENTIAL

under heavy fire from the bank forcing them to withdraw as the

"Sea.wolves" laid down suppressing fire, PBR 62 was replaced by PBR

61 when it wag forced to withdraw from the action because of

clogged water pump~o After the arImd helicopters had suppressed

the enemy fire, PElls 61 and 78 IIBde another attempt to aid the

stricken PBR, About this time the fuel tanks and ammunition that

had remair.ed aboard began to explode. At l230H the PBR sank by

the stern with only the bow remaining above the watero Two Viet

Cong were killed in the action anti one helicopter received two

hits in the main rotor bladeo

Following the action PBRs 61 anl 7'3 assisted by an LCH from

YRB1-f-16 cOrJreenced salvage operations on PBR 64" After several un­

su~ce5sful attem!)ts to take the boat in tow, due to the charred

and crumbling condition of the hull, the hulk was finally towed to

the YRBH-16 where all salvageable parts were recovered. before the

unrepairable hull was destroyed"

During th~ ab0ve ~~gagement, a participating light helicop~er

fire team departed the area for Ben Tre tf) refuel and rearm, In

the process of refueling and rearming, LT 'N~ BAP.NES, USN, one of

the helicopter pilots, discovered a c)rnmand-detonated type explo­

sive satchel )f about two kilograms near a portable aviation fuel

(JP-4) bladrler" He irr~ediately cleared the area, and severed the

.ires of the satchel charge, ther<':>y disabling it. Shortly after

OONFIDLNTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

the charge was disarmed, Ben Tre airfield came under a mortar

attack. The "Seawolves" took off immediately, along with another

team that was at the airfield, while the mortars were still jnco~

ing. Attacks were made on the IIDrtar positions and they were si­

lenced" There was no damage to any aircraft" The exl.~rJi:;. of the

enemy casualties was unknown"

USS HUNTiRDON COUN~Y (LST 83R), anchored in the Ham Luong

River 23 miles southeast of Ben Tre, was advised by the Coastal

Group 34/37 advisor, at 1949H on the 28th, that enemy small arms

fire was observed being fired at the shipo The Coastal Group ad­

visor provided spotter services as HUNTEROON COUNTY commenced

40-mm harassment and interdiction fire into the area" Upon being

informed by th" advisor that .small-arms fire was frequently us8d

by the Viet Cong t.o range 1'0r recoilless-rifle fire, the ship got

underway and shifted anchorageo

On 30 October a light helicopter fire team from HUNTERDON

COUNTY while on a r')utine Ii" m Luong ili ver pa tro 1 observed and took

under fire a f'Jrty-foot TOClt'Jl'ized samp3.n tlv4 t was evading 0 The

sam]X\n expbded in a huge fireball, c(',opletely disintegrating the

sampan and sending white smoke billowing to 800 feet. Two Viet

Cong were killed in the action ..

Oper~~ions in the Co Chien River

On 12 October tWL' PBRs on patrol on the Pang Tra Hiver in the

45 CONF IDliliTIAL

L£6£/ofD;

•• PIli '''CIClE"r o - "EL'CO~T£R ,IoICIDE .. r •• SE"'L INCIDENT

J /

OPERATIONS IN Ttj£

CO CHIEN RIVER 21 Oct o

CONFIDENTIAL

vicinity of Giai !sland, fourteen miles southeast of Vinh Long,

received two rounds of recoilless-rifle fire, followed by automatic­

weapons fire, from the east bank, One round passed through the bow

of one PER without detonating; the second round passed overhead,

The patrol returned the fire and cleared the area. The patrol was

joined by another PBR patrol at which time the four boats commenced

a =rtar attack that silenced the ene!l\1 position. There were no

friendly casualties. The area from which the attack began is in a

specified strike zone and bad been the scene of much Viet Cong

harassment in the past" The area~ however, had not been taken

under fire by friendly forces for the past fourteen days. Lesson

learned~ as reported by CTE 116,,10203, tlNever give a sucker a

break" II

On 21 October IISe9.wo1ves" based at Vinh Long killed thirteen

Viet Gong when they launched an attack against an enemy troop con­

centration, 28 miles southeast of Vinh Long, The Navy armed heli­

copters also destroyed three dwellings, da,:aged one sampan and

wounued an additional thirteen of the enemy"

On 24 October, a Navy light helicopter fire oeam killed one

Viet Cong, destroyed eight sampans and damaged six others when

they took a large number of enemy sampans under fire off the

eastern bank of Giai Island, fifteen miles southeast of their base

at Vinh Long, The enell\Y craft were detected in a restricted area

47 co NF IDJ;NTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

designated as a specified strike zone Q There were no Uo So

casualties"

Ope!'ations in the Bassac Ri V~,.

