•

military equipment arrl supplies as they thoroughly s.ept an area which

r~d never been penetrated by the MRF. Atter no contact was made with the

Viet Cong by the morning of 17 Jay, all infantry units were backloaded

and returr.ed to the MRB at 1'745.

Meam<hile at 1655 on 16 July the Navy elements became actively engaged

'.ith the enemy when the boats of RAD 112 were attacked from both banks of

the Cai Hap Stro""" 8 miles southwest of Mo Cay. The ambush, whi"~ con-

sisted of rocket, recoilles3-rifle and automatic-weapons fire, occurred

as the riverine craft were enroute to the fire s'!Jpport base with their

emblrked troops. Mir~.culouslYJ there were no U. S. casualties despite

the fact that one of the monitors, M-1l2-1, recei~~d two direct hits

from tr.e enemy rocketeers. One of the RPG-7 rocket. penetI'ated both of

t'ne manito}" 5 fuel tanks and the other round struck the port.sidfJ adrr...id-

ships, penet:rating the boat I s bar ar.nor and styrofoam. The boats silenced

the guns of the ene~, and transported their troops to the fire support

base. Ene:'".y casual ties were unknorm.

The cUl!lulati're destruction inflicted on the enemy during this three-day

period (15-17 July) consisted of 62 Viet Cong killed, and 18 bunkers

and 20 Chinese Cornnunist booby traps destroyed. MHG ALFA forces also cap-

tured five prisoners and four weapons and detai~ed 57 suspicious Vietnamese.

U. S. casualties ~ounted to one Armyman killed and 18 soldiers and two

3ailors ·,oj'ourrled.

Inter~ogaticn of prisoners-or-war and detainees taken during the

69

f'i.C!', I\"'S"",rD ·-·i.~!...JL '._,2.1 '--: -! '. , Il I~

DECLASSIFIED . COJtFft)(Nrw-

ASPB's of RAil 92 leae a column of river assault pat rol craft up a smoll canal in South Vietnam... The monitor 92-1 (ba~kground) is r eferred to as the "battleship of the Delta."

CONADENTIAl 70

DECLASSI FlED, ~'.~,'. .

operation in Cang Long District revealed that MRG ALFA had been in

contact with the Viet Gong 509th and 511th Battalions, and that the

5llth Battalion was fotmed by reinforcing the 509th Battalion and then

splitting it into two battalions. There was also mention of the 5lOth

Battalion operating in the area and information about an all~female

Viet Cong company (strength of 60) operating in Vung Li.n and Cang Long

districts. On 15 July the 511th Battalion SUpposedly suffered more than

40 casualties from air strikes and artillery barrages. Intel1ig~nce

experts felt that the e~stence of the 509th, 510th and 511th battalions

was probably true; hOiiever, it appeared that ViAt Cong units were calling

themselves battalions regardless of size.

Operations in Klen Hoa Province

After seven days of operations in the area south of Mo Cay, MRG ALFA

departed the Co Chien anchorage at dawn on 18 July and arrived at Dong

Tam at 1222 the same day. Two days later the assault forces of MRG ALFA

conducted a one-battalion search and destroy operativn against elements

th&t had utilized Thoi Son Island to launch mortar attacks on the MRS and

Dong Tam. In conjunction with this sweep operation the combined forces

of TF 116/117 established a 40-boat naval blockade around the entire

island to catch any Vi.t Cong atte~pting to fle. Thoi Scn Island.

PER's from TF 116 were deployed on both sides of the island for use

as chas. boats to interdict any high-speed blockade runners. Firm Con-

tact W""ith the elusive en=7 ',o(as not established and the operation .... as

71

terminated on 21 July. The cumulative results of the two-day operation

(20-21 July) on Thai Son Island and in Truc Giang District amounted to

two Viet Cong killed, 31 persons detained and 12 bunker. destro;red while

tJ. s. forc~::::.J suffered 12 soldiers wounded.

Ab0ut 0130 on 23 July, Engineman Second Class Charles S. ROY, USN,

a crewmember of CeB-IlI-I, left his co~and and communications boat to

go abeam USS SPHIlIX (ARL 24) for a can of oil. He was last seen

board~~g an AMMI pontoon alongside SPHINX. A search of Che area revealed

that the oil can that ROY ..... a.'3 carrying was found w"!dged bet...,~en the AMMl-

barge and SPHINX. An intensivo search of the adjacent waters pelded

negative results. The fo~mYing day Petty Officer ROY's body was recovered

from the ~y Tho River near the Dong Tam baoe by assault craft of RAD 131.

On 23 July HRG ALF.1t cOrJr.lenced a three-day riverine operation in the

Gicr.g Tram and E'en '1.':-e di..9tricts about 10 miles southeast of Ben Tre.

As in previous operations Task Force 3IX GUN got, underdaJ the previous

night u:-rler the c'Y.rer of darkness am prc.::'~t..ded to fire support bases

alo!"'..g the Ham Luong River. The assault craft of MRG ALF;" proceeded to

':he operating area on the corning of 23 July.

RAJ 91 riverine units ',;ith the 3/60th Inf. Bn. embarked were enroute

to ceaching ar~as O~ Giong Tram Canal 8 miles southeast of Ben Tre J when

they · .... ere awbushed on the Ben Tre Stream about 6 .nL.es southeast of. Ben Tn.

T:-1e hOEts i:1,.':1.edic;.te1:r turned to·.iard the ambush positions J saturated the

area ' .... it.h ;:'lB.chine-gun and canr.on !"!.re J and landed the infantrymen to

,~ -.: ,r J ~ ~ (': C I I: n .- - j _. -' - " ; --.

CONFIDENTIAL. 72

counter-attack the

DECLASSIFIED caWlDEifR:Al

eneiu;y and search the area. The minesweeping ASPB's,

the lead monitor and an ATC at the lead of the formation bore the brunt of

the attack which 'c~n.isted of. barrage of recoilless-rifle, rocket and

narrow water~ay. the well-entrenched enemy rocketeers who Were firing from both banks of the

heavy automatic-weapons fire. ASPB-9l-4 received several severe hits from

and subsequently Sunk. The ASPB was recovered the following day and

gradient where the boat wad grounded was very steep, and the boat swamped

boat to prevent it from hitting the other boats in the formation. The

flat of his boat. In his last heroic act before he died, ROBE beached his

First Class Jo;, .. r, RVlE .• USN, was killed when a rocket hit the COxswain's

~"ring the battle, the boat captain of ASPB-91-4, BoatSWain's Mate

his gunmount. USN, was also killed when a 75-mm recoilless_rifle round severely' damaged

returned to the l!RB for repairs. The 2O-mm gunner, Fireman David A. PEARsON,

ASPB-91-4 and t·.;o men from ASP!l-91-2 were seriously wounded, and were

As a direct result of the ferocious attack, two other cre'.""en aboard

"Moe general area to ""'phasize tneir determination to den;r the riverine

killed and 10 Wounded, the Viet Cong initiated five more .. tta<JJcs in the

AlthoUgh this was the most serious inCident of the day with two Navymen

nature. ASP!l-91_2 received moderate damage in the fierce firefight.

ATC-91-l2 and one aboard a monitor also received wounds of a less serious

"medevaced" froo the battle area. Five of the seven Sailors aboard

73

DECLASSIFIED

A Mcnito :-, a usee. t ruck t ire, a nd a n Army t r oope r mak~ up a s trange daisy cr.a':':\ to !' r ee a. t r ooper of the 9th Division' s Seccnd arigad~

f:-om , ... aist deep r:rud in South Vietnam ' .3 Mekong Del t a •

' . . - .-' \ . . .. '

74

.~ .<; .,,'

craft the u.e of the Bell Tre/Ong Huong/Giong Trom waterways. These narrow

and confining streams and canals vero referred to as "Rocket Alley" by the

men of the Mobile Riverine Force.

Ann:r ground element, of MaG ALFA found numerous sign. of Viet Cong

activity in the area, but found no enemy personnel as they continued to

sweep tnrough the Giong Trom District southeast of Ben Tre on 24 Ju~y.

The only hostile contact vf the day was ,'eported by U. 3. Navy "Seawolves-

of TF 116 Who lirew automat:!.c-weapons tire while flying ccoer for tile assault

boak east of Ben Tre, and by ALFA Company of the J/60til Inf. Bn. Tha AUA

Company co~nder wa~ killed "y the first burst of enemy fire and was the

only casualty of the brief attack, Later that night the MRB r.located

13 ,,;110. further down the Ham Luong River, anchoring less than 15 ,'tiles

from the mouth of the river ..

