the ~anal until they came under fire from bot~ the east and west banks.

Seawolves, already in the air providing cover ror a tug and barge escort,

were called in and put in strikes and cover fire for the SEAL ani KCS

extraction. PCFs 50 and 35, who were escorting a tug and barges nearby,

also commenced to cover the extracticn. The SEALs ani KCSs were

extracted by PCF 35 under enev fire. PCFs 693 and 98, who had originally

inserted the SEALs and KCSs and had then taken station as directed for

commo-relay support, took over the tug and barge escort. Black Ponies

also jojneci the Seawolves in placing strikes in the area. Later intel­

ligence revealed that 11 of the enel1\7 were killed by these air strikes

and another five wounded. A possible company size force had been attemp­

ting to cross ~'J.e Cna Lon when intercepted and tu=ed back by t.he combined

efforts of all units involved.

On }O May, a spotter aircraft sighted six camouflaged sampans and

one moving sampan neaT the Cua Loo River (VIC WQ 151 680). Seawolves

were diverted to the area followed by PCFs 98 and 692 and an J.:rrrr:I Slick.

The seawolves destroyed three of the Sl/mpaIls and the "Swifts" moved in to '

recover as much of the sampan cargo as possible. Initial salvage opera­

tions i"ssulted 1., the capt1n"o of 165 CHICCM, u. S., aid VC grenad.es and

fuses, two sewing machines, three kilos of documents, and approximately

40 kilos of military and civilian clothing p.lus miscellanecus other gear.

The "Swift" boate, accompanied by 20 CIDG troops, returned the

following morning to ccntjnue the salva.ge operaticn. WhUe the CIDG

troops set up a perimeter, the PCF sailors recovered additional cargo.

Approximately 1000 pounds of captureci.material was evaluated by the

41

Nno at Nam Can. This material included machine shop, foundry, and

metal shop equipment. Captured documents revealed that these sampans <

probably belonged ta the VC Nam Can district workshop which was in the ) -

process of moving to a new location when sighted. This large haul of •

captured equipment, along with completed and partially C'ompleted launch

tubes, could do much to reduce the danger of rocket and launch bomb

ambushes in the near future.

42

Stable Door

Stable Door forces detected a total of 31,254 watercraft in

Vung Tau, Ca.m Ranh Bay, Qui Nhon, and Nba TraIlg Harbors d1l1'ing May.

Of this tctal 3,640 were inspected and another 2,801 boarded. These

patrols resulted in the! detentien of 203 craft and 188 persene tor

faulty or missing identificatien papers, possession of contraband,

and restricted zene violations.

Unit em: - ':lung Tau

In the early morning hours of 19 May, HarLor Entrance Centrol

Point (HEeP) perscnnel observed the VNN 1ST 501 make a hard port turn

while heading up the channel. fbe 1ST attempted to pass between two

ships anchored in F-1S and F-16. 1ST 501 appeared to COllIe very close

to the S3 THUNDBRBIRD anchored :!n F-16. No report was received at the

time and it waS believed that a collisLal had been avoided. 1ST $01

proceeded to anchor in B-14. Appl'ox11lately fiTe and a half hours later,

the HRCP WAS informed by MSTS Vung Tau that the LS'1' had indeed struck

SS THUNDERBIRD near the bow, causing 8. foar foot square hole 12-15

feet above the waterline. The 1ST suifered extensive da-.ge to her

starboard side.

Un1 t TWO - Calli Ranh Bay

lihile conducting ship checlr:e ill the early lII01'Ilillg hours of 1 May,

the Cam Ranh Bay Stable Door reD t8alll discovered a 5O-fO poand charge

attached to the hull of the S3 COIUNISQUE. The KeD tum attempted to

43

, " /' "

"

COlfllEITlll

alert eomeane on the ship with negative results. No sentries were

seen at this, or any other time, en the COWANESQUE. 'i'he charge was

removed from the hull but sank to the ocean floor in 120-130 feet of

water as the ECD personnel were dragging it AWay from the COWANESQUE

for disposal. The BEGP ".183 info~ ar.d parsamol aboard the COWANESQUE

were alerted to make praparatioos for getting underway. The 3hip was

checked again and l!;Uj team, along with Picket 04 and LCPL 23, nuv:ie a

thorough search of tho area and the rest of the harbor for ~rs

with negative results. The ECi) team searched the area th" following

morning and found a 12 foot crater which could have been caused by

the detonation of the charge. No other evidence of the charge was

found.

In the evening of 13 May, Basten 'Whaler 77, with GMJSN T. W.

Oales, USN, and Nguyen lIung Sen, VNN, serTIng as the boat crew, was

making a grenaJe run .1round the dredge NEW JERSEY in the inner Qui Nhon

harbor when a wave caused GKlSN Oaks to slip, dropping a live grenade

into the boat. Both crew members went over the side and escaped. the

grenaab's blast ~ich put a six inch diameter hole in the whaler's

starboard side. The t'l<O crew members were picked up by the tug

CYNTHIA which also reco'~red the Bos~an Whaler and secured it to the

d~ge.

"',': .

. -.'. ,;

l1n'.t FOUR - Nha Trang

On 10 MaT the Stable Door BOO team received a request for assis­

tance from MACV Advisory Tsam 46 with respect to suspected underwater

explosive charges attachad to the long Bone Bridge on Highway QL-1

(North) in the 7icinity of CP 043 560. !CD perscnnel found the charge,

whic), censisted of 180 pounds of foreign made ?lAstic explosive, 1:50

pounds of TNT base pOl«lered explosive, six charges bound together with

detenator cord, and initiating devices (four CHIGOM chemical ignitors,

three quick destruct pull-friction ignitors, and two booby trap pull­

fricticn ignitors) inside th'l charge. The charge was disassembled

:md taken to the Unit FOUR demoiiticn range where it was destroyed.

46

001 tI£ITII .

FIBEITIAL

RIVER PATROL FORCE SUMMARY

There was no signi£icant change in operations or the location

of River Patrol Force units of TF 116 during the month of May.

48

•.

. CO.FIIEITIll

• CTF Clearwater

The enemy activity in the CTF Clearwater Area of Operations (AO)

during the month of May was considered to be moderate to low. There were

two periods of relatively high activity a1 the nights of 30 April!1 May

and on 7!8 May. No naval assets were damaged during these periods.

Mines, once again, presented the greatest threat to operations in

this AO. During the month, there were nine mine incider.ts reported.

This also was a decrease in activity from the previous month when 15

mine incidents were reported. The majority of all mine incidents

occurred within the first six days of the month.

At 021430H May, Vietnamese children discovered a mine in the

Cua Viet River, six k:llometers southwest of the Clearwater Advanced

Tactical Support Base (ATSB), and reported the fact to a patrol unit.

Clearwater personnel arrived at the scene and ::.dentified the mine as IUl

NVA pressure mine containing approximately So pounds of a CHICOM type

charge. Clearwa"oer ATSB personnel destroyed the mine in place.