On 2 October, the company commande!' of the 505th Viet Gong

Comp&.ny rallied under the CHIEU HOI program" He brought with him

an yti. U -, S~ carbine.~ a clip of arruro and personal gear when he

turned himself in to the PBR8.~ 20 miles down river from Can Tho"

In addi tion he provided information as to the Ioea ti·'Jn of his com=

t~ny and the 509th Viet Cong Battalion, His wife and brother-in­

laIN' were also t:J CHIEU HJI, however Jl they failed to appear"

In 3 October UQ So Havy SEALs .. River Patrol Boats.ll armed "Sea­

\<c-~:" helicopters, USS GAR"-"TT COUNTY (LST 786) and the Vietnamese

RHer Assault Group (RAG) 25 commenced Operation CRIHSON TIDE II

or: Tan Dinh Island and the rlver banks adjacent to it" The island.;)

located l2 miles s·::>utheast of Can Tho ... h.."'_d been the scene of in­

tenslfied a ttaoks against PER patrols following OperatlOn CRIHSCN

TIIJ~ I conducl ... ed in IlUd-Septewber and subsequent PER patrolso

At 0530H Navy helico,ters landed two squads of SEALs cn the

rrBinland, northeast ~f Tan Dinh} to set up an ambusho PBRs then

(Gndu-:ted passes along the river for two hours in an attempt to

draw enemy fire which never ca!'"Jle c The SEALs 'I'lere withdrawr by PER

!caving failed to make contact ,,nth the enemy" The RAG 25 boats

sa.turated the target area with heavy fire in preparaticn for a

C)NFIDENTIAL

!N.-l.!i~ OPERATIONS

BASSAC RIVEP.

LEGEND: NelDENT

X· peR j EA I,,"CIOENT HEll COPT ! ~ SEAL INCIDENT

'-- .. ""'~",

~ ';~'-

.~ -:,. . "

"!",,~.

""---, -~

.soc TRANG

C,)NFIDENTIAL

landing by GAME WARDEN personneL 'The landing parties, headed by

SEAL personnel, were put ashore by PBRs to carry out the destruc­

tion operation, The landing party concluded their phase of the

opera tion at HilOH, having destroyed all assigned targeta plus a

number of targets ~f op]Xlrtunity, After all units were clear of

t!1e area, USS GAlUlliTT COUNTY conducted harassr'lent and interdiction

fire~ Destroyed in the operation '..rere 67 hot'Lses,9 nine bunkers" 18

sampans, 22 punji pits, six grenade traps ... 1,~;OOO PO~"1ds of rice and

one srraLl.. rice mill co Two Viet Cong were captured during the ground

operation~ One U~ S~ Navy Iran was wourrled in the leg by a pl.lnji

stake and an~ther v~s w:>unded by shrapnel when a booby trap grenade

exploded" The only :>ther casualty incurred in the day-long opera=

ti..0D was Captain faul N~ ('-RAY, USN) Corrmander Task F8rce 116,. who

received a minor shrapnel wourrl ::~m his left hip~

On iJ. -)etober a m')t')rized sampan was destroyed and its occupant

pr'"lbably killed l.'fhen Navy ItSeawolves!l detected it in a restricted

area on the lower Bassac,., Two structures on Tan Dinh Island were

al '3C> damaged by the helicopters en route to their base at Binh

'Thuy)

:)n 8 Oct'Jber GAHE .-IARDEN unit.s were called upon to provide

medica~. evaClJa tion ser'Jices for Vi etnamese civilians on two sep­

arate occasions, The PEHs evacuated a pregnant V/'Jrnan and a child

with a serious neck 'd:)urd"