Contact '..nth tht! enemy was Sporadic on 25 July; 5:ignificant \'i'd.S

the capture of: 40 sUspected "iet Cong by BRAVO Company of the 3/60th

In!. 8n. The detainees were fourd in concealed pOSitions as the

infant r.,r.ne:1 sh'ept through a village i.., the Giong Trom District south

of 3en Tre.. Host of the suspects -"'ere males in their early 20's and

were detained because they attecp~ed to evade ann ~ere not :arrying

proFer identification paper~. Several or the suspected enemy were pulled

f::nr.l. bUilt::ers) s1.X were found lock~d in a clos~+:' and one dtter.lpted to

c~nceal hjmself in a barrel. The !~rst l~ of the captives were clas~1!!ed

a!' pr:.sr)r.e!""~-f)t-'..,ar after interrogat~.onJ '/h11e the r~ma1nder ..... "r" to be

75

DECLASS\F\ED c~JAi. clasei!'l.-d by AllilY authoriti-as at Dong Ta.::l. The final interrogation report

wa, not availal:le.

En""'O- 1""'~5 "" a re&ult of the three-day operation (23-25 July) were

12 Viet Cong<:illnd, 12 prisoners captured (il\comp1ete), 121 detainees

held (inten'ogaticn results incomplete), and ~ bunkers destroyed. U. S.

force. "ad t'"o Na'lJ"'len and two Arm;r;nen killed. arxl 10 sailors and three

301diers wound~d.

The majorit7 of MaG AI2 A r-emai.Jed in a ready reaction pc ..... ure on

26 Ju17 conducting ~aintenance and drying out after spending three

d&]. of discomfort i:1 the ''(et and soggy- fields of the Giong Trom District.

RAD 1.l.1 remained on tb~ offensiv~ ani was utilized. to transport Regi,,~,al

?orcz (~~) troops into ~~ area along the Mo Cay Canal for a search and

destroy operation. Contact 'oith the en.",y was light resulting in t .... o

in~urgen!.J icil.led ard three ::DOre captured in "',he five-hour operat.l~.)n.

~ner~ were no friendly casualties a~A the RF troops were returned to

Bel. Tr. at 1230. 'l'..,o and one-h~lf hour. lat.er l'.RG ALFA got urxierway from

~h. 3 •. ' 'i're ..... chorage and t:-ansited to 1i'lh Long in preparation for a

!urth~~!' :'~: oc .\t:':>n t:l Can Th':'l via the 'Ian Nao Crossover on 28 July.

Opera~ion5 i". Chuong Thien Province

XR0 AL~A.&I ~v.d at Can Tho at 1530 on 28 Ju17. where they we,e joine~

.;' u53 ASY.ARI (A.'lL 3C) ',(hich had :pent the past :ncnth undergoing a routine

o'l<r::a~l i:l Si~gapore. Four ATC's of iWl 131 also joined the group to

a'l.;n~nt t:-,e ~~ ~".t. 1n the oouthern Mekong Delta. On 30 July KRG ALFA

76

CO~~LASSI FI ED ~

commenced a three-battalion protracted riverine operation near Vi Thanh,

29 miles southwest of Can Tho. This operation conducted in coordination

with the hard-hitting 5th Vietnamese Marine Corps Battalicn was the largest

venture of the war into this Viet Cong dominated te:-ritot;J :...o::..:!_ also marked

the MRF's deepest penetration into the Mekong Delta. This i'~y"'i..O!l of Chuang

Thien Provine'" ',;as urrler uncontested Viet Ccr..g control f~L' ~ny years and

was reported to be a majer depot area for supplies infiltrated from Cambodia

via the Se-Ien Mountains Region ..

Ri"/erine access to the area could be gair;,ed only via the Can The River

a..,d the Xa No Canal into the Cai Tu River. Se-:ause of the distance from

the MRB at Can Tho, it was decided to establish a forward base at Vi Thanh.

The Army elements set up their advance post 26 miles scuthwes~ of Can Tho

near Vi Thanh, ..... hile the Navy comma.'lder, eTG 117. 1, utilized a CCB in the

same '/i~init7 as his cOI'mlfind post. All .:peraticnal assault <:raft cf RAS 9

and RAS 11 (plus a f~. RAS 13 ATC:s) were ccrnc'tted to this week-lcng,

all-out riverine assault designed tc catch the V:l~t Cong off-guard in an

area · .... he:-e tr.ey !'lave had a secure sanctuary !o-:: years.

The initial penetration into Chuong Thien Province commenced at 0130

on 30 July · ... hen RAD 91 e:nbarked the 5th Battalicn Vietnam •• e Mari~e. for

a 40-mile .. aterborr.e tran.~t via the Can Tho R!.':er and Xa No Canal to

beaches 12 mile. southwest of Vi Thanh. RAD 92 tollowed with two companies

of the 3/60th In!. Bn., · ... hicn ',ere lar.dod at Vi Thar.h a~ Ca20 and immediat~

17 con!igJred tor ai~obile assault into the operating area. After

DECLASSIFIED eoNFlD!ffffAL 77

debarking their assigned troops RAD 92 returned to the MRB anchored near

Can Tho~ Traffic on the narrow ~o.terways became heavier when RAD ill

departed the MRB 15 minutes after RAn 92 and transpo,-t".; the 4/47th

Inf. 3n. to an assembly area near Vi Thanh Airfield where they established

i';.;-.ei:- :>:-N~rd base.

':c::t.act. '.-;as unexpe~tedly light until 1610 when the Vietnamese Marines,

lod ,y :-!ajcr Pham NHA, gained contact with a Viet Cong element of undeter-

:n.::..ned size 37 miles south'N"est of Can Tho. These Marines, remembered for

their pa.!"ticipc1.t~on in the Battle of Rach Ruong in Dinh Iuong Provirw::e

(4-6 De:e;;\ber 1967) ·.here they killed the majority of the Viet Cong,

co:ne:-ed the CCh~unist. troops in a bunker compj.ex along the Cai Lon

River and f:U3h~d theI~ oat of their hiding places. The besieged 1iet Cong

pa:ricked and bolted acrosS an open field where they were annihilated by a

barrage cf carmo"!} ;1.o'1d !ll!l(:hine-gun fire from the heavily armored monitors

and trocp-:arrL:' of RAJ) 91. U. S. Arr:ry helicopteN gunships later

satura!.ed the a.rea ·..nth rocket a.nd oachine-gun fire. At the cessation of

the t ...... o-hG~r gur.. battle the Vietnamese Marines counted 50 d.ead Viet Cong •

. On the .l.3.5:' day of tbe !lonth the VNMC continued their r'lrsuit of the

eneo.y guerrillas as they s·,.,ept fro:n the eai Lon Stream 10 miles southwest

of Vi Thanh tcward the Cai Tu River where :tAU 91 had established a

'"ate~borne blockade. The Marines reported only light contact, but still

~naged to kill 17 more Viet Congo

Mean ..... hil. U. S. Army helicopter gunships, supporting the ground

elements, repo~ed ~illing 31 of t~e enemy troops. Two ~re guerrillas

eONFiDENTtttLASSI FI to

DECLASSIF!ED COJfFIDmf'fJU:

were killed by infantrymen of the 3/6Oth Inf. Bn. who reported only

sporadic contact L~ the Kien Hung District. Thd total enemy casu~ties

inflicted on the Viet Cong were 102 killed (incomplete), while friendly

forces had tHO Vietna:rese Marines and one U. S. soldier wounded. The

assault troops of the MRF also captured a large amount of weapons and

~unition which i~cluded 68 weapons, 324 mortar rounds, 220 grenades,

13 cla~nore ~tne5, two 75-mm pack howitzers, one l06-rum howitzer and

12,500 rounds of small-arms ~ition. At ~nth's end RAD 91 end the

Marines established night defensive positions alon~ the Cai Tu River 13

miles southwest of Vi Thanh. RAD III and the 4/47th Inf, Bn. remained

at the forward base near Vi Thanh while the 3/6Oth Inf. Bn. continued

airmobila operations in the area.

MOBILE RIVERINE GROUP BRAVO

Operations in Gia Dinh Province

After conducting one day of indoctr~nation training, Army personnel

of the 5/12th Battalion of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, supported

by HAD 131, conducted a sweep operation in an area about 7~ miles south

of Saigon. The following day- the same units operating from !-oba Be

swept an area in western Non Trach District 5 miles east-scutheast of

Saigon.

Qperations in. Dinh Tuong P!'cvince

Early on 3 Jul:! all MaG BRAVO as,ault craft departed Nha Be enroute

to Dong Tar.! via the Cho Gao Canal, while MRS Group BRAVO (USS ',l1NiJHAM

COUNTY (LST 1170)) transited to Vung Tau to load Arr:l''IINavy supplies

79

Troop-ladcr. )..TC's of RAS 13 on riverine oo~rations in t he Nha Ba area of Cia O:'nh ?rt;vince.