On 4 May, MSM 12, lihile reco"lering its bottom trawl, discovered

an NVA pressure bline with an estimated 50 pOlmd CHICOM explosive charge

in the trawl. The MSM was aground upon ebb tide. 1.n order to preserve

the safety of the craft, a three pound explosive charge waS tied tC' a

net adjacent to the pressure bladder of the mine, and the trawl and the

mine were cut loose. The mine was destroyed with no material damage.

49

On 18 May, a Vietnamese sampan, while recovering its nets abau'~

four kilometers southwElst of the Clearwater ATSB, recovered an NVA

pressure mine. The fishermen turned the mine over to a Coastal Group

11 junk.

en 21 May, in ceremonies ccnducted at Clearwater ATSB, LCDR

George Foodren relieved LCDR W. D. Nicholscn and assumed the duties as

Commanding Officer Clearwater ATSB Qua Viet/CDR Dcng Ha River Security

Group.

Units assigned to CTF Clearwater cooducted normsl daily patrols and

sweep operatioos during the mooth. Resupply units tran:;:tted the rivers

without incident.

•

·CUIFIlEITIAl

"

• .

SEAL Operations in the Rung sat Special Zone

SEAL Detachment ALPHA, 5th Platoon, Squids ALPHA and BRAVO,

composing TU 116.9.5, operated throughout the RSSZ during the month

of May. Although the SEALs conducted at least 32 operations during

the month, the majority of these operations was relatively insignificant.

Two of the more significant SEAL operations are describEd below:

The first operation took place in Long An Province, approximately

ten kilomet.ers south of Nha Be. Both squads departed Nha Be by Slick

at 201220H May and proceeded to XS 945 70B where ALPHA Squad inserted

in order to check out POVI intelligence. The PaWs led the squad to several

small cache sites in close proxLmity to the insertion site. BRAVO

Squad then inserted by Slick to help secure the area. The caches con­

tained 13 kilos of rice, 300 feet of iron wire, one demolition kit,

one 155 mm artillery rcund, two B1 mm mortar rounds, three gallons

of fish sauce, one AK-47 bullet mold, ane butane torch, and assorted

tools. All of the captured material was destroyed.

The second operation waS conducted in the vicinity of XS B8S 667,

approximately 13 -kHometers southwest of Nha Be. Acting on intelligence

gathered by PRUs, the SEAL Squads departed Nha Be at 252500H and inser­

ted by Slick. A guide led the waY to a medical cache in the immediate

vicinity of the insertion point. The guida then led the platoon to a

cache of surgical instruments at XS 885 665. On extraction, the SEAL

Squads retained s~les of all the medical supplies but had to· destroy

much of the cache due to their inability to either salvage or carry.out

the remainder of the material. 51

--- : .

fflEITlIl

The cache consisted of 3,000 5 cc vials of aS30rted vitamins

(B12, K, e), 100 5 cc vials of novocaine, 500 5 cc vials of quinOSel'nl,

500 5 cc vials of sterile water, 15 thermometers, 7 hypo syringes,

nine boxes of needles (12 to a box), two intravenous (IV) sets, one

spigameter, one surgical kit, 16 hemostats, two needle holders, five

sets of retractors, two scalpels, one box of suture needles, one airway,

and assorted towel clamps and sponge holders.

. . ,"

",

a'FIlEITIIL

'.

Rung Sat Special ZCIle Shipping Incidents

Two enemy attacks CIl shipping in the Long Tau Shipping Channel

occurred during the mc:mth of May,

-At 103UH CIl the 18th, the 5S WINDSOR VICTORY tr&nsit:l.ng north

on the LCIlg Tau Shipping Channel report&d receiving four rocket rounds

from the bank at the intersectic:m of the Nga Bay and the Dong Tranh

Rivers (YS 100 645). The WINDSOR VICTORY t'Jok CIle hit in the port

side galley area wounding one civllian slightly.

RegiCllal Forces Company 783 CIl routine Long Tau security patrol

heard the rocket rounds fired. Searching the area, the troops found

rocket. launching platforms at YS 108 627 approximately CIle kilornet .. r .

SOtlth Jf the WINDSOR VICTORY's positiCll when hit. At 104511, LT.n Yates

with two Seawolve~ placed air strikes in the area. At 111.511, two RSSZ

ASPB's with BMC·Barnard in charge inserted troops from RF Company 875

to act as a blocking force for the other company. Ground sweep opera-

tians terntL.,ated at 1,1511 with no further results.

Ths second attack occurred 20 miles south of Nha Be when the

USNS SUNSHINE STATE observed three rocket explosions in the air nearby

at 0715H on the 28th. '?!le SUNSHINE STATE vas transiting nrth an the

Long Tau Shipping Channel near the L, ng VUalg Canal (YS 034 618) when

the attack was attempted. Suttering no casualties, the SUNSHDIE STATE

continued to its destinatiCll.

eOIFlUEITtl

", '

. f.''ItIIIIlL

LCDR Wolniewicz 'aM. LT.Xl Dowing in Seawol ves, and LT Woodsworth

in an OV.10 trom Vung Tau provided overhead cover as Regional Forces

Company 78) searched the firing area. The troops found the rocket

launching platform near the Long ,Vuong Canal aM. destroyed them.

No further ensl1\Y contact was made.

lelFIiEITlll

unlDENTIAL

NAVAL ADVISORY GROUP SUMMARY

Fleet r; omma:nd

The month of May was a very active ene for the ships of the

Vietnamese Navy Fleet Command. Much of the increase in the tempo of

activities \las ..iue to the expansion of operations into Cambodia. Fleet

Command ships were engaged in river security and refugee evacuation

operatiens in Operation Tran Hung Dao XI and also carried out the exten-

sion of Market Time patrols along the Cambodian coast. All this was

in addition to their normal coastal patrols and naval gunfire support

nti.ssirns. Discussions of their roles in the two above-mentioned opera-

tions may be found in the sections of the S1lI1I!Ilal"Y dealing with those

operations.

As of 31 May, the ships of the Fleet Command t' 3re deployed as

follows: (All number/letter pairs r,"fe~ to Market Time patrol areas).

FGM 502 PCE 10 roM 613 FGM 610 FGM 608/619 PGM 601/608 roM 617 PGM 605 LS8L 228 PGI1 617/PCE 12

LS8L 229 LSIL 321/300' 18M(H) 401 LSS1 225/226, LSIL 329,

IBM 403/405, lS}!(H) 400

Locatien

1A (1st CZ) 2E 4c (2nd CZ) 4D BD/E (4th CZ) 9C/D 9E 9L 9M 90

Nam Can (4th RA) Vinh Long Nam Can Cambodia

56

Operaticn

Market Time Patrol

NGFS

" PSYOPS THD XI

t:

"

•

. . •

,CIIFIDENTIA L

•

'.