C')N!,I!)]<;NTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

On the 9th, PBRs supported tha ARVN 21st Division as it con­

ducted a three-battalion sweep of the northern half of Dung Island,

located in the lower Bassac Rivero The boats were deployed as a

blocking force on the river t~ prevent any Viet Cong crossings to

the mainlando The PBRs destroyed a canal block and a sampan during

the actiono The Vietnamese troops killed six Viet Cong during the

sweep and captured assorted weapons, ammunition and documents~ One

U" S" Army and one ARVN soldier were wounded during the operationo

Nine Viet Cong 'dere captured and nine Viet Cong suspects were roun­

ded up dur ing the sweepo

On 10 October a PIlR patrol of River Section 512 from Binh

Thuy was hailed by a Vietnamese outpost chief who informed the

patrol officer that his patrol had located a house on the Cai Con

Canal with eighteen Viet Cong inside" Tne PBRs embarked four Re­

gional Force troops and proceeded to the house located ten miles

southeast of Can Thoo The PBRs received small arms fire from the

house when they arri ved~ As the fire was returned a large number

of men fled from the llouse and escaped into a rice field", however,

captured in the hCluse was a W'-ltn3.n who was identified as a signal

watchu The w~man us6d towels with embroidered codes to identify

her to transient Viet Cong" The house, which probably served as

a Vi.et Cong resting place, cor.ta.ined a large bWlkered bunk room,

about 300 sets of dishes and 22)000 pounds of riceo There were no

51 CONFI:lENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

friendly casualties, Enemy losses were unknown,

On 12 October .• the officer of the d0ck, USS MADERA COUNTY

(LST 905) anchored at Binh Thuy, fired "onto a clump of vegetation

floating in the river about sixty feet forward of the bow, The

clump of vegetation exploded sending a spray of water 30 feet into

the airo There were no personnel injured or damage to the ship as

another enemy ~tning attempt was thwarted~

'In 12 October a routine PBR patrol ... -as attacked by heavy aub.,

TT\3.tic_weapons fire as it patrolled behind Tan Dinh IslanL The

enemy fire was directed at the boats from the island and the main­

land. The PBRs returned the fire, but had to withdraw when they

were unable to silence the fire" The pa.trol was joined by another

PER patrol and 'a light helicopter fire team, The combined units

returned to the area 'Jf the enemy fire and attacked it with 40~mm

rrenades, m1.chine gU~lS and MK 72 bazookas from the river and with

2,_,75 rocket and r,Bchine_gun fire from the air 0 The enemy positions

Here destroy~d" As an added measure artillery fire was called in"

There \veY'e no friendly casualtiesn Enemy losses were unknown",

On 13 October PBRs once again came under harassir~ fire from

the same area as the incident of the l2tho Fire was returned by

the PBRs and the enemy activity was suppressedo This action was

pr.obablya diversionary tactic by the ene!llY, as a later intelli-·

gence rePJrt advised that a Viet Conp crossing was ms.de about six

52 CON?IDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

miles up river at the approximate time of this incident.

Tan Dinh Island was again the scene of enem1 activity on the

16th when a two-boat patrol once again came under attack. Navy

helicopters were .crambled and joined the PBRs as they returned

the enemy fire. The combined firepower soon suppressed the Viet

Cong fire. One PBR sailor was wounded slightly in the encounter.

On 19 October two SEAL squads were landed in the "",rning dark­

ness about 12 miles s')utheast of Can Tho, on the west bank of the

river, at two separate landing sites. Squad 5A en~ountered and

killed one armed Viet Cong shortly after it had landed. PBRs com­

menced broadcasting CHIEU H:)I instructions from the river ,,,s the

SEAL squad searched the area o Two fleeing Viet Cong were shot and

killed by squad 5B that had wa~ ted in ambush. The t"" squads re­

joined and continued to search an o~en field where they killed one

more of the enemyQ The SEALs were withdrawn, three hours after

they had landed with no casualtieso Two Viet Cong were captured

and two others answ~red the CHIEU H:n calL Also taken was a Chi­

nese communist rifle, ammunition and several Viet Gong documents 0

On 21 Qctober SEALs were landed at 0530H on Tan Dinh Island

to conduct an area search. One squad patrolled northwest to the

tip of the island and were withdrawn at 1015 after no enemy con­

tact ·,;as made. Meanwhile, the second squad patrolled tu the south­

east and made contact with five Viet Congo One was probably killed

53 CONFIDENnAL

CONFIDENTIAL

and another was probably wounded before they evaded the SEALs, The

squad then encountered three Viet Cong as they approached from the

50uth; howeverJ

they also escaped in the ensuing fire fighto The

souad was withdrawn at 104511 while Navy armed helicopters suppressed

the Viet Cong aut-:>ma tic-weapons fire 0 It, was noted during the

search that the L.:lan:i homes were undergoing reconstrretion and

that the north central portion of the island appeared to be the

most heavily manned area o

~n 23 October PER" ~anded Regional and Popular Force troops

on the Yang River, 15 miles southeast 'Jf Can Tho off the Bassac

River, where it was reported tra t a Viet Cof:€ tax collector was

loca ted 0 The troops gained contact illmediately after landing and

received autorratic-weapons fire from both sides of the -'long }-dver"

The PBRs and Navy helicopters silenced the enemy fire and then.