80

DECLASSIFIED

ani ammunition. Two days later WINDHAM COUNTY steamed to Dong Tam

and anchored in t:>e vicinity of MRG ALFA. Th~ following day was spent

conferring and conducting liaison visits with representativ~s from the

U. S. 9th Infantry Division's Third Brigade on matters pertaining to

future riverj_ne operations ..

On 9 July assault craft of MRG BRAVO landed two companies of the

4/39'uh In1'. En. on the Gam Stream 3 miles west of Dong Tam. The landings

"ere opposed and the infantzymen swept the area but W6re unsuccessfal

in their search for the Viet Cong rocket/mortal' sites which had beon

constantly harassing Dong Tam. After destroying 18 enemy bunkers the

troops were ,".turned to WINDHAM COUNTY hy RAD 131 later that s,,",~ day.

On 11 JulyliINDHAM COUNTY (TG 117.; fJ.8.gshij: ) shined its and.orage

from Dong Tam and transited to thd confluence of the ¥.y Tho and "Ham

Luong rivers to support riverL.,e operations on the B(.~ Rai Stream. The

4/39th Inf. Bn. reconnoitered along the Sa Rai Stream and captured

a prisoner '.iho had been 'rlounded and clai.rn.ed to be a m~mber of 'Lohe Vj . .,t

Cong 514th Main Force Battalion. The Army troops continued their sweep

operation for the .next two days, but could not effect contact "With the

eneOV".

On 10 July the riverine assaul" craft of a~D 131 established water-

blocks on the '",aterdays enclvsing the objectiv6 area and conducted

waterborne patrols. At 0810 on 11 July an .nemy rocket, a recoilless

rifle and machine gun att~ck occurred 7 mil.s south of Cai Lay as the

DECLASSI FI ED

boats • .... ere proceeding south on -::'he Ba Rai Stream to offload troops

of the 4/39th Inf. Bn. Six hoats received ~nor d~ge during the attsck

~~ 16 U. S. persoru1el were wounded, nine of whom were Navymen. The

hostile fire was su;,prcssed by the river assault craft and air strikes.

A ground sweep through the area by the embarked troops revealed that

seven Vi~t Cong hac.. been killed by ~he return fire. There were also

t.hree RPG-7 rocket launchers fO'.J.r.d in the ambush area.

Later that corning at 1136 a TG 117.2 trcopcarrier, .Al'C-131-B,

beached at the mouth of the Ba Rai Stream on the Tien Giang River, was

mined. The underwater explosion took place 7 miles southwest of Cai

L~y ~~d ripped an 18-inch hole in the boat's starboard fuel tank.

ApproriMately t'l'IO hours later a:1other troopcarrier, ATC-131-13, located

less than 500 !neters !:"rom the initial mining incident, was iamaged

by an unden ... ater explosion ...,hich ripped an 18-inch hole in its lazaret.

Both of the riverine cra.!'t :ieTe retl:.rned to Dong Ta'iJ. for repairs.

MRG BRA '/0 result s agai ns t the Viet Cong for the period 11-13 J,.,ly

were seven k:="lled, 41 suspects detain~d, 75 bunkers destroyed and three

~G-7 rocket :auilchers captured. Tl:ere "",ere 16 friendlies wouooed during

this per-iod.

On 14 July MRB ERA'IO relocated from the jur.ction of the My Tho and

!-:a-:,_ Luong river:1 and arn'/ed at Dor.g Tarn. at 1230. Operations could not

be scheduled · ..... :..th the 3rd Brigade until 21 July d~e to tr.e non-availa-

bi.lit.;r of troops from tr,e 4/39th Inf. Bn. which had been air:nobiled to

r :r.;I,~r::,:-::r::i\

~n_mnAl 82

,

DECLA§.~j£D. . CONFJDEr11UtL

the outskirts of Saigcn on 15 July for an undetermi~ed period.

lffiJ3 BRAVO relocated to an anchorage near My Tho on 20 July to

support projected operations L~ Long An Province. On 21-22 July

RAD 131 provided suppv.rt to !tegional and Popular Fer~e troops in a

Joint 0"" cation on Thci Set: Island near My The. During this same

period a detachment of RAn 131 assault craft, cperating from Nha Be,

provided support to the 6/31st Inf. Bno which conducted search operations

in an area 4 ~le5 90uthwest of Nha Beo

gperat; ons :"n lcng }.~ Provi~lce

On 221u1y MRB BRAVO relc·cated to the Dong Tam ancherage 6 miles

west of My Tho. Two days later RF 131 loaded the 4/39th Inf. Bn. at

Dong Tam and :oromenced a ~~ght tr~~sit to an area j~Bt north cf Ben Lu~

in icr.g An Prc..,ince" The pcntoon bridge at. Ben Lue, 13 milee: southwest

of Saigon, ·was opened.. a!"rl Vietna'!lese Naticnal poli-:e boarded the boats

to take part. in t,rc forthcocing operation. The task group lamed troops

on the bank~ of tha Vam Cc Dong River 5 ~les nort~west of Ben Lue Bridge

a.t 0900 after cincr cp~o5iticno At 1000 air ~a·(alry scout ships acquired

contact '..,.i+:i ... the ~nerr:y 4, miles r..crtht'lest eol the br-idge and airmcbiled

troops of the 2/6Oth Inf~ Bn. into the are~ to develop the ccntac~. In

:. ~ ensuin,g i'iroefight ~~ Viet Cong were lC-!.led aNi one priscner was

capt'J,red. The units of the MRF also .:aptured 10 large enemy :sampans laden

,~th ammunition, elothin;; ara a large amount of Il!.dical supplies. The

seuure of t!1is eqt:ipnent indiea.ted that lIRG BRA'IO ha.d located a Viet

DEClJ\SSI Fi ED

DECLASSiFIED JAJ..

Gong crossing point.

RAD 131 continued operations on the Vam Co Dong River throughout

the re~A1nder of the month. All daily troop landings were unopposed

as enemy continued to "vade the infantrymen of MEG BRAVO. On 27 July

the boats received some sporadic 5~11-arms fire while in night positions

16 :niles we~t of Saigcn. Later that. eYen:L'1g three TG 117.2 boats

proceeding to B~n Luc for fuel were attacked by recoilless-rifle and

small-arms fire, but there ,.,ere no !i1aterial or personnel casualt:!..es.

On the evening of 30 July units of RA.D 131 were ~bushed again

while transiting south on the Ven Co Dong River to Ben Luc for fuelG

The enemy rocket fire occu!"r~d 3 mil~~ ',..rest of Ben Lur: and caused slig.o,t

dar..age to t".110 assault craft. ASPS-92-6 r~cei,.,ed one rocket hit and

ATC-131-3 was struck t·..rice G.iJing :'~ ... a brief attack. There ·".ere no

friendly casualties aoo enemy losses were ur.determined. Cumulative

results of MRG BRAVO operaticr.s (25-30 July) were 19 Viet Cong killed;

6 weapons ar.d 10 sa"::lpans cc.;Jt ..... red j 340 bunkers and 20 sa.rnpans destroyed ..

One scldiar ',oIas killed am t-.;o others were wounded during this period ..

RIVERINE ASSAULT FORCE UNITS

USS SATYR (ARL 23) ar~ived ~t the MRS anchorag~ on the Co Chien aiver

on 12 JulY4 SATYR, after- a lO-day shakedo·..m period in company' with

USS SPHlIf'< (ARL 24) in MhG ALFA, ·"as scheduled to operate ·.rith MRG SitAVO.

The next day the river assault divisions shifted duties as follows:

RAD 91 --- Support for the 3/60th Inf. Bn.

84

•

•

,

DECLASSIFIED CONF1DettIJtt

RAD 92 ---·Support for Task Force SIX GUN and utility division.

RAD 111--- MRS defense.

RAD 112--- Support for the 4/47th In!. En.

On 14 July four new ATC's of RAD 132 arrive~ at Dong Tam after trans1t-

ing from Vung Tau via the Cho Gao Canal. As of this date .j;here were 17

Task Group 117.2 troopc~rriers in-country.

On 19 July USS WHITFL'illl COUNTY (LST 1169) relieved USS WASHTENA\;

COUNTY (IST 1166) a8 the MRG ALFA support LST.

After a one month routine overhaul in Singapore, USS ASKARI (ARL 30)

rejoined the MRB on 29 July and assumed tender responsibilities for

River Assault Squadron ELEVEN.

Besides certain operational restrictions and increased attention to

ASPB limitations, the following corrective measures have been accomplished

to make the craft more seaworthy, in order to mitigate the- alarming rate

at wJ'1.ich ASPB's ' .... ere sinking in February and March:

(a) All engine armor ' .... as removed.

(b) All 81-rmn mcrtars were removed.

(c) Ammunition load was reduced by 40 percent (all craft).

(d) For.;ard well hatch cover sealed (all craft).