Coastal Zenes

Activity in all the Coastal Zones, except the Fourth (because of

its proximity to Cambcrlia), was comparatively light. However, the

number of junks and people searched jumped significantly over the

figures for April. During May, 85,261 junks and 287,401 people vere

searched by the Coastal Junks and Coastal Surveillance Forces, an increase

over April of 18% in the number of junks and 12% in the number of people.

In this sect',on, the activities of the junks of the Coastal Groups

p"nd the PCFs and WPBs of the Coastal Surveillance Forces will be discussed.

They are dealt with in the same section because the two forces frequently

conducted operations in concert with one another,

First Coastal Zone

During l".ay, enell1Y activity in the First Coastal Zone was light

except in the Hoi An area, the area of operations for CO 14. Elements

of CG 14 conducted numerous sweep operations with various PCFs of VNN

TG 213.1.

On 4 May, two unitR of CG 14, two PCFs, two PBRs, two KSBs, two

RF Companies, CTF 194.1 personnel and lIDT 11 personnel conducted a

survey of a crMk rtmning between B'r 1 90 578 and BT 170 568. Fire was

received from an unknown sized enell1Y unit at BT 181 572 and four RFs

were wmmded. Fire was received again at BT 173 567, and during this

. actien, one ID' personnel stepped en a mine and was killed. All units

had to be Unloaded and walked out due to shallow water in the creek.

Four sensors were implanted during the missiCZl.

57 CONFIDENTIAL

·tiDIIUIUUllnL

At 0815 on the morning of 15 May, a Yabuta junk of CO 14 detona-

ted a mine of undetermined size at BT 137 ~37 while transporting an RF

Company. Two of the embarked personnel were thrown overboard by the

blast. One of them was recovered, but the other RF was not found and

was presumed dead.

Second Coastal Zone

Units of TG 213.2 and coastal g~·oups of the S .. ,'ond Coastal Zone

carried out daily patrols, sweep operations, and psychological and

civic actien operations. Contact with the enenw was light and scattered

with comparatively few major actions in most areas.

In spite of fairly light enenw activity elsewhere, a good deal

of pressure W'1S brought to bear on CO 23. Their base received a mortar

attack on 8 May and again 00 20 May when seven rounds landed near the

base. In the attack on 8 May, the base.received apprarlJutely 5-8

rounds of 82 mm mortar fire and adjacent housing of VNN dependents was

als') hit. Casual ties ameng both base personnel and dependents were

quite heavy with two Vietnamese Navy persormel and three dependents

killed and eight U. S. Navy personnel and eight dependents wounded.

On 13 May, LT Fairchild, the Senior Advisor of CO 23, was seriously

wounded while riding in an Aruw convoy that was en its way from Song

Cau to Qui Nhon. The ambush was initiated by the detonation of five 105

rom rounds which had been set up like claymores aleng the road.

LT Fairchild was medevaced to Qui Nhon and was reported in good CQ'\-

dition.

•

· •

58 GOIFIDENTIAl

As of 25 May, the units of the Cuastal Groups of the Second

Coastal Zoos ware employed as follows:

Unit # of Junks Assigned Type of Ops

CG 23 10 Patrol, base d6fense

CG 25 8 Patrol, base defen$e

CG 26 8 Patrol, ~ase defenDe

CG 27 8 Patrol, base defense, Special Ops

CG 28 Special Ope, ba,se defense

Third Coastal Zane

Vietnamese Navy units in the Third Coastal Zone engaged in anly

a few significant actions during May. This was due in part to the fact

that a number of unHs which normall¥ operate In the waters of the

Third Coastal Zone were temporarily relll!!signed to Cambo1ien operatims

on the Mekcng River. The junk forces of the Coastal Groups cOlltlnued

to cmduct many patrols and sweep operations, but contact with the enelIlY'

was infrequent.

The forces of the Third Coastal Zone Coastal Groups were employed

as follows as of 29 May:

Unit

CG 33

Number/Locaticn

4 ~ Sang Cua Leu 2 - Rach Ong Ben 2 - Rach Cua Lap 5 - Local

59

Type of Ops

TAD Sea Float Coastal patrOl River patrol Base defense.

co 34 3 - Seng Ham Luang Coastal patrol

3 - Scng H8l1I Luong River patrul 3 - Local Base defense

2 - S eng Cua Lan TAD Sea !."loat 3 - Song Co Chien Coastal patrol ;: - Seng Co Chien Ri var patrol 2 - local Base defense

en 35

~ - So.lg Cua Inn TAD Sea Float 2 - Seng Hau Giang Coastal patrol 2 - Song Hau Giang River patrol ., - local Base defense ~

CG 36

Fourth Coastal Zene and Extended Market~ime Operatlens

Due to events in Cambcxiia, there was a great deal of activity

in the waters of the Fourth Coastal Zone and in adjoining Cambodian

waters during th" menth of May. The advisory effort during these

operations, especially in Cambodian waters, was lilflitd due to

ob'daus political coosideratiens. The direct participation of USN

units was almost nooexistoent. Vi, I;namPse units carried out the opera-

tions largely without even the help of American advisors and acquitted

themselves well.

Market Time opera1.1ens "lrere extendcri almg the Cambcxiian coast,

with the approval and cooperatiQa of the Cambcxiian gover~nt, around

the middle of the mcnth. Al:lO at about this time, en May 17, an ARVN

operatioo named Cuu Long II was launched into the l't'Igicn of Cambodia

betwee., the cities of 'fakeo and Karnpot. As tids area borders the sea,

Vietnamese Naval WIlts were able to provide support to olement~ of

. the 9th and 21 st .ARVN dtvistens during the course of the operation.

It must be reen~hasized that these operations were almost entirely

Vietnamess with little or no American }:u-ticipation.

-.-

60

COlflUEMTtll

'.

GUilt IOtlllllL

VNN LSSL 228, PCE 12, 00 junks, and TG 214.4- I';:;Fs put1cipated

in these operaticns. American advisors rale these ships as lmg as

they remained within certain limits, but when the ships went past

these limitsi:.he adviSOI'd were disembarked. At no tjJne did the nwnber

of American advisors in Cambalian waters exceed 20.

One of the most important parts of the May Cambalian operaticns

was the evacU!l tion of refugees to Vietnam. On 23 May, VNN PCFs evacu-

ated 373 refugees from Kampot to Kech TUllsey Island and, the next day,

to Ha Tien. On 26 May, 394 more rei'ugees were evacuated to Rach Gia.

Excellent cooperation WaS afforded the evacuations by Cambalian author-

ities.

At the end of the month, six VNN PCFs, 10 CG junks, VNN PCE-12 ,

VNN HQ 455, an LCM-6, and an I-CM-8 were operating in Cambodian waters

wl th only £= American ail. visors. No USN units were c!lElrating in

CaMbalian coastxil waters.