provided cover for the troops as they made a ground sweep along

the Vong River to the Ba.ssac capturing three Viet Cong suspectso

Eight others with weapons fled into a rice field and were engaged

by rear guard elements of the Regional Forceso One of the enemy

'daS killed; the remaining seven escapedo One of the enemy captured

was identified as a long-time hard-core Viet Cong and the one who

had murdered the National folice Chief, DAM, in 19620 The Popular

Forces had to be restrained from killing the prisoner when the

identification was madea There were no friendly casualtieso

54 CONFIDl:N'l'IAL

CONFIDENTIAL

During a two-hour sweep of the southern end of Tan Dinh Island

on 26 October, two squads of SEALs killed three Viet Cong and cap­

tured one Chinese communist rifle, sixty rounds of 8-mm ammunition

and five hand grenades G The squads received sporadic small-arms

fire and withdrew after killing one more of the enemy and destroy­

ing a sampano There were no Vo So casualties o

On the afternoon of 27 October a routine PBR patrol operating

on the lower Sassae River, near the river mouth, interrupted a yos­

sible Viet Cong ri ver crossing as it came under heavy automatic­

weapons fire fro!!1 toth banks of the Sasaae Rivero The PERs, sup­

ported by Navy armed helicopters, returned and silenced the enemy

fireo The patrol, joined by two more PBRs, pursued the enemy into

a canal on Dung ::Lsland where sever2.1 5ampans had evaded o After

proceeding about 200 yards into the canal, destroying a canal block­

ade en route, the boats received 030 caliber automatic-weapons fire

fr·)m structures on both banks" The PBRs and rrSeawolves ll returned

the fire and destroyed the structures with incendiary rotmdso The

enemy broke co.ltact and the p3. trols withdrewo In addition to the

ol:Jckade" nine sampans and. a total :;f five structures were destroyed ..

~emy casualties were und~terminedo

*** GAME WARDEN UNITS

On 3 October SEAL Team TWO, Detachment ALFA, Sixth ~latoon

55 CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

was relocated to Vinh Long as Task Element 116.1.2.0.

On 13 October, USS HUNTERDON COUNTY (LST 838) (eTE 116.1.).6)

resumed operations in the lower Ham Luong River with River Section

521 (TE 116.1.3.3) and HA(L)-) (Det 4) (TE 116.1.).8) embarked.

On 15 October, USS JENNINGS COUNTY (LST 846) relieved USS

GAIlRETT OOUNTY (LST 786) as GAME ;,ARDEN support ship at the lOOuth

of the Bassac River, and assumed TE 116.1.1.6. ~barked in

JiCNl'CINGS COUNTY were River Section 512 (TE 116.1.102) and HA(L)-)

(Det 1) (T1116.1.1.8), Hiver Section 511 (TE 116.1.1.1) was re-

located to Binh Thuy.

*** GA!% '"ARDEN STATISTICAL SUHHARY

Gcbber 1967

L PBR :ita tis tics:

a. Total Patrols (t\<"O boats); Day 650.5 Night

b. Total Contacts: Day 49,1.47 Night 2,005.

c. Total Inspected: Day 10,154 Night 610

d. Total Boarded: Day .?9,880 Night 1,831

e. People Detained~ 559

L Sampans/Junks Detained: £l

g. Total Patrol Hours: 31,249.5

2. Helicopter Fire Team Statistics:

a. Total Flight Hcurs: ,h .. .o98<h

b~ Helo Missions:

56

647.5

C8NFIDiiNTIAL

DETECTIO»fS. lliSPECTIONS. BOARDINGS BY GAME WARDEN UNITS

150,000

l.L.O, OCXJ

. - I I - - - -- D:::r::::!IC::S

l)O,C:xJ :::S?::r::::s - -.-.-.- BC:AR .. :Jl:~GS

120,000

llOJOOO - I I -

100,000

90.000 1 I

I - I

SQ,OOQ

70,OJJ

::.0 60,OCO

jO,OJO

40.000

v , ! - , , . " I

, \ , , I - , --- , , - , , ,

/ , , , ,

~ , ,

/ , ,

~ , I ' , , ,

- y i .. ' .... " I

,

" .- , - I / , , • 30,000

2O,COO

()

,

- I / , -.- . " .'/ "-, .- ..... ,

V "-- , -'- "-, -0 10,000

~ 0

§ ./

J1;'~ '1"1'~ SEP OCT NOV :J::::~ I '." ?i'3 iIAR lAm \"V Ji..'N .re:. AUG SU' OCl NOV ~::C •• w I"' ...... • .. .... -I

~ ( 1966· I ( 1907 )

CONFIDENTIAL

(1) Pr'e-planned strikes: ll8 (2) Reaction, 105 (3) Targets of Opportunity: 177 (4) SUPPOlt: 266

3. GAMF, "ARDEN Totals:

a o Fire Fights: (1) PBR :I" (2) HA-'. V ,,7 0) LCH -2 (4) LCPL "2

b 0 Samp.,ns: Destroyed 176 Damaged 2l± Captured ~

Co Structures: Destroyed 183 Damaged 100

Destroyed 40 Da~Aged 12

eo EneIl\Y: KIA 8C KIA (1'0550) 29 WIA:lQ Captured ~

to Friendly: KIA 0 WIA 10

go Friendly Battle [,amage: (1) PBR: 15 i2) Helo: -~

ho PBR MEDEVAC, 61

58 CONFIDENTIAL

CClNFIDENTIAL

RIVERI~l> ASSAULT FORCE (TASK FORCE 117)