(e) Insta.lled IO-inch coamings on inner side of door frames to both

forward deckhouse doors (18 craft).

(r) Installed an 8-inch coaming around the after well deck (19 craft).

(g) Replaced the original "thin w~l1" engine exhaust hose with a

hea~J duty hose on all craft.

85

(h) Cut 6-inches off the bottom of the engine .>c~aust spray shields

(all craft).

(i) Modified the upper"carrier bearing on each rudder pest to

prevent exc,ssive wear and leakage through the gland packing (approxi­

mately 50 percent completed).

(j) Co~pleted installation of backfit kits (flotation spensons)

on two craft. A third backfit waS oompleted at the end of the month.

~rlE\i £NT1/\l

UnOOD(

86

•

•

..

•

•

•

•

•

DEClA' '. , .t./iSSIFIwt

cor ... L TASK FORCE CLEARWATEa

Routine ope:'catic115 I.,. :.ntinued en the eua Viet and Perfume risers during

July. With the exception of several artille17 at tacks on the Cua Viet

ba5~ and one mining/sapper attack also at CUa Viet, enemy activity was at

a 10'" level throughout the month. The beginning of Patrol Air Cushion

Vehicle (PACV) operations by Coastal Division SEVENTF.EN from its new base

ne.-=ir Tan Hy marked a significant increase in capability to pressure enemy

units on the Tam Giang, Song Huong, Cau Hai Bay and Thuy Tu ~aterways.

BlOCking patrols by both PACV's and PBR's supported several ground opera-

tions in Phu Ta, Vinh Loc J Phu Vang .. and Huang Dien districts. Both river

security groups stepped up psychological operations with numerous broadcasts,

distribution of psyops materials, and MEDeA? visits to hamlets bordering the

patrcl areas.

Enemy artille17 aimed at the Cua Viet base made its first and most

destructive attack at 0020 on 1 July. A direct hit on the galle, damaged

three reefers and a..'1other hit destroyed three fuel bladders. Eight more

rounds were received at about 0140 the same nighto No damage was done

although one man ~eceived minor wounds. There were four more artillery

attacks on Clla Viet during Jul,. Between 1020 and 1035 on the 19th 10

rounds of ~ed artillery fell near the base causing no damage or

casualties. On the 23rd at 08)0 the Cua Viet base received 18 rounds of

mixed artillerl and another 10 round. came in at 1710. Host of this fire

L~~1cted in the river and no damage or casualties resulted. Minor material

87 CONFfDENrtl'1L

DECLASSIFIED

o 1

OPERATIONS IN THE eUA VIET RIVER lIaut1eal HU ..

SOOTH CHUa SEA.

• USMC SWEEP - )0 JULy B. LCM '9 DAMAGEJJ - 27 JULy C. ARTILLERY ATTACKS Cll

CUA VIET BASE -D. LCM MINEJJ - 27 JULY

• USMC REACTICll TEAM INSERTEJJ - 27 JULY

.. .' .. • •

•

•

OECLASSI FI ED

CONFlDElm1itt damage .as received at 1510 on the 25th when the base was hit by 20

rounds of mixed artillery. Finally on the 30th between 0725 and 0859

approximately 20 rounds of artillery/rocket fire i.Ir.pacted to the east

of the base along the river c~using no daffiage.

TlcN" LCM-8's moored to a buoy at Cua '/iet sustained heavy damage

early on the 27th. The detonations of swi.nlner-placed satchel charges

da,nagdd the first craft .It 0415, the second mir.utes later as it was

lea'ling the nest, and the third at about 0435 after it had towed the

first craft clear of the ne.t. Later that same day at 0920 an LCM-8

bladder boat enr~ute to Dong Ha was damaged by a command detonated mine

three miles up the river from Cua Viet. The river was closed to logistics

craft'until 1200 when chain drag sweeps of the entire river and a USMC

platoon sweep of tr~ river banks adjacent to the mi~ng had been completed.

On the night of t.". 27th two PER's inserted a USMC reaction team which

established an ambush position two miles east-northeast of Dong Ha in a

area of kr.own ene~ activity. No contact was made wi~h enemy trccps.

However, the operation was Significant in that it marked the first employ-

:nent of Cua Yiet PPP..' s and. USHC reaction force in an ambUdh mission.. During

the reoaL~der of the month USXC reaction force elements and snipers ac-

companied night. PBR patrols. AMthe= llIs"Uon ... a. carried out on the 28th

'';' thout. contact. On the 30th PBR' s co::o:::enced a 24-hour blocking operation

in support of a 1st Marine Re~.nt s ... ee~ 0r Xuan Dhanh resettlemdnt village

north or the ri'/er one-mile · ... e.t of Cua 'liet.

89 CO NFl DENffJi.t 11:-rl '\SS'~'~D ' _J·_r, I f"l [:

--.=~=_2 StaLut. 1Cll ..

~( J OPERATIONS IN THE PERFUME R!VER

CAP INSEJlTED BY PACV 0'" Ton

• VC CAPTURED - 17 JULY

CUI. HAl BAY 1;; miles SE .. ___ .. ~

• .. .'

,

Children along the river bank continued to turn munitions over to PBR

patrols in return for piasters and C-rations. en 15 occasions during the

month small amounts of enemy and U. S. ammunition were recovered in this

manner. The total amount recovered i~cluded:

1 - 105-mm pro.jectile

2 - 4.2-incll mortar rounds

15 - 82!81-mm mortar rounds

71 - 60-mm mortar rounds

5 - B-40 r0cket rounds

4 - 75-rm recoilless rifle rounds

1 - 57-rom recoille,s rifle round

650 - 12.75-mm!.50 caliber rounds

l2CO - assorted. small arms rounds

20 - 40-mm grenades

40 - U. S./Chinese grenades

2 - claymore mines

Operations of the Hue River Security Group encountered no enemy iritiated

action during July. On J July, PACV-2 and 3 began familiarizaticn and recon­

naissance patrols cn the Perfume River, Tam .Giang Bay, Thuy Tu, and Cua Hai

Bay, Night operations by the PACV's were commenced on the evening of 6 July.

A total of 485 patrol hc.urs were recorded by the PACV's during the month.

Operation EAGER YANKEE was supported by PACV and PBR patrols on the Thuy Tu

and Cua Hai Bay fr~m 9 through 15 July. On the 13th whi2e engaged in blocking

91

DECLASS\F\ED

patrols in support of Operation EAGER YANKEE, a wounded marine was medevaced

by PACV's 1 and 3 from the Thuy Tu waterway to Tam!!;y. Ground sweeps were

supported on three other occasions during the month on the 4th, 6th, and 25th.

A routine check of a sampan 10 miles southeast of Tam !!;y by a PSR Qn the

.,-ening of 17 July resulted in the detention of one male wb:o did not have

identification. He ',<las turned over to Ccastal Group 12 where interrogatioI ..

revealed that he was a 'Iiet Cong liaison officer attempting to cross the

Thuy Tu.

Other achievements of the PACV operations included an emerger~'. I troop~

extraction on the 19th and a planned insertion on the 22nd. An urgent

call from a surrounded Special Forces team at 0015 brought a rapid response

fror.J. P . .\CVt s 1 and 2. The team;.ras extracted without incident from their

position on the eastern shore of Cau Hai Pal and the PACV'g were back in

the's patrol areas by 0200. At 0630 on 22 July, PACV's 1 and 3 inserted

an is-man Marine and Vietnamese combined action platoon near a village

in Phu Vang Dist~ict 3 miles east of Tan!!;y. During the month since the

start of PACV operaticns 3ampan traffic on Cau Hai Say during curfew hours

was reduced and fishe::nen bega!l to adhe:-e to prescribed fishing areas.

NTIAL

•

•

I

DECLASSIFIED CONF.ot:mJft

NAVAL SUPPCRT ACTIVITY, llANANG

The high level of logistic operations by Naval Support Activity

(NAVSUPPACT), Da~ang was sustained in July as the total throughput for

the combined 1 Corps Tactical Zone (LCTZ))pprtsoexceeded ·465,QOO. short,

tons. This total included new monthly records for measurement tons

backloaded at Danang and Dong Ha/Cua Viet, 22,046 MIT and 16,587/M/T

respectively. The tempo of the operations at WUnder Beach picked up

to 27,565 short torus total throughput, a 57 percent increase over June.

Supply demands decreased by 3 percent overall during Ju17 marking

the second monthly decline sine e the May peak. At Danang demands were

down 10 percent to 125,597 for July as compared with 139,4&9 for June.

However, total demands at Chu Lai were up 19 percent to 53,040 for July

as compared 'dth 44,682. Much of this increase was in Arrrr:r demand. a. the

Arrrr:r rernaL'led the largest customer with a combined Danang and Chu Lai total

of 80,343 or 45 ~ercent of the total for July. Combined gross effectiveness

was up to 85.7 percent as compared with 85.0 percent in June and net

effectiveness was up slightly to 88.9 percent, a 0.1 percent increa3e over

June.