As of 30 May the coastal groups of the Fourth Coastal Zone were

employed as follows:

Unit

CG 41

CG 42

00 43

Nwnberl Location

7 - Ha Tien 2 - 8 EID

6 - Ha Tien 3 - Poulo Panjang 2 - 9 L 1 - An Thoi

6 - Ha Tien "\ - An Thoi

61

Type of Ops

River patrol Patrol

River patrol Patrol Patrol Stand-dcnm

River patrol Temp. detached

co 44 4.;, Ha Tien 3 - Ha Tim 3 - Ali. Thai.

62

" ,

R1verjiatl'ol'; Stard~CMl Sec1l1'1t1':o ",,"

.' '; ", -- J ~ .~_

" ;,

"' ',"

···CO.FIOEITfAL

o.

)1 Groups

Although few cootacts were made with the enemy by t·he VNN RPGs

within the borders of RVN during May, there was a major jump in the

level of the RFGs I activity caused by the expansicn of Allied operations

into CambcGiao RFGs 53, 54, & 56, 00 the Vam Co Dong, and RPG 55, 00

the 11ekong, participated in Operatioo Tia Chop and Tran Hung Dao XI,

respectively. The discussion of their roles in these operations can

be found in sections on Giant Sling~hot (214.1) and Tran Hlmg Dao XI.

other R~s in the Republl.c of Vietnam continued normal river

denial operations. The VNN RPGs "ere deployed as follows during May:

Unit Location Operatioo

RFG 51 Cat Lai Saigon-Dong Nai River Patrol

RFG 52 Phu Cuong Tran Hung Dao V

RFG 53 Ben Luc and Ben Keo Giant Slingshot

RFG 54 Tan An Giant Slingshot

RFG 55 Chau Doc/Cambodia THD I/THD XI

RFG 56 Vam Co Dong/Grand Canal. Tia Chop/Barrier Reef

RFG 57 Nha Be Lcng Tau Patrol

aFG S8 Rach Uia Search Turn

At the end of the mcnth. the Vietnamese NaT.r wal! a~ 'T

the formaticn of two RFGs: RPG 59 w2I1ch was turned over at T1qen Nhon

on 30 May and RFG 60 which was turned o"fllr at Tan M1 and Hoi An on

31 May.

unl IUlon I , ....

RAIDS

The RAID activity for the month was rather rout:ine tmtil 6 l'lay,

when all six RAIDs were deployed from their AOs to take part in the

Cambodian operation. Until that tilne, RAIDs 72 and 73 patrolled the

Song Ha.'1! Luong from XS Ll75 300 to xs 45 13 :in support of the 10th Regi­

ment, 7th AR"N Division. RAID 74 operated on the Rach Nga Sa Cai Tau

in "'uppor':. of the 6th Battalion, VNMC Brigade Alpha. Noth:ing out of

t.he ord:inary troop lifts and :interdiction patrols took place, although

BH2 Harvin Schlueter, US)l, acting as an advisor to RAID 71 in the

THD II AO, was commended for his quick respense on 30 April. Operat:ing

on a Boston ;''haler :in conjunction with Ranger Team 17, E Company, 75th

Infantry, at 1935H, Schlueter was in ¥ffiGP on the Vam'Co Dong at XS 587

786 "hen he observ€d three heavily loaded sal1pans crossing the river

from the west. He took the sampans under fire with an 11-60 and then

began to receive heavy A/W return fire from the west bank of the river.

He held his position until the Arrrry unit could fall back en the whaler.

After recovering the Ranger Team,' he extracted and made 2. firing run

to the north, suppressing heavy ene~r fire. Six enerrry kills were con-

firmed and the capture of an M-2 carbine, medical supplies and numerous

documents was accompli~hed.

."

..

64

fOMftUENTIAL

I.FIIEITIAL

River Assault Groups

During the II\mth of MaT, the RAGs of the VietnaJaB.e Ha.". cCIQ~1A_

to carq out r1ver interdicticn and amphibious anault QIIBl'at1aDa.·

Contact with the en8ll1T uaS light and scattered altho\lih RAGe 2) .. 31

did participate in the expansicn of Allied operations into C •• od1ll

in OperatiC%! Tran Hung Dao XI.

During May, the VNN RAGs I advisors reported no s1an1t1cant opera­

tions involving combat with the enemy. Tbe RAGs were depl"fBll ..

follows:

Un1t Loeatim

RAG 21/33 Dong T&I1I

RAG 22 Ben Luc

RAG 23/31 Camboiia (THOU)

RAG 24 Dau Tieng

RAG 2~/29 Can Tho

RAG 26 Rach Gia

RAG 27 Nha Be

RAG 28 SW of Saiem

RAG 39 Phu Cumg

RAG 32 Hue

RAG 81 Cat Lai •

RAG 91 Cat Lai

uUnl IULn I IIU

Tran Hung Dao I

Vietnamese manned units of Tran Hung Dao I, advised by U. S. Navy

personnel, operated during May along the Bassac River and into Cambodia

near Chau Doc. Initinlly, RAIll 71 units entered Cambodia to establish

a naval blockade extending 20 kilometers along the Bassac and to provide

troop sunport near Ph Khpop (.iT 065 145). RIll 42 units entered Cam­

bodia to establish a naval blockade along the Chau Doc River. HSF

troops operated in conjunction with th', probe, sweeping ene kilometer

deep on each side of the Chau Dec River. An unrelated water probe was

made simultaneously by naval units along the Rach Binh Ghi.

On :1 May, RIVDIV 532 crossed the border with an element of RPG KSB

and RAIll 71 and oxplored 20 kilometers alalg the Takev River. A search

of both river banks and villages along the way was conducted c.uring

two days of operations. RAIll 71 unit" reported locating a cache of 21

Red Chinese grenades, ene 60 rom mortar round and two coils of wire.

Initially, the Vietnamese CTU 194.8 and llis U. S. advisor, LCDR

Souval, established an advanced base at An Phil. With expanded operations

and improved communications, the command base was relocated to YRBM-20

at Chau Doc.

On 9 May, Ma1itor 6 came under 75 rom recoilless rifle and auto­

matic weapons attack while in a WOOP al the Rach Giang Thanh approximately

20 kilometers northeast of Ha Tien. The boat suppressed the fire with

the assistance of Seawolves 308 ana 326. While there were no friendly

.'

66 COIFIOERTIAl

(jOlt IUU II"L " .

personnel casualties, the M-6 sustained AK-47 holes in the port side,

Imd it was believed that a live 75 nun round was lodged in the styrofoam

port side aft. The boat WaS unable to return to its station.

On 11 May, the stern sentry of the USS GARRETT CITY (IST 786)

sighted bubbles approaching the ship. He threw six concussion grenades

into the water, but the bubbles ccntinued to close the ship. Four

depth charges were then dropped, whereupon the bubbles ceased. EOD

divers investigated with negative results.