During most of October the Mobile Riverine Force, operating in

Kj.en Hoa, Long An, and Ding Tuong provinces and in the Rung Sat

Special Zone, struck at main force enemy positions and overran Viet

Cong installations throughout the Delta and RSSZ, In a series of

search and destroy operations, units of the MRF killed 107 Viet

Cong, destroyed numerous bunkers and seized or destroyed several

caches containing large qu~ntities of supplies and ammunition.,

U. S. casualties consisted of 10 killen and 48 wounded; ten of the

wounded were Navymen~

On 10 October units of the MRF co~iucted a night transit of

the Hekong River complex while relocating ~rom Dong Tarn to Vung

Tau. This marked tl.e first time that this myriad of waterways

had been transitted by the MRF under the cover of darkness.

Later in the h.onth, in the Can Giouc district of Long An province,

the presence of the IffiF cunt,-.1buted sig;'ificantly to -\'he aNa's

security as 8302 percent of Vie di.st"rict ~ s reiS'.stered voters went

to the polls to cast their hallots :.n Sout), Vietnam's Lower House

EJdctions.,

Q£~raticns In Kien Rca Province

The begiuoing of Octo·cer found the units of the MRF moving

deeper inl:.(; Kien Hca T)rovince in the cont inued prosecv.tion or

Overation COR'JNADO Vo On 1 Ctctoloer, TU 117,2,1/1 cor.sisting of

59 CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

three ATCs, two monitors and two ASPBs, came under enemy automatic­

weapons fire from entrenched bunkers along the An Binh Creek about

10 miles south of Ben Tre o The two lead ASPBs had stopped to re­

trieve t.heir minesweep gear when the ambush was sprung.. 'rhe riverine

units.~ which were proceeding to ba~kload two companies of 3/60th

Infantry Battalion, immediately suppressed the enemy fire with all

boats concentrating their firepower into the 'lmbush site" The re­

turn fire caused one secondary explosion which sent a huge fireball

and black smoke rising 25 feet into the air, There were three

5ailors slightly wounded in the ambush" Enern;y casualt.ies were unknown ..

Operations in the Dinh Tuong Province

On the 3fternoon of 1 October) the Mobile Riverine Base com­

menced a major relocation f:-oom the junction of the Cua Tie-u/Cua

Dai Rivers to Dong Tam in order to c·-mduct riverine operations in

Dinh Tuong province~ This move was accomplished lihile still con­

du..:~ting combat operations in Kien Hoa provi>1cee

On 5 October the MRF comrr,enced riverine/airmobile assault and

search and destroy operations in western Ban Long Secret Zone.t Dinh

Tuong province. Intelligence repo:-ts revealed that the Viet Cong

26}rd and 514th Main Force Battalions were located in this brea and

had disrupted lines of cOTlllliunicaticn from the Mekong De~'_a to Sai­

gon while also posing a constant threat to U. S, Army/Navy assets

at Dong Tamo Tr.is phase of Op"".o.tion CORONADO V, cond'Jcted in close

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

coordination with elements of the AR'lN SEVENTH Division from IV

Tho was designed to entrap the two main fcrce battalions in the

Cam Son and Ban Long Secret Zones. MRF contact wi j,h the enemy in

the Ban Long Secret Zone was very light while the ft~VN were heavily

engaged in northwestern Cam Son Secret Zoneo

On the morning of 6 October, the MRF reorientod its forcea

westward into the Cam Son Secret Zone to encircle the ;:"et Cong

expected movement. That afternoon U. S. troops of the NINTH Infar­

try Di~"sion gained contact with a main force Viet Gong unit, the

263rd Battalion, and the ensuing battle continued until 2200 on 7

October. Although the circlJ could not be entirely closed due to

a lack of waterways to the east of the contact area, the enemy was

sufficiently engaged to acc0unt for 94 Viet Cong killed by the MRF

and 79 of the enemy kIlled by the ARVN SEVENTH Divis]o". In addi­

tion, there were 171 enemy bunkers destroyed and a large quant:. ty

of small-arms armnW1iti::m captured", U" S<, casualties consisted of

six soldiers killed and 25 wounded; one sailor was wounded by sni­

per fire. ARVN casualties consisted of six killed and 39 wounded.