A significant increase in en8m7 activity along the Cua Viet River was

noted in July. The Cua Viet NAVSUPPACT, Danang detachment was hit by enemy

artillery .even times, twice on 1 July, once on 19 July, twice again on

23 July, once on 25 July, and once on 30 July. No damage or casualties

resulted tram the attack. on the 19th, 23rd and 30th. A road grader and

93 DEC U\S$!fJ&ll CONFItiENTIAL

OECLASS\FIED

some general cargo was damaged by- shrapnel on the 25th. The most damage

came from the 1 ,TU~ attack. when three reefer., three fuel bladders, and

a fork lift were damaged by- the first attack. During tho second attack

one man received minor ,«ounds.

Four LCMts at Cua Viet were damaged by swi.z:tmer-placed Chal'ges and a

mine on the 27th. At 0415 an explosicn near the stern of one LCM in

a. Tlest of six. craft caused damage and flooding. Minutes later a second

charge detonated on the starboard bow of another craft as it attempted

to leave the nest. A third LCM towed the fir.t craft clear of the area

and was returning to mid-stream when a charge under its bow exploded.

Moderate da:nage res'.tlted from the second and t.hiJ::d charges. Later at

0920 a LCM-8 bladder ~oat enroute to Dong Ha was damaged exten.ively-

by a command detonated mine. The boat crew reported seeing a large

column of water approximately- 100 teet high rise ahead of their craft.

The bow of the craft was lifted 15 feet cut of the water. The bladder

and foroard .ection of the bladder frame were thrown out of the boat. One

crewman received ~~or injuries. All four craft were beached at Cua Viet

and salvaged. Except for patrol craft, river tr~tfic in the area was

stopped until mid-afternoon ~hile s~~er5 inepected crart and the river

area for evidence or other mines.

There were no significant incidents on the Perfume River during July.

The Danang area was hit by rocket end mortar attacks on 3. 23, 25 and 27

July. No personnel ca.ualtie. or damage to NAV5UP?ACT, Danang in.tal~ations

resulted from these attacks .. hieh • . r.t'l.II' -''''''',

Orr, ~,,~.\:';:. L\,)-.- ,~

e~ft)ENTT/~ t

centerod on the Marble Moun~ain Air

,

DEClASS/FI ED·. -:0." .,

·cn"'F~l Facility, Danang Air Base, and Force Logistics COIllll'.and. Overall more than·

50 personnel from other commands were wounded and nine killed with several

aircraft and structures destroyed or damaged.

Compl.tion of additional rock crushers in the ninang area plus the

arrival of six more tugs helped to ease the rock .upply situation. A.sets

on hand at the month's end for barging rock north included 26 barges, 7

ocean tugs, 3 harbor tugs, and L river tugs. Rock ship"ent to the northern

I CTZ totaled 51,981 .hort tons.

FUel transfer operations continued without disruptior. during July with

the average daily issue at 1,661,000 gallone. The addition of one AMHl

barge on the Cua Viet River increased transfer capacity there to 400,000

gallons per day. Capacity on the Perfume aiver remained at 200,000 gallons

per day.

July was the first month during wnich all deep draft ammunition ships

were unloaded by contractor personnel. No difficulties were encountered.

Monitoring of ammunition handling operations was assumed bl" U. S. Coast

Guard Explo.ive Loading Detachment No. 4 which reported in July. The main

body of Cargo Handling Battalion TliO and the Arrrq 565th Transportation

Company phased out and departed.

Increased rainfall e~ed the water shortage in the Danang area, however,

water con~ervation measures remained in effect. Several construction projects

were completed in July, including the potable water system for Camp Tien Sha

am most of the northern I CTZ water system. Also completed were new galleys

at Cua Viet and Danang Air Base. The first meal was celebrated at Cua Viet

95 DEC LASSlEl ED

CO IWiOENrIAl

SHORT TCNS 8co,ooo

-750,000

-700,C()O

-650,000

-600,000

-550,000

-SOC ,cx..'O

-i ,

--j

~50,000 -t )00,000 -1 250,00C'

-i i

- r-., .~ 200,000

-150,000

..... --SO,coo

o

I I I

1 !

TIl fA~~, I,~ 000 'T

~ ~ J,,_ /. .....

" i": I •

D.AIWKI CjJlGQ 1IAJllLII/G

1 , I I I I

I l / THR UGE f'u'r I I

I'!w V 1\ V MJ/ 1\ /' .:r--' 1"'"-- ...

';' , ~ 1/ .. , ,'~ _V 1"-I-

k ~

V i'. --...... V

I I JUL AOO SEP CCT NOV DEC JAN FEB lIAR APR IIAY JUN JUL A\lO SEP CCT NOV DEC

( 1967 ) " ;1.961\ )

" ." ,

on the 6th with steak and lobster tail in spite of Hanoi Hannah's broadca.t

to the men .aying they ...,uld never eat a meabin their new mess hall. Con-,'

tinued growth of facilities made the power generation problem critical

at Danang. With one generator off the line for maintenance the load

comes within 20 KW of the remaining capacity.

A total of 2,?OO patients were admitted to the Danang hespital during

July, including 59 prisoners-of-war. Of this total 736 were battle

casualties, 1,214 were admitted for various disea.e., and 250 Were admitted

for non-combat injuries. The r:=ber treated and released for duty was 697

and another 666 were evacuated out of the country. Average patient load

was 406 with 480 bed. occupied at month'. end.

At the end of July United States and other free world military force.

supported in the I CTZ by NAVSUPPACT, Danang totaled 198,896. The on board

strength of NAVSUPPACT, Danang stood at 9,887 •

••• 1 ••

97 CONFtMNffAl

•

JUUoo".

98

NAVAL SUPPCRT ACTIVITY. SAIGON

Enemy activity involving Naval Support Activity (NAVSuPPACT). Saigon

and the detachments througpout II. III and IV Corps was at a low ley"l

du:-ing July. Only two of six incidents resulted in damage and personnel

casualties were limited to one wounded crewman of YFR-890.

~l the evening of 3 July a sweep boat from YRBM-18 detonated a probable

mine at the confluence of the Ham Luong and My Tho rivers. No damage or

casualties resulted from this explosion in the close proximity of the YRBM.

While transiting the Co Chien River on the morning of 11 July YFR-890 came

under heavy recoilless rifle attack approximately 10 miles east of Vinh

Long. The enemy scored an estimated 10 direct hits causing extensiye

superstructure damage and slightly wounding one crewman. Four rounds

of mortar fire from an unknown source were received by the USS LITCHFIELD

COUNTY (LST-9Cl) during a transit of the Cua Tien River on the 15th. The

closest round was 50 yards off the port beam. No damage or casualties

resulted.

~ the 19th watches on board YP~-18 heard automatic weapons fire

from the vicinity of an outpoet near the YRBM anchorage in the Mekong

River 17 miles west o! My Tho~ Responding to a request for mortar support

from sub-sector authorities the enemy unit was taken under fire with 37

rounds of 81-mm mortar fire. Spots · .. ere provided by FIlR's on the scene

and the enemy fire was quickly suppressed. There were no friendly casualties

and the enemr casualties were unknown.

99

• __ . ~- r"O

DECU\SSlhtLi

The Navy villa and Vietnamese Navy RAG base at Vinh Long came under

enemy mortar fire early on the 2Jrd. No damage or casualties resulted

with tha closest round hitting 150 feet from the Navy villa. Late on the

28th an RMK maintenance dredge moored tr. the wc.t bank of the Kinh Xang

Canal near the Dong Tam Basin was mined and sunk by enemy sappers.

Cor.s~rJct~cn wozk for base development continued at NAVSUPPACT, Saigon

and detachments as many projects n~ared completion. CLARINET SEAWARD

projects were completed at Qui Nhon, An Thai, and My Tho. Structural

work was completed on new buildings for the expansion of facilities at

Nha Be and Binh Thu7. \iork on covers for battleship ammunition pad. at

Cam Ranh Bay 'da.s ccmpl~~ed on four of eight pad.. At Newport 24.000

~quare fee~ cf cpen storage space was made available to NAVSUPPACT, Saigon

arri wcrk was :omrnen-:ed on a security fence.