67

_ ..,. .••. u .. · ••••••

J,)ECLASSIE1EQ Tran Hung Dao II

LCDR ?ham Van Tieu, VIlli, former Deputy Commander of Giant Sling­

shot, assumed full command of the operation, henceforth referred to an

Tran clung Dao II, in ceremonies at Ben buc on 5 May 1970. The change

of com~ders produced no immediate alterations in operating methods,

and Tran Hung Dao II units experienced approximately the same degree of

activity as during the preceding month, engagjng in 26 friendly-initi­

ated fire fights and 17 enemy-initiated ones (up from April's 12 and 18,

respectively) .

Like most ether interdiction operations, the bulk of the working

h01.'rs were spent waiting .01.' an evasive enemy to appear, and the only

event to break the tedium in June was the brief and rather unhappy foray

into Cambodian territory in support of U. S. Army operations in the

Fishhook. Units of RPGs 53, 54, and 56 entered Cambodia on the Vam

Co Dong at 1300H, 5 Hay, and they conunenced rotating WBGPs in support

of the 25th ARv;.1 Division. At 0745H, 7 Hay, RPG 56 units were proceeding

out of Cambodia on the Vam Co Dong River, having spent an uneventful i-l!lGP

the night before, when they came under heavy automatic weapons and B-40

fire at v,'T 957 637. Seawolves, Army LHITs, and Dustoff helos were

C31]ed in, and strikes were placed in the inunediate area from 0813H

tc 103011. Caches were later found on both banks of the river at WT 925

635 containing five tons of rice, sewing machines, bicycles, 5,000

uniforms, two AK-47s, and one K-54. As many of the supplies as could

be carried were returned to Ben Keo for examination; the rest were burned.

68

CONFIDENTiAL

~L8SSlflED

The attack prcxluced nine USN wounded, five of which were medevaced and

four returned to duty. One VNN was killed and 15 were wounded. Nine

of the PERs received major battle damage. Nine dead VC were counted.

At 2230H, 9 HaY, all 214.1 units were ordered out of Cambodia

by the 25th ARVN, and during their exit, two more USN casualties were

incurred, me serious. At 2246H, RID 44 units received fire near WT

934 621 resulting in one VNN blown over the aide of a boat and two USN

wounded. One of them waS BM2 Marvin D. Schlueter, whose courage under

fire had earned him many ma.d.als as an advisor to RID 44. He received

multiple frag wounds in the chest and abdomen and was medevaced. The

ironic fact waS that the fire from the bank was later discovered to have

originated from U. s. Army units operating outside their prescribed AO

and whose movement was interpreted by RID 44 riders as the enemy. One

USA waS killed and six wounded in the incident.

As of 100OH, 10 May, all RID 44 units had departed Ca.r.,bcxlia

and deployed to normal stations in the 1'ran Hung Dao II AO. The total

results of the Cambcxlian expedition were as follows: two submachine

guns, two cases of 51 cal. ammo, one case of AK-47 ammo, one case of

grenades, and five B-40 rounds captured by RPGs 53, 54, 56, and RID 44;

three tons of rice captured by Rro 53 and RID 44; 28 eneIl\1 killed, me

POH, lL"1d ane Chien Hoi; 5,000 uniforms and one outboard motor captured

by RR',s 53, 54, and 56. In addition to the relatively heavy activity

near the Cambcxlian border, there ~i'8re also minor skirmishes in other

parts of the AO, and air strikes were afton placed into known VC

staging or rest areas. On the night of 22 Hay, PERs from 214.1.6 came

69

" u n I 11K" I' ,n'L .- .. ;' . .,

under heavy A/W and B-40 fire 11 kilometers east of Tuyen Nhon. The

patrol officer, LTJG Christopher F. Silleroy, USN, received an AK .. 47

rOW1d in the right frontal area of the head; he was med.evaced. Artil-

lery was requested and supplied by FSB GETTYSBURG. RF troops were

also inserted, and though they discovered five fresh trails leading

to a heavy treeline, no contact was made with the en~.

Another engagement involving RF troops occurred just after mid­

night on 25 May at XS 775 700, six kilometers from Rach Kien. Seawolves

were called in as well as Dustoff helos in order to medevac two wOW1ded

men; two of the RF troops had already been killed, After the air

strH:es were placed, the RF unlt reported at leAst ten VC retreating

north of the highway towards XS 775 710, but they were not overtaken.

No return fire WaS received by the helicopters.

Hay waS thus a typical month throughout the AO, with frequent

brief engagements, extensive friendly retaliation, and largely unknown

~esults. CTF 214 reported seven VC killed.(BC), 11 prob, and 31 Hoi

Cha.'1hs at the end of t.he mmth. En~ river traffic detected was light,

with only a handful of the combat incidents involving VC afloat: 00.

three occasions, sampans were tak&n under fire.

At the end of the month, 214.1 assets were positicned' as follows:

T, U, Designator

214.1.1 214.1.2 214.1.3 214.1.4 214.1.5 214.1.7

Locatim

Ben Luc Tra Cu Go Dau Ha Ben Keo Tan An Moc Roa

Group (10 boats)

RRl 53/RID 44 RIVDIV 594 RID 40 RRl 53 (10 boats)/RAD 152 RFG 54/RID 43 RIVDIV 571

. .

70 CORFlDE.Tlll

Gbn IUENltAL

Tran Hung Dao V ( Ready Deck s~

The SEA LORDS component which experienced by far the least amount

of action during May was TO 194.6, Tran Htmg Dao V(Operation Ready Deck.

Routine patr.ols by U. S .(VNN encountered the enemy rarely as the COIIIIIIIl­

nists failed to apply much pressure :in the regiens immediately north of

Saigon. This moderate sized unit had a May average of 28 operabh boats

of its 37 assigned craft. Ninety percent of these were normally used in

nocturnal YIBJPs. No enemy kills were reported, and U. S. Ready Deck units

were involved in only two fire fights the entire menth. There wet"e two

U. S. casualties in TO 194.6, but only ene resulted from hostile fire.

One m,m waS injured when he set off a white phosphorus grenade, mistak­

ing it for a smoke grenade.

PBR 33, manned by VNN pereonnel, was struck 1l.z feet above the

'waterline on 8 May by a B-40 rocket while transiting to a WOOP along

the Binh DUCKlg. The American ad'1Tisor, LTJG Thomas Goodfellow, recetved

minor shrapnel wounds in the head and was' quickly medevliced. Army

artillery plnced, harassment and interdiction fire in the area until

a Light Helicopter F:i.re Team (LHFf) a...-rived to make air strikes. The

PER, sustaining only moderate damage, was able to proceed to its

assigned guardpost.

Another VNN manned PER was not so fortunate. A group of four

was proceeding to a ,IBGP on the Upper Salgen River, 28 kilaneters

northwest of Pl"t Cuong, on 11 May when the last boat in the colunn

received two B-40 rockets and automatic weapons fire from the Bouth bank.