At 0110 on 9 Octcber, Dong Tam was taken under an enemy 82-mm

mJrtar attack. The Viet Gong lobbed 17 rounds into the Army/Navy

base camp with most of the deadly shells landing in the NAVSUP?ACT

detachment area. Tl.ere were 31 Navymen ani four soldiers wounded

in the attack. There were '.0 TF 117 personnel injured, however,

61 CONF IDEIITIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

YLLC 2, which was lIIO~red in Dong Tam Harbor, was hit by one IIIOrtar

round causing minor damge to the stern anchor windlass.. There

were no m::>rtar rounds directed at the Mobile Riverine Base ..

Operations in the Rung Sat Special Zone

On 10 October the MRF transit ted from Dong Tam to Vlmg Tau in

prepara tion for Operation COiWNt.DO VI (11-18 October) in the Rur,g

Sat Special Zone, ~\D 92, less A-92-1, remained at Dong Tam to

prDvide waterborne securl.ty for the Dong Tam Base and dredges in

the harbor, and troop lift ~apability as required o The major por­

tion of the IIDvemnt was along the !4y Tho arxi eua Thieu rivers under

the cover of darkness, narking the first titn6 that the principal

ships of the MRF have transitted the Mekong River complex at nig~.t,

This new flexibility in mobility v~ried th~ pattern of movement

intJ an ol)jective area and. further enhanced the success of surprise

attacks against the nomadic Viet Cong of the Mekong Delta and Rung

Sat Special Zone, The newest members of the MRF--the two ASPBs-­

conducted minesweeping operations ahead of the force, and each

rrajor ship was escorted by a fnur-boat TIDvi~~ screen"

The next day, riverine units of the MRF commenced Ope!:'.l.tion

COR:)N/,DO VI in c,uang Xuyen district of the RSSZ providing close

support to the 3/60th and 4/47th Infantry Battalions and the 3/34t.h

Artillery Battalion, Later that afternoon, 17 miles north· .. est of

Vung Tau, riverine assault craft rescued the nine survivors of an

62 CONF I DENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

Army helicopter crash. The aircraft, which had the Senior Advisor,

Rung Sat Special Zone aboard, crashed while the UH-lD was making a

landing approach to an ATC(H) in the lower Dong Tranh River. The

aircraft's pilot was killed in the mishap.

Even though CORONADO VI was the most comprehensive :dverine

operation ever ~eld in the RSSZ, direct confrontation with the

enemy was never established o Despite this fact, the assault forces

of the MRF made their presence felt by capturing several caches of

enemy supplies and ammunition. The Army troops destroyed 99 enemy

bunkers and captured a large quantity of materiel, including 6,000

rounds of machine-gun amrnunition9 500 rounds of small-anns ammuni­

tion. 200 grenades and 700 pounds of TNT. There were three Viet

Cong killed and six Un S~ soldiers wounded in actioTIo

Operations in Long An Province

On 20 October the MRB, less ohe USS ASKARl (ARL 30), relocated

fronl 'Tung Tau to the junction c-f the Soirap/Vam Co rivers in prep­

ar&tior, for OperCc~0r: CORONADO VII (21-23 October) in the Can G~ouc

1istrict of Long An province~ The MRF conducted search and destroy

operations J night ambushes, and saturation patrols in order to pro·~

vide security for the district during the Vietname3e Lower House

Electionso

The following evening an ATC, T-91-l, on patrol in the Rach

Cac Hi ver 12 mi les "outhwest of Nha Be, was s"truck by a B-40

63 CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

rocket. Although damage to the boat was slight, five U. S. sailors

were wounded. Shortly afterwards, another ATC, T-9l-l3, on a

blocking station in the Ba Dang River, ryine miles southwest of

m,a Be, was hit by a B-40 rocket. The riverine craft suffered

only minor material d~age and there were no personnel casualties~

"'tout biD hours later on the morning of 22 October~ a Monitor,

M-91-2, was fired upon from the south bank of the Vang River eight

nules southwest of Nha Be. The B-40 round, which hit on the star­

board side amidships just below the waterline, caused only minor

damage, and the boat 1 s crew suffered no casualties~ Suppressing

fire was returned into the area but enemy casualties were unde~

terrn:Lned o

On 23 October OJ>er. tlon CORONADO VII terminated with the fol­

lowing cumulative results~ One Viet Cong killed with 62 bunkers s

43 spid~r holes, 12 punji pits and five booby traps destroyed.

Friendly casualties consisted of five sailors and one soldier

wounded. While contact with the enemy was very hght. CORONADO

VII was a very successful operation in that it ~ccomplished the

mlfl51.0n of affording local Vietnamese in the Can Giouc district

safe access to the polling places for the Lower House elections on

22 October. The large turnout of 83.2 percent of the registered

\raters was attributed by the local officials to the presence of

the MRF assault boats on the rivers and canals ar.d to the MRF

CONFIDENTIAL

..