Resupply ':perat:!.on .• for 1'.AP.KET TIME and GA}fr; WARDEN base. wa. carried

cut "7 L'SS MIlK (AU 12), USS SRULE (An 28). YFR-889. YFR-89C1. YW-126

and leM ""lttle. in the Delta. Logistic support for CTF 117 wa. provided

by USS FLO'[;) COUNTY (LST 752) and USS UTC!'.FIELD COUNTY (LST 9(1). Overall

NA';SiiP:>ACT; Saigon ,94r!'ace craft carried 8,123 short tons of cargo during

J'u:;.y~ Sl"~pp:i.y eifecti":ene~s fell during the month to 68 percent gros:s and

82 ?er:em, n~ as ccmpared with the previous record high levels of 77 and

29 per-:ent 3et :'n J1l.neo Stock control records ' .. ere converted to mechanized

pr~oecure. on 25 July, employing an orr.et oper.·,ion and utilizing the IBM

~07 a::c'ln':':1g ,""chine, Delivery of packaged petroleum products within

IV r,cr~ ·.a. hampered "'7 refusal of Army craft mast.:-. to deGk load the •• ... 1 •

. . ~- . " ,} . ',. . -- .

emwff)ENTIAl 100

· DECLASSIFIED CONFIDeIttw.

ite~ on barges and tar~ers necessitating emergencT lifts bT NAVSUPPACT,

Saigon air and surface assets.

Air operations during JulT carried ),488 passengers and 349,652

pounds ~;: cargo. On 1 JulT NAP, Cam Ranh Bay, Detachment Tan Son Nhut

W~ activated arxi all pilots, flight crews and maintenarx: e personnel

were assigned to NAP, Cam Ranh Bay. Wing repairs to the C-117 damaged

at Vung Tau in June were completed on 27 JulT.

On 31 July PBR 130 was launched at Binh Thuy and returned to River

Section 511. This FER had been over 80 percent damaged in enemT action

on 5 May and was rebuilt through the efforts of repair personnel at

NAVSUPPACT, Saigon, Binh Thuy Detachment. The extent of repairs required

demonstrated the detachment'. capability to build a PBR from scratch if

necessary.

NAVSUPPACT, Saigon personnel strength at month's end was 2,982, an

increase of seven since June.

11)1

DECLASS1FIE[)

eO~Al

••••••

GONPIDENTlAl 102

THIRD NAVAL CO!~'5TRUCTION BRIGADE

Sporadic enemy harassment wao encountered by the 12 Naval Hcbi"8

ConstructicT. Battalions (NMCB) during July. Construction activity was

not .ignific~ntly hampered by the scattered incident. which resulted

in one Seabee killed and 10 wounded in action. The eneuy activity

consioted mainly of J.solated minings, sniper tire, enG rocket/mortar

attack. on the quarries and camps.

Or. the IllOrning of 10 July the NMCB-74 quarry detail was attacked

twice by 8l-!!llll mortar, RPG, and small ar:ns fire. At approximately 1100

one Seabee received oinor wounds in an a!'.tack 10.5 :niles west of th~ Dong

Ha Combat Base. At 1240 the enemy struck the detail again 11.5 miles

west of the combat base wounding t-..ro SeabeesJI one of them seriously_

A detail from 111GB-58 detonated an enemy boob:( trap on the 20th.

This incident, 4 miles west of Hoi An, resulted in wounds to three men.

Two of these wounded men required evacuation. A mortar attack on the

NMCB-58 camp at Camp Haokins on the 23rd caused the only Seabee fatality

due to hostile actior. during July. Two 82-mm mortar rounds impacted

in a camp at about 0100; two Seabee. were wounded in addition to the

man killed.

Vther hostile incident. were reported by NMCB-l at Dan"ng and

Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 301 at the Dong Ha Combat Base.

This consieted of small arms harassment ca"sing no personnel cas"aHie"

and only minor damage. Work on

DECLASSIFiED Q0N~ENllAL

~eve~al times by intermittent en~ ac~ion during July. A detail of

Seabee~ operating fou: bulldozers assisting the Seventh Engineers had

one man wounded and th~ee bulldozers disabled by enemy mines during the

cleari~g o~3ratio~.

Several significant constru~tion projects reached completion during

the m'Jnth. .o\t l:oi Ans the largest si:1g1e Seabee construction effort in

Viet nilln .. a~ c c.>,lated .. hen IiMCS-58 finished the vertical work on 14

individual .a<;" rnkking up the Korean 2nd Brigade Cantonment. More

than 47 lOCO ca...~dc:.ys were ~:1.ded on construction of facilities tor the

8JOOO~n Korean force. The entire Phu Bai airstrip was resurfaced With

AK2 :natting. Work on the 5,600 by 60··foot airstrip w~ completed in just

51 hours wit" the field remaining i" use for all but a 12-hour period

during one night. 0n 1(. July an AmIni ""ntoon bridge over the Perfume

River at Narn goa w~s dbdicated after being completed two weeks ahead

of schedule. Thi3 560-foot bridge is the second of its type completed

i!1. Vietr.a.::n and fons a vital link in the lines of com:nunication support-

ing the area.

rhe joint. NaV7, .~I"!'!tY, Air Force, Vietname5e government refugee housing

p~cjec~J Operation DONG TAM, n~ared coopletion during July. The Seabee

portien of this ;:.rcject !.ncl1.. ... des hou!!Iing for 675 refugee families made

ho~~l~ss duri~g Tet ar.d May fighting in the Saigon area. A Dong Tam

dedication ceremony ' .. a: held at Cholon on n July. Al'Ilong those receiving

award. fr~., ?ri:ne ltini.ter Tra .• Van HUONG ".re ll~ar Admiral BARTLETT. the

~.b£':-"-;"'\

~~DENTIAl 11:4

NMCB-58 project officer, and the enlisted crew leader.

Steady progress continued on the road upgrade prcgram during July. a.r month's end the south Hue by-pass was ready for paving am soil cementing

of the Col Co Road wa. complete except for a one-mile single-la,,,; portion.

Route 1 between Dong Ha and Quang Tri had received 2500 tons of asphaltic

concrete. Also on Route 1, a 600-foot timber bridge over the MY Chan River

(Bridge No. 11) was opened to traffic. Work was started on reopening the

~ailroad between ~nang am Hue when Seabee. began repairs to th~ Truoi

River railroad bridge on 15 July. This is the first of four bridge.

which will have spans raised and damaged sections repaired or replaced.

A definite improvement in the critical shortage of rock during July

was ~loted with increased production from Seabee crushers and the completion

of a 4oo-tons per hour crusher at the Black Rock Bay quarry near Danang.

The new CI"'lSher and another at the Freedom Hill quarry which will be

completed in early Auguatcwere contractor projects with assistance trom

5Mbee detachments. A 75-ton per hour crt.:sher was installed at Black

Road Bay by Naval Support Activity (NAVSUPPACT), Danang. It will crush

surge rock from the contractor operated site. To help relieTe the rock

shortage, 24-hour a day operations began at all crusher site. except Cam

1.0 ",here the road haul between the .ite and the river rock source remaiJled

" security probl.... Hlll production wa. hampered by chroMc shovel

problems at Phu Loc and Ham Hoa &Ad by equipment failure. and enemy action

at Cam Le. 1& addition the Nam Ho. crushe r w .. .hut dOWJl tor 10 days ill

DECLASSI FI ED 10, CONFrO!/fWAl.

DECLASSIFIED ~li1:I.rgf.'!\frl "L ~1 ... ~'lJ ., Ii'"

order to make site improvements. The result was that rock .upplJ- improved,

but .till remained critical with 48,000 tons i.sued in the Danang area

pl!I8 another 52,000 tons barged north.

Effort. to expand and improve the water .ystem throughout I Corp.

moved well during the month. Th, temporary water .ystem fo" Dong Ha

was completed with the exception of tanks and purification unit.. The

deep well at the Cam Lo rock crusher .ite was completed. A 12··inch water

line from the Nam Hoa quarry to the Gia Le Combat BLOe was ."6ntially

completed. Remaining line. from Gia Le to Dong Ha, the third well, and

treatment plant rehabilitation were near completion with the full ~Y3tem

to be in operation by mid~ugu.t.

At Dong Ha NMCB-7 relieved NMCB-5 0" 20 July. Earlier in the month OR

the 11th, NMCB-128 was relieved by NMCB-J at Danang East. The THlRTIETIl

Naval Construction Regiment and supporting battalions were awarded the

Navy Unit Commendation for exceptionally meritorioua service in providing

con.truction support in the Republic of Vietnam from 1 September 1966 to

31 July 1967, Battalion. included in the citation wer .. NMCB'. 1, ), 4,

5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. 40, 58; 62, 71, 74, and 133.

MILITARY PSYCHOLOGICAL AND CIVIC ACTION OPERATION~i

Naval units continued this month to use all methc~s at their disposal

to promote psychological operations. These methods included the use of

an active airborne and w~terborne broadcasting program and the more passive

method of printed leaflets, magazinGs and newspapers. The mair. th~es

utilized were Chi~u Hoi, sU?port of the GVN J volunteer informant program

and the futility and falsity of the VC/NVA cause. This last theme stressed·

the points that the Hanoi regime was sacrificing lives for selfish political

gain, conscripting children below the age of 14, and that the RVN and its

allies have defeated the enemy in their every offensive. Also mentioned

lias the fact that the CO!1lUunists were a't.tacking and killing innocent people

and were destroying Vietnamese culture in their efforts to dominate SvN.