71

., I, n flU [n I I" L

The remaining units took the area UIlder fire with tmknown results.

The rocket tore an 8 inch hole one foot above the waterline and knocked

two radios and the radar out of commission. Four Vietnamese sailors

were ,lOunded, three seriously, and were immediately evacuated. Helicop­

ters >:ere not ,"-.-ailable to place the requested air strikes.

On 14 Hay, two Vietnamese manned PBRs were supporting a 12 man

i~e[;ional Force uil a search and destroy mission along the Thi Tinh River,

1 il kilometers northwest of Phu Cuung. The troops spotted an individual

on the bank of a small r.anal in a restricted area and took the area

under fire. Within two minutes, two ferrules were observed in the same

location. They were ordered to surrender and taken to the Phu Cnong

,:ational Police as Viet Cong suspects.

:

72

COIFIOENTIAl

",

IiblftluUIIIH

Rung Sat Special Zone

Combined operations were continued in the Rung Sat Special Zone

(RSSZ) during the month of May. Three such combined operations were

conducted and were named Chuang Duong 19-70, Chuong Duonp: 20-70, and

Chuang Duong 21-70.

Chuong Quong 19-7~.

ForLes uM.lized during this operation were as follows: USN Light

Helo Fire Team (LHFT), four VNN PBRs of RFC 51, one VN LCM, two VN RPCs J

RAG 27, USA Slicks, USA Command and Control (c&C) aircraft, USA WFT,

Regional Force (RF) companies 121, 362,601, 908, 999; USN OV-10 aircraft

with RSSZ NOLO en board, USAF Forward Air Contrullers (FAC), RSSZ ECD

Team, and four USN ASPBs of TU 116,9.4. Navy and Marine advisors opera­

ted with the "arious Vietnamese units in order to assist in c,~or:lir.ating

all activities.

During the operation, the RF companies made several troop insertions,

both by helo and by boat, nod made troop sweep through the designated

operating areaS. The operation commenced at 060500H anj wall completed

at o71515H May. Friendly forces suffered no casualties during this

operation, and enemy casualties lU"e unknown. Two arms and &I1II1IIlIlition

caches were located during the troop s;reeps. The EOO Team was il-leel'ted

~ll each instanre and destroyed the 8JIIIIDlIli tlon.

73

- __ •• M •• _

. ,". ~

Chucng D110lltj 20-12

Chuong Duong 20-70 was cooducted from 20 through 22 May with

b!lsiCllly the sa.'1te compoeition of forces. However, in this Dpp.ration,

the!'2 waS more enelllY activity. Friendly casll.?}.ties were four RF troops . •

killed, ene USA and t,]O RF troops wounded. Enerror casualties were 1 I

',c I(illed and one VC wounded. Enemy material captured and u..ter destroyed

incbde(L two sampans, 11 bunkers, 2200 pounds of milled rice, 500

pounds of salt, 100 pounds of cement, eight 2.75 inch ~0cket motors,

eight 75 m.m. recoilless rifle rOUIld fuses, and 15 pound~ of c.Jethin".

Enemy material captured but retained by the RF b'oops inclcled: one

AK-iI7, two trCUlsistor radios, one wristWatch, one hackpack., one blo;,-

torch, and an unspecified amount of enemy documents and small arms

ammtmi tion.

Chuong Duong 21-70

The third and fin"l combined operation 1'0)" the month of May took

place from 27 through :;0 Hay. Un the first day of the operation, 11

enemy troops were killed. Ten of the'." enemy troops .'ere killed by the

air assets taking part in v;:" operation. The RF troops conducting

ground owee!'s accL'unted for thp- other enemy ki2led alld captured an

assortment of enel11Y dosuments 1mill; ~onducting numerous sweeps. There

were no friendly casualties as a result of this operation.

Dur",,, the month of May, the Provincial Reconnaisance Units CCIr'.-

tin1:e<i t'ieir operatioos in the RSSZ. 1he most signifi(;ant and successful

operation was conducted by 37 PRUs en 6 May 1n the viciIlity of XS 913

74

CONFIDENTIAL

"'h .... 'L" I In Po.

698, approximately 10 kilometers south of Nha Be. InitiaIJ~, 18 PRUs

innerted into the area by Slick. The PRUs swept northeast along the bank

of the Soi Rap and discovered a small bunker an:i engaged and killed one

VC. In continuing their sweep, the PRUs came under small arms fire trom

a bunket" corr.plex. An additional 19 PRUs were inserted by Slick. With

USN I1fFl' providing overhead support, the PRUs captured the bunker complex

and killed two additional VC.

A search of the btmker complex l''3vealed that the bunkers ware

being used as a VC hospital. The PRUs captured ene 11-1 carbine, one

38 caltber automatic pistol, two small ba1Tels of diesel oil, 500

rounds of AK-47 ammunition, assorted documents, 200 kilos of rice, and

assorted medical supplies. The rico was destroyed in place.

75

Vietruur.9se Marine Corps

The Vietna.mse Marine Corps began the menth with routine operations

in the 3rd and 4th Coastal Zenes. Brigad~ Alpha with a task organiza­

tion of the Secend, Sixth, and Seventh Infantry Battalims and the

First Artillery Battalien minus, conducted an RIF operation in Chuang

Thien PrOvince, producing no significant cont8.cts. Brigade Bravo with

the 1st, 4th, and 5th Infantry Battaliens, 2nd Artillery Battalien

[llinUS, and Battery I, 3rd Artillery Battalioo, conducted RIT operations

in Dinh Tuong PrOvincE', producing no significant cQr.tacts.

During the secCI'ld week, Brigade Bravl) had shif'ted to Cambodian

AOs. Under the OPCCN of eTG 194.0, the 1st, 4th, and 5th Infantry and

2r.d Artillery minus partiCipated in Tran Hung Dao II, conducting ground

aSsaults along both banks of the Mekoog near the Neale Luoog Ferry

Landing. On 14 May, the 5th Infantry made contact with an estimated

HVA Battalion entrenched on Hill .147 (VIC WT 426 435). They ran into

peavy automatic weapens, machine gun, and recoilless weapoos fire at

approximately 1650H, and the ensuing battle cootinuod throughout the

night. Supported by Black POllies and SlI&1fOlves j they took their objec­

tive by 173011, 15 May, killing 49 VC and capturing n~iIII8rClUS 1I9apens.

Elements of the 1 at Infantry ambushed and killed eight VC m

'7 May with no friendly casualties.

On 20 Kq, one company of the 4th Infantry conducted an airmobile

operatien and, "fAin 'fith air S\lpport, overran a VO battalion balle c&Jql

by 1645H, 21 Kq, killmg 33 ye and capturing two.