CONFIDENTIAL

troops deployed throughout the area. The stated mission of the

MRF is to assist the GVN to regain control over centers of pop­

ulation and land areas in the Delta. The success of Operation

CORONADO VII was in keeping with this mission.

On 24 October the MRB relocated to Vung Tau in preparation

for riverine operations into southeastern Nhon Trach and south­

western Long Thanh districts of Bien Hoa province. Operation

CORONADO VIII (27-29 October) marked the initial employment of

the Royal Thai Army Volunteer Regiment in conjunction with the

MRF. During this operation there were three Viet Cong killed,

over 6,900 rounds of assorted ammunition, 190 grenades, and 500

pounds of medical supplies captured, and 78 bunkers and 19 sam­

pans deetroyed. Friendly casualties consisted of two U. S.

soldiers and one sa.i.lor wounded; the Royal Thai Volunteer Regi­

ment had two soldiers killed and two wounded.

RIVERINE ASSAULT FORCE UNITS

On 3 October the locations and responsibilities of the four

TF 117 River Assault Divisions were rotated as follows: RIVDIVs

91 and 92 exchanged locc,tions and .jobs, with RAD 91 providing

close support to the 4/47th Infant~y Battalion and shifting from

USS WHI 'PIELD COUNTY (J~T 1169) to APL 26. RAD 92 moved ashore

from APL 26 to Dong Tam to provide general support. RAD III

shifted to the USS S~~AH (APS 35) and assumed the duties of MRS

65 CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDE.NTIAL

-.'

An ATC ·.ith a fla me thrower (mounted in a U. S . ArIfIII APC carried i n t he well de c k of the ATC) undergoes tests west of Dong Tam during Oc t ober.

66 CON?ID",~TIAL

. .

CONFIDENTIAL

defense. RAD 112 relocated to USS COLLETON (APB 36) in support of

the 3/60th Infantry Battlllion.

On 4 Cctober an M-l32-Al flame thrower was successfully test

fired from an ATC. This mobile flame thrower has a range of over

150 yards and provides a 32-second bl~st of flame.

In ceremonies held at Dong Tam on 9 October, CTF 117 presented

one Silver Star, two Bronz.e stars with ltV", three Navy Commendation

Hedals with I! VII, and one Purple Heal-t to personnel of the MRF for

heroic actions during the 15 ltiy engagement with Viet Gong forces

in the Cam Son Secret Zone.

On 10 October General ''/illiam C. I>'E3TMiJRhLilND, USA, COHUSMACV,

and General Cao Van VIi,N, ARVN, Chief of the Joint General Staff

and Defense Minister, Republic of Vietnam, visited the HRB to dis­

cvss the vario~~ problem areas incident to the employment of a

VNMC battalion with the MRF about mid-November. Due to limited

shipboard accommodations, this battalion will be based ashore in

the vicinity of the MRB within .mlking distance of the boat staging

area, The Vietnamese battalion will deploy from Vung Tau whenever

the MRF operates in the Rung Sat Special Zone, and from an unoc­

cupied ARVN base about one mile wost of Dong Tam, whenever the MRB

is in the vicinity of Dong Tam. That same day, USS BLANCO COUNTY

(LST 344) relieved USS CAROLINE COUNTY (LST 525) as the MRF re­

supply 1ST.

67 CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

On 27 October at Vung Tau USS WESTCHESTER COUNTY (1ST 1167)

relieved USS WHITFIELD COUNTY (1ST 1169) as the MRF support 1ST •

.......

68 CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

U. S. NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY, DANANG

On 15 October, Naval Gu"."ort. Activity, Danang celebrated the

conclusion of its second very successful year of operationo The

base, >lhich has become the U. S. Navy's largest overseas cormnand

ashore, started two years ago as not much more than an anchorage

and has developed into a deep draft sea port capable of handling

approximately one million tons of cargo every three months. At

the end of its second year of operation, the activity was opera­

ting more than 200 boats and craft that carry supplies to over

132,000 free world forces in the I Corps Tactical Zone.

Enemy initiated incidents against the facilities of NAVSUPPACT

and its outlying detachments continued during the month. On the

morning of 22 October, approximately one-fourth of a mile south of

the Marble Mountain transmitter site gate, a t~~k carrying 15

security personnel ran ov"er a land mine o The resul:':lr'6 expl asian,

which caused the tl:'Uck to ba"e the road and catch fil'e, killed

one man and injured the ,'emaining 14.