In the First Coastal Zone the exploitation of two ralliers brought a

third by the end of June and the further exploitaticn of th~ three produced

a fourth ::>ember of the same unit by the middle cf July. The fourth ra11ier

stated that one of the primary factors of his decision was t.he multiple

air am waterborne broadcasts and leaflet drcps carried Otlt :.1 the three

previous ralliers. Further exploitation of the fourth man was net possible

at the time becau.~ his family remained in enemy t.rritor/.

On 11 July, t~o Hoi Chanhs turned in three CHICOM rifle. ~nd 33 round.

of ammunition to TF 116 personnel who ~ere conducting a MEDeA? on Tam Phong

I.land about 6, mile. northea3t of Vinh Long.

out.ide of Dai Ngai on tr.e Baasac River with a

107

On 24-July, an LSIL anchored ·;:->'·"'r l " ;,t:- .'('f""\;:-.~._

JUSPA!J' peywar. ~ .. t'erta?-nment

CONFJDENTtAL PECLASS1F1ED

hPU C. F. DAUPHINAIS of Patter.on, N. J. ex~r.es a Vietnamese child while on MEOC A? in the ha~let of An Hoa . I n the background , t he team interpret er and a h~~et health worker screen patients .

team acoa r d . App~oxL~a~ely 40 j unks and sampans came alongs~de and a Yabuta

-.,.a 9 l lS ~d t o fer:-y peo pl e from t~t: city t o see the show , An estimat ed 500

people · .... atcned <'In elt'loo r1.te show and listened to a Chi eu Hoi appeal.

Ccas tal Group 36 bas e .... as given as the best contact point for prospective

de :~l! c t. o rs ii!1d in.torments. The IJs e of a "INN coastal group as a contac t

;x> in t .:'5 :'!1 st rum~ntal in increa.sing G'/N i .. uage in an area .

Ju r : ru; th e :nonth 1£DCAPs treated 16 , 8CO '/ietnarne:3 e p~rso n nel. r-nt: XEDCl'.P

;:- r ·? p;~t;}. tr. t: i:.)elta ';lQ.S ext.~!"l.d ed to the :no re :-emote &re&l!I. f ' -' ,, "" r 1- - -

0 U ~ -' '_ . ~ \.: ; . : :..:. !

108

DEC ,-LASS/FlED

CONFr~ A total of eight Hoi Chanhs rallied to naval units this month.

There are pre.ently 15 Seabee teams operating a. part of the Revolut-

ionary Development Program. During this month in addition to their task.

of road improvement. and recon.truction of building. damaged during Tet or , other combat operation., they were training 265 Vietn'amese per.onnel in

various construction skills. The corpsme'l from these teams are deeply in-

volved in the MEDCAP program and either examined or treated 10,000 patient.

during July. The ",alue of the work of the.e teams i. atte.ted to by USAID'.

request that the number of t~ams be increased from the present 15 to 30.

The feasibility of this request i. presently being .tudied by CNO ' . office.

CE2 G. 'i1. MARTIN and a Vietname.e trainee wire a p.:>w .. r pole at the Regional force. dependent hou.tng compound, 23 mile. .c"th-sc,dhwe.t of Cam Ranh Sa,..

109

&ruSSI F.I ~ 0 j!itNft6ENttAb

The Naval Support Activit7 at Danang reported on three civic action

projects this ~onth which show the increased interest of the Vietnamese

peeple in joining U. S. forces to bring about a better life, for the;nselves.

In the first incident, a group of villagers at Xuong Binh village donated:

9O,OOO$VN to pay for labor to complete a drainage ditch for their village.

The villagers felt they did not have the time to spare to work on the

ditch themselves but they realized its importance to the future welfare of

their ccr.nnunity.. Repairs to the An Hai Protesta.nt School was the next

example of Vietnamese-American cooperation. In an attempt to have the

school completed by the beginning of the school year, the Vietnamese

contributed many man hours and a good portion of the necessary materials

to repair the school. The spirit and determination exhibited by the Viet-

na~ese was due, to a great extent, to outstanding local leadership. The

"hird project involved the filling and grading of the cit7 dump which

had become a breeding grcund for die ease and filth due to the lack of

effort ell. anyone IS part to keep it in proper condition am properly supervise

the dumping of garbage, The Vietnamese have been enthusiastica117 partici-

pating in helping to relieve this common problem by supplying dump trucks

and drivers, fi-,e from I Corps Headquarters and one from the City itself,

to help haul fill into this area so that it can be proper17 graded. When

this project is completed, it is expected that the amount of plague case.

and othe~ diseases among the Vietn~~se living in this area will be great17

reduc ed.l [{If· ',t \' 01 :::-1 c ~ u[,vlf\·...;vl ~ ..

110

•

The refugee hamlet of Bac Vinh, being built in the village of Suei Vinh

by Cam Ranh Bay and Project TRIM personnel, appears to be a classic example

of "helping the people to help themselves." Navy personnel run the concrete

mixer to pour concrete foundations and the Vietnamese people build their

houses en them. The fJ,rst foundations were built aL",ost entirely by Navymen

but as the project progressed so did the Vietnamese participation. With

eight of the 18 houses built the Vietnamese people are now doing about 8C

percent of the work.

The elementary school built primarily for the dependent children of

the Vietnamese Navy Recruit Training Command personnel at Cam p~ Bay

has been calJ.ed the "best civic action project school yet built in Vietnam",

The seven-room building came from a joint services pr6ject initiated and

brought to completion by the United States and Vietnamese navies, with

construction help from the U. S.~. The new school replaced one that

was Fourly equipped, inadequately lighted, overcrowded and understaffed •

In the Fourth Riverine Area, significant civic action success resulted n

from VNN acti':m to provide for people left hOr.leless b7 a large fire in the

city of Can Tho on 17 July. The homes of approximately 600 people were

destroyed in the fire. The VNN cooperated ..nth VNAF and the Catholic Relief

Society to provide food and clothing fop the needy. Within 24 heurs, each

f~ily had received sufficient provi~ions to allow them to begin the task

of recon5tructi~g l;ves and property. The Vh~ also has completed a program

of assistAnce to· the elementary scoool in An toc Thon villa.e in Sa Xuyon

ill r ,~CGNFID.EPmAL - ".v;! II..U

_DJCu.s ... ~ c.c OONHDENTlAL Province. Scheol books ~ve bee n delive r ed to the village chief and

prepa=ations are unde r~ay to begin c~asses for 2, 000 ele~entarJ school

age children · .... ho have recei ¥cd no instruction for bm years .

Young if:'et:la."Je s e e l ementary' school studen~s line u ;; for d edication ceremoni es in !'rQnt. of t.rIe i :- ne'''' seven- r oom school built by U. S. Na'lj' 1 A::-;:-.y ant: '/ietna."1!.ese ~c.'1j' ;:ersof"l .. .11eL

II .. II • ~ ..

" . _- ,,....,: " .- r ' 1 I

, J' : ~ J f i , , " . . 1:-•• ~. '1-.". ..I

OONFroENTtAL 112

SALVAGE OPERATIONS

A one-day salvage conference was held on 8 July on board USS AJAX

(AR-6) to discuss salvage requirements for Mekong Delta operations as

well as First Corps Tactical Zane operations. The conference ~~s called

by COMSERVPAC and was attended by representatives of COMSERVGRU THREE,

CCMNA VFCRV and H>rbor Cl<drance Unit ONE. Based upcn existing and anti-

cipated requirements, the following assignments of salvage assets vere

mutually agreed upon:

1. For operations in the river approaches to Saigon and for contin-

gencies - two harbor clearance teams, one light lift craft and two medium

lift craft.

2. For Mobile Riverine Force support - two combat ~a1vage boats and

one light lift craft (augmented as necessary with divers frOl1l a deployed

harbor clearance team).

3 • Salvage and offshore petroleum. line maintenant".e in First Corps

Tactical Zone will continue to be accomplished by USS COHOES (AN-78). COM-

NAVFORV will evaluate the capabilities of COHOES for the ~~~~ three to 6

months to dete:r.nine whether additiona.l or dif'.ferent salvage assets nil be

required. lihen COHOES requires upkeep or is otherwise out or the country,

the standby AHS of TF 73 will be utilized, as needed, for offshore petrole-

urn line support.

Salvage Operations in First COrp£ Tactical Zone

Aside fro~ the continuing periodic requirement to repair the PCL line.

operating at Chu Lai and Wunder Beach (Thon IV Thuy), which was accomplished

rtr l " (,,""11 '·'-n-113 CONF_,tMl

DECLASSIFIED

in July 1:.y USS GRASP (ARS 24), most ot the salvage work in First Corps Tac­

tical Zone was dme m the Partuma and Cua Viet rivers by Light Lift Craft

TWO and USS COHOES.