76

- ,

IIIFIDEITIAL

,: GUNt I DEIIIIIL

. ,

J!j,ghway}1 was reopenoo through v;mc efforts, and security was

provided for the Neak Luong Ferry Landing. Brigade Bravo was relieved

by Brigade Alpha on 28 Hay, with the 2nd and 8th Infantry Battalions

and the 2nd Artillery Battalion. The 2nd Infantry made contact later

that day in Prey Veng, Cambodia, killing 15 VC and capturing six. One

VNJ.IC Was killed, five injured.

17

PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATICNS AND CIVIC ACTICN SUMMARY

DIa':ing the month of May, CTF Clearwater personnel cont:inued to

conduct MEDCAPs us:ing small un;.ts to visit several villages located near

the Clearwater Advanced Tactical Support Base (ATSE). Thirteen villages

were visited dur:ing the mmoth, and 787 patients were treated. T!1e

medical problems most commonly encountered were eye infections, ear

ini'ections, ani skin disorders. Other units of CTF Clearwater, in con-

junctien with their "ormal patrol duties, distributed Chieu Hoi and

hygiene leaflets en a daily basis.

In the Rung Sat Special Zene, eight MEDCAP/DmTcAPs werE> cmoducted

during the month of May. The medical ani dental officers treated 1,006

villagers and distributed 295 Health Kits.

During the month, several air and waterborne psyops broadcasts

were ccnducted in the RSSZ. The broadCasts were made in conjunction

with operaticns in the area and warned the villagers of restricted

areas. Leaflet drops were extensi V8ly ccnl.ucted during the mcnth.

Over 458,000 Chieu HOi, 252,000 Safe Ccnl.uct, and 290,500 leaflets about

the government o! Vietnam were distributed within the RSSZ.

In the Sea Float Area of Operaticns (04.0), the VNN POLWAR Team and

USN psyops personnel worked daily to aid in the Calstructicn of various

projects. There was a significant increase ill VC haras~lIl9nt about the

middle of the mcnth. The harallsment was charaoterizui by three ldd­

nappings and the theft of ovtIr 20 S&lllpUlII. Th. roLWAR and Psyops Teams

countered this actiVity by trying to calVinc. the people to Caltinue to

78

•

- . •

.-

GOIFIOENTIA

Clift IIUTIA l

. .

support the government of Vietnam CGVN), report on the VC, and remain

in the hamlet. Despite these efforts, several families left the area,

and other families expressed a desire to relocate.

Adults and children a1i~e, who previously exhibited a happy and

carefree existence coupled with an uncondj.tional acceptance of the

team's presence, changed to an extremely reserved and apprehensive

display when confronted. After about a 1I8ek, the peOple started to

verbalize some of their feeling", and the children began to renew

their associations. With the cmtinued presence of frierxily troops, it

is anticipated that the hamlet will regain its forward momentum that

has been interrupted by the VC harassment.

Civic Action projects currently in progress or in the planning

stages include me bridge, a markut place, the completion of the Tran

Hung Dao II school, clearing larxi, diking land, elevated wal.lcwa;rs, and

a bakery for the purpose of baking bread for the school children on a

daily basis.

On 20 May, 1970, ene room of the three room school at Tran Hung

Dao II was officially opened with 125 children atterxiing. Classes are

split in two groups and taught daily, two hours in the morning and two

hours 111 the afternoat, by POLWAR personnel.

During May, re.t'ugees began arriving 111 Vietnam from Cambodia.

CTF 211 has asswned respatsibility tor the cue of approximately 300

Cambodian refug.,,,,, at the Datg Tam base. The retugses have been houseJ.

in barracks with EPiequate lighting, water, and sanitation facilities.

79

DI.FIIEIIlI

The re.fugees have been proVided with medical care, foro, clothing,

blankets, psyops radio, baby formula, candy, dolls, vitamins, plastic

bowls, and spoons. The morale of the refugees appears high. •

•

· - , •

· . · .

80

OO.FlDE.Tlll

IIFIIEITIIL , .... _,-_ ..

ACCELERATED TURNOVER PRCHRAM AND TRAINING SUMMARY

liter one year and five months of successfully reducing enlll1l7

infi.ltration along the Vam Co Dcng and Vam Co Tay Rivt!~I>, the jo:lnt

U. S./Vietnamese operation Giant Slingshot came under Vietnamese opera­

tional control on 5 May 1970. CDR Arte C. A. Sigmond, USN, wasl relieved

by LCDR !'ham Van Tieu, VNN, who is the on-the-scene commander of the

operation at Ben Luc while CDR Tr:lnh Xuan !'hong, VNN, took over as

operational commander, with headquarters at Cat Lai.

So far as craft turnovers were concerned, adJninistrative control

of )0 river assault craft was shifted to RIDs 42 and 4) en h May. The

two new RIDs 'were previously RAIDs 70 and 71, respectively, and their

formation did not represent a shift from U. S. centroL The more major

turnover was that of 60 PBRs, for which the VNN assumed adm:lnistrative

control en )0 May, although the formal turnover ceremony vi.U not occur

until )0 June. The f,:;llovi.ng are the new groups formed and those dis-

banded:

RIVDIV 515 (10 PBRs) RPO 58 Rach Soi RIVDIV 573 (10 PBRs)

RIVDIV 551 (10 PBRs) RRl 5S USS BINEWAH RIVIJIV 552 (10 PBRs) Tu;ren Nhon

RIVDIV 543 (10 PBRs) RPO 60 Hoi An RIVDIV 521 (10 PBRs) Tan K7

Also turned over :In May was the 115 foot LeU 1494 at the U. S.

Naval Support Activity, Danang. It 1IaI! the 13th logist1cs craft. turned

over by NSA!) in the past 11 mcnths.

81

OllFlIEln

• ...... tI , III .... ~

ACTOVLOO events far the !IIalth 1!lVolved the cOl!ll1!isoiexling of three

combined cOIIIDWlds at Qui Nhon (12 May), CQ!I1 Ran Bay (13 May), and Nha

Be (26 May), all with USN CCIII!'Iallders and VNN Deputy Commandars. Cam

Ranh Bay and Nbs Be will b. "depot" level support bases and Qui Nhoo,

an "intermediate" level, depending 00 CRB tor ite logistics support.

The mcnth IS commissicnings brings to six the number of bases that are

combined-manned. The Nha Be complex will eventually home iU:Os 51, 52,

and 57, and RAG 22, in additicn to variaus suppot and 1l)gisticB craft,

and will suPPOt't Cat 1&i, Loog Binh, Phu Cucng, Ben Luc, ID'ld Tran Hung

Dao II ATSBs. Its afloat asseh' will operate primarily in the RSSZ

'lId. R( ldy Deck AOs. ~"'eN are 1,150 deptlndent shelters scheduled for

the 2,307 VNIl personnel who will reside there.

'lile Cam Ranh Bq base will supply depot-level maintenance for

80 coaotal surveillance craft (29 PCFs, 20 WPBs, 21 junks, and ten

Coastal Raiders) and will homeport 12 PCFs and six WPBs (CTG 213.2).