Throughout the month NAVSUPPACT Danang and its detachments

continued to process large volumes of cargo, however, cargo back­

log for the nOl~hern I CTZ has increased steadily during recent

months. Special cargo movement requirements, unit mOV3S, loss of

the 1ST capability at Cua Viet, and the capability uegradation be­

cause of inclement weatller have all co.1tributed to the backlog

69 CONFIDENTIAL

DANANG CARGO HANDJ:.ING SHOaT TONS 300,CX:O

2SO,CX:O

260,000

240,CX:O

22O,CX:O

200,CXXI

180,000

160,CX:O -.)

0 l4O,OOO

120,000

100,000

S0J OCO

60,000

40,000 ("")

G

"i 20,= H 0

0 to ~ H

"

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/1 I ~ 1/ I - -1/ f\ ~ A'''--- !/ Ii\ ~ ~

y V V "V lor:L:Jd II \ VI \ l-V 1,\ /i\ J- ~V 1 I I

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~~~=~=I=~~~~I=~~~Ocr~= 1966 . '; . 1167 1 ;

t-'

CONFIDENTIAL

increase. During the month every effort WdS being made to increase

the shipping capability ann decrease the backlog. These efforts in­

cluded the restoration of the Cua Viet 1ST facility and installation

of a pontoon causeway at Tan My,

Although work was progressing slowly because of eX+~emely ad­

verse weather conditivns, it was eBtimated that the interim pontoon

Cc.lu:-;c',vay for the Tan My port would he ret'.l.dy for use by early

IJovember.

The dredging operation in the mouth of the eua Viet Rive~,

-,lhich had become unnavig;lbl~ by LSTs because of monsoon rains,

strong river current and silting, was also being hampered by ad­

verse weatheJ." conditions" The dredging was continuing however,

and on 21 October an LST carr)_:.;; a light load arrived at the CUd

Viet LST ramp indicati:1g that a limited 1ST capability had been

restored,

During the monte at the Danang port, 127,263 short tons of

cargo were discharged and over 63,000 short tons W~i.'e back-leaded

for tra.'"1sshipment to other ports., The tot-al monthly th!,0Ughput at

Danang was 191,009 short ton.. The combined throughput for all I

Gorpe ports was 279,817 short tons.

The overall net supply effectiveness for Danang and ehu Lai

rose from September's 93 percer.t to 94.5 percent in October.

Overall gross effectiveness rose from 90 pereent to') 9l~2 percent"

71 CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTBL

Chu Lails SERVHART issued 34,354 ite~, during Ootober, an increase

of almost 14,000 from September~s figure o

The number of craft assigned to NAVSUPPACT Danang increased

during the month as six Army LCI1-!ls, three ArMY LCUs, plus two

LCUs from Assault Craft Division 13 were received.

During October the average Naval Support Activity, Danang

personnel level was 8,800 and at month's end the number of United

States and other Free h'orld Military Assistance Forces supported

by NAVSUPPACT was 132,600,

The number of patients admitted to the NAVSIJPPACT hospital in

Danang during October totaled 1,136, Of this total number received

at the 467-bed hospital, 262 ,.ere admitted for combat injuries, 685

for various diseases, and 189 for non-combat injuries~ A total of

h21 persons were treated and returned to duty du.ring the month and

294 were evacuated out of V'letnam,

'**i'f*~

72 CONFIDENTIAL

- .

<Xl NFIDENTIAL

1]. S. NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY, SAIGON

During October the Naval Support Activity (NAVSUPPACT), Saigon

and its variol's detachments continued to expand and improve the

support provided for naval forces in II, III, and IV CTZ. Con­

struction continued at a steady pace at the MARKLT TIME-GAME '.vARDEN

support bases during the month.. Among the many construction pro­

jects completed were: a double quonset hut recreation lounge and

the Naval Support Facility administration buildings at Cam Ranh

Bay, two moorings in the bay at An 'Thoi, and a storage qt:onset hut

at Cat Co. At Nha Be the sheet piling was completed for the south

waterfront bulkhead and the steel overhead rrortar shield for the

Tactical Operations Center was finished.. Also at Nha Be, the

officer's mess, barracks, and exchange buildings were completed

during the rmnth. At Dong Tam, Fublic >lorks Seabees completed the

laundry building and the pilin~s for the drydock were placed.

Also completed at Dong Tam were two maintenance quonset buildings

for the PACV program. At Binh Thuy the enlisted men's club com­

menced op".:!rations and Project SMRCHLIGHT construction was

complet.ed ..

At 0105 on 9 October, the NAVSUPPACT Saigon detachment at Dong

Tam was hit by an 82-mm mortar attack. The enemy attack, which

lasted approximately 15 minutes, originated from positions north­

east of the Dong Tam base. A total of 15 mortar rounds struck the

73 CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDE.NTIAL

Damlge to a NAVSUPPACT Detachnent Dong Tam berthing hootc h afte r the Vie t Cong mortar attack o n 9 Octob er.

74 CONFIDENTIAL