The YLLC-2 began the mmth by removing the stern sectim ot n1l'-12

from the Perfu"" River; it had bean a navigational obstructim. Cal com­

pletion of that job, YLLC-2 proceeded up the coast on 13 July to Cue Viet ~

The following day YLL~-2 divers removEli the torward sectim of an LCM-8

which was needed by the Vietnamese Navy to repair me their daJIBged LCM-8' s.

Explo.:t ves were used to cut the bow sectim from the remain"f ot the hull.

The bow secticn was then taken to NSAD, and on 15 July, YLLC-2 assisted in

loading it onto a barge. The remaining LCM-8 wreckage Was not a hazard to

navig!ltion and was left in place. Cal the 15th, YLLC-2 Assisted Marines in

retrieving a sunken LVT from the riTer. The busy cra£t also recovered a

sun..1.cen flotter", located an anchor and chain and secured it to a mooring

bucy.

At the request of COMNAVSUPPACT Danang, USS GRASP t assisted by YLLC-2,

which had just returned from Cua Viet, began the work of refloating a con­

strJction rock barge chartered by MSTSU Danang and which had stmk in 'ran

My Cove. The barge WaS nearly vertical siaee it vas supported on me side

by an adjacent barge, wedghlg it between the bottom and the other barge.

After patching holes and pumping en the 23rd, the barge gradually light­

ened and on the 24th, small river tug. wore able to parbuckle it tree ot

the ad ja.<:BRt-, par~~,a¢_ .it, re!l('ated. I _ -I 'i" '. ,_ I _. ' , L.J ~ Vl .. rh ,-,'!. .

After pumping it dry, the barge vas

GeNFff)ENrlAL

towed to shallow water.

DECLASSI FI ED CONFIUENff.-L

COHOES arrived at Cua Viet the monrlng of 6 July. The first saJ.vage

project was :an LVT which !.ad sunk and was nearly buried in the sand en the

river bottom. The LVT was part1.alJ.y lifted en 9 July but the awkword posi­

tion COHOES was required to be in and the 60-90 ten weight of the lift set

COHOES into the sand, making it impossible to retract to deeper water.

Since the tide was ebbing, the LVT .':lS set back dawn and COHOES discon-

nected for the night. The next day, the Marine~ requested to attempt a

shore recovery and this was agreed on. As they made their preparatiens,

COHOES searched for and round a sunken PCF in the channel entrance. Look-

ing for other wrecks, COHOES found an LCM-6 en the 11th, rigged lifting

slings on it, positiened over the sunken craft and raised it the next day.

The LCM-6 was dewatered and turned over to a locaJ. craft for tow to Cua

Viet barbor.

01 13 July, the Marines put four LVT s in tandem to a tow line which

COHOES divers attached to the sunken LVT which t • ..d been parti311y raised

out of the sand by CalCES on the 9th. The four LVT's succeeded in pulling

the sunken LVT onto the shore.

Also on the 13th, COHOES made a three point moor over a sunken work

boat that belenged to USS BOLSTER (ARS 36). It was bottom up, and nearly

covered with sand. Divers began the chore of washing away the sand with

raJ.con nozzles oparating off COHOES fire main pump. Heavy wind and cur­

rent hampered efforts to wash away the sand. On the 16th, after making

U> Dbb~~~~mrAl

11 ttle headway with the nozzles, eductors vere rigged as sucticn lifts to

remove the sand. The new method worked with great success. The boat was

righted Lo.ter in the afternoon. Early the next morning, lifting slings and

straps were rigged and the boat was lifted to the surface, drained and

pumped dry, and then place Q] th .. forecastle of COIIOES. <kl the 18th, CO-

HOES tu.'"!1ed the boat over to N.1val Support Activity, Danang, and returned

to Cua Viet on 20 July.

The next project was the removal of the hulk of Pr.P 14 from the ~­

nel to permit dredging operations which were scheduled to begin in a ffSW

daY'; by the dredge SWELL MASTER. Arter making a three point moor over tbe

craft, COHOES again used eductors to clear the sand away from the wreck.

The s",.rong currents and poor holding ground requ:!.red COHOES to remoor sev­

eral times during the day. That night, the area came under artillery at:' "

tack and the ship moved out to sea. The next morning it was decided to

blas+ the PCP. With 75o pounds of c-4 explosive hose charges and blocks

placed on, in and around the hull and det"nated, the pcp waS reduced to

small sections. COHOES returned and aoored over the debris the foll~clng

morning, 22 July, and began picking up the piecP-B. Early that afternoon,

yoo-31 went hard aground only 100 yards off the CClIOES port bow. Since

she was already using her 8,ooo-pound Eells anchor, eCHOES passed a 1 5;8-

inch wire to the YOO, camected it up to the four-fciId 5/8-inch beach gear,

and began pulling. Only 59 minutes after the grounding, the yoo was clear,

and COHOES diver. went back to work picking up pcp pieces.

OONFmENTlAt 116

-rY~' """!!',... _. ---, .. L..o ."

At 0900 on the 23rd,_ COHOES, continuing vorl< on the PCF, vas fired

upon by enemy rockets. 'o/hUe recovering her three-point moor, more rockets

came in and as she departed the sixth rocket landed in her J;'=er position.

Sal vage operations "ere secured for the rest of the day. The next day

oper'lt,ions continued until heavy we ,,";her forced COHQli...,,5 out to sea a~ain.

ffy then, atout 50 percent. of the pc, Iud been removed. \lorle could not re-

sume until the 27th ar,d even then was hampered by the high wind and sea

condi tions. On the 29th it va£ estimated that 70 percent of the wreck"Ge

had been recovered. Ene~ rockets again forced COHOES to ~et urde~~ bn

the 30th, but not belore it vas det.e;>:'ll1ined that it would be necessary to

use JIIOre deJIIOlition and remove more sand in order to reach the last ..-ining

sections of the PCF. At month's end it WFif estimated that only a few da1a

.-culd be roquired to cO"'l'1ete the job.

Salvage OperatiOns in Fourth Corps Tactical Zone

On 13 July two armored troop ca.-riers (ATC), which were elll\&ged 1:1

operations on the Ba Rai Stream two miles east of Cai Be, "ere d&JM.i8"l by

underwater explosions .hort17 sIter beaching on th~ vanka of the stream.

The first ATC, T-131-8, took an explosion beneath the olpne rcom, rasult~

in the nooding at the "Pace. The second ATC, T-l31-l), .-.ceived an l8-inch

hole in the J azaret. Salvage werle b"san 1mnediately and daCens1 ... e pe:iJDetera

were estabUshed by troop~ or tl".e 4/39th InCantry 1lattalion. Combat Sal ... :,,;:"

Boat THREE, diveN from 1iSS SJ'IIINX (ARL 24), >C.th d.lmage control equipment

trom 1iSS WIh'DHAM COUlITY (LST n 70) patched and .-,'C~.UrJlly renoated the

117

DECLASSIF1ED c6OH1OOENTIAL damaged ATe's, which were subsequently towcci to the repair facility at

Dong Tam.

AU. s. Arrr..! leased gravel barge designated the LC-86 sank alongside

the Vinh J.ong sea ,;a]" .II. about 12 feet of water on 16 July, blocking the

use of that section of the sea wall fot' cargo handling. The barge was

loaded .c. th abo~t 200 tons of rock. It apparently touched bottom, then

slid away from the sea wall and down the river bank at an angle during an

extreme low tide, causing flooding over hold coarnings along the outboard

sic'e as the tide began rising.

Harbo> Clearance Team FIVE divers flew to the site on 20 July to sur­

vey the barge, returning to Vung Tau that afternoon. The survey indicated

that th. barge was intact. There was a wire rope under a strain, from the

sea wall to the pcrt q:arter of the barge, which was countering a tendency

for the barge to .lide into deeper water. Soundings only 100 feet from

t.he sea wall indicated a river depth of over 60 feet. ArrrrT personnel fam­

ilao.r ·.li~h the barge infor:ned the Nav;r that the poor material condition of

the barge did no't j~tify the time and eff':Jrt required to raise i tJ con­

sequen':.l:r :!.: was decided to slide or parbuckle it into deeper water ani

abandon ~t. At tirst light on 24 July UlLC-l, with HCT-5 personr.el embarked,

sao.led from Vung Tau for Vinh Long, arriving the evening of the 25th.

The following day compartments at the after end of the barge were

p~ed '''It only about 60 percent of the water ~ould be removed because of

the deteriorat.ed condit. ion ot the deck and bulkhead.!. That afternoon

CONFmENTIAl DEC~SSIFIEO

118