It will provide major upkeep for 144 boats in all, taking the variou.s

Inlpport craft into account, employing a total of 534 craft -.intenance

perscnnel. There are a total of 575 depen:lent shelters planned far the

698 afloat perscnnel &I':' :":le 682 attached to the bese itself.

Qui Nhon will have ,!'saer upkeep capability, being a aatellite of

the larger CRB. It will provide ciepot-levelmal1,4enance for 21 junks

and 20 Coastal Ra:l.ders and will be the hOlllllport for CTG 213.2.1 (16 PCFII)

and for 00 22 (21 junks). ThlOre vill be 210 cra.tt and 132 balle mainte-

nance perscrnel attached w'm the be •• ill .full,y JIIIJUleci. ~. inolude

365 depen1ent IIhelter. for the tot&l 711 VNN peoph .ftrI~ to NII1d.

there. 82

- ,

COIFIDENTIAL

COIFIOElTlAl

As of 31 May, censtruction Was in progress at 24 of the base

sites requirL~g such prior to turnover.

The VNN Force Level increased by 1,241 in May for a total of

37,473; the ceiling of 39 .. 611 is hoped for by tht' end of JWle. Recruiting

continued at a satisfactory level although the paucity of petty officers

mmainoo a problem. In fact, in Hay, 1969, there were 4,785 petty

officers in the VNN; by the end of Hay, 1970, there were 4,604. Presu­

mably, some of the decrease could be attributed to those who became

warrant officers and aspirants, but the fact remains that middle manage­

mEmt is sorely lar.king. Tn beginning attEJmpts to rect.ify the problem,

all unscheduled petty officer clao;; of 220 students '""s convened in

Sadgen en 18 May. It is hoped that out of the personnel ceiling of

39,611, 13,300 will eventually be petty officers.

As for the Dependent Shelter and Animal Husbandry Programs, it

is enough to say that the works of both man and nature proceeded at the

fJ~:peCted rates in May. As of 26 Hay, 965 family units were complete

with 1,'62 under constr~ction at 19 sites. The receipt of 5,200 hybrid

broiler chicks and eight strapping breeding swine were imported from

<Jle Philippines en 25 May, increasing the food supplement progrmn Jive­

stock populatien to 9,180 poultry, 116 swine, 186 ducks, 102 rabbits,

and four goats. The total number of projects 1s 49 operated b:r 40

llep.'U'ate VNN lUli ts.

133

COIFIDEITIAL

NAVAL SUPPCRT ACTIVITY. SAIGCN

Ollvllral Naval Support Acti vi ty, Saigon ships and crai"t served as

:integrAl compooents of the Cambroi;m river operation, entitled Tran

Htmg DAO FoIE,.." which Cf',,-.menced on 9 Hay. USS ASKARI (ARL-31l), T]:;S

lID/Ii.'WAII (APB-35), USS S/.TYR (ARL-23), wd YJlil!oI 16 were statiooed at

the Cl\mbcd ian border at the com;nencement of operations 3Ild remained

there lit IIImth's end. YFU 55, YFU 57, and LeU 1489 provided short

hauls ror vehicles and local resupply services in support of the

opel'S t Ion. Most other resupply craft made extr.", runs also in support

of the NIIVY' s Cani>ooial1 ventureG.

wnllo U. S. Naval units in Cambodia ran into very light resistance,

many or tho Neval Support Activity, Saigon Detachments were 1eing

harass",1 by mortar attacks at various times during the month. Dong

Tam wa~ number me on the VC target list fer the month as the detach­

m9nt WII" hit by attacks on 3, 8, 17, 18, and 19 May. There were no

U. S, NIIVY personnel casualties caused by these aUacks although

canus) t,i,u ¥ore inflicted in the adjoining VN base. Material damage

waB n8~llRlble except for the attack of 19 May which disrupted communi­

catic,," ,

IJthllr mortar attacks were reported at Moc Hoa and Tan An on

J May o/ld Cat Lo ~, 1) May, No damage or casualties were incurred

during thlln8 attacks. Two 155 mm r=ds landed some 1500 yards !'reI!:

the Cot Lo detachment on 24 May, . killing one VN civilian and v=ding

another. Thll Navymen were less than pleased when an inve!!tigetion

.'

ti8~hOE~TIAl

·IiUIFIOE.'IIL

discovered that the roWlds had been fired by a U. S. Arr>r:F artillery

battery which had made a 160 degre(' error in plotting.

At mooth I s end a total of 166 officers and 3,523 enlisted men

(including NAVCATS) attached to the Naval Support Activity, Saigoo

and its detachments. Altogether, 10,271 sailors and 718 boats and

craft were being supported by thase Wlits.

The workload at both TF 115 and 116 repair facilities ccntinues

to be extreme1y heavy due to battle damage 00 TF 115 PCFs and the

increased tempo of operatia1s and carelessness of PBR operators of

TF 116 and 194 WlitS. Operations from western advance bases are

beco~lg difficult due to the monsoan season. Offshore assets in this

area are being shifted ashore. The overall maintenance effectiveness,

bassi on the average number of craft operationally ready during the

mooth, can be broken down as follows!

Mobile Riverine Force - 96%

PCFs - 95%

P.9Rs - 98%

On 26 May the Naval Sllpport Activity Detachment at Nha Be

became a combined convnand with a USN CO and a VNN Deputy.

85

COIFIDENflAt

liUlfll£'If~L

NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY, DAlIANG

The phase out of Nav~l Support Activity, Danang functions

cont.inued a', schedule during the month o.f May. On 1 May, the ferry

landing ramp at Danang was transferred to U. S. Arrrr:r control. The

Arrrr:r also assume1 contrr,l of the China Beach 1l&R Center (5 May) and

the Chu Lai dial telephctle exchange (15 May). The Naval Support Activity,

Danang Hospital closed its doors an 15 May after four years of medical

service. Over 67,000 patients had been admitted to the hospital since

1966. P. 24 bed dispensary became operatimal at Camp Tiell Sha on 12

May. In the area of public works, Project MOOD (Move Out of Dana..lg)

is 90% complete for Navy facilities.

With the inactivation of the Naval hospital and the turnover of

other Naval activit.ies in Danang, the number of U. S. Navy personnel

continued to decline in May. At month's end there were a total of 242

officers and 6,cto en:>.isted lOOn on board. The average of military

personnel supported by the ~aval Support Activity, Danang also declined

to a figure of 140,281.

Cargo operatioos at Danang cootinued at a normal rate throughout

May. The s1llTl'MJ"Y of port operatioos for May follows:

Offload Backload ~j(T Ut &l.. M: &!

Danang 117,478 189,515 82,086 145,567 199,564 335,082

Chu LIli 24,055 36,208 8,538 22,963 32,593 59,171

86

GOIFIDEITlAt

,

CO.flUE.TlAl

On 2 May, YFU 81 received a B-40 l:"ocket hit m her stdrboard

side aft as she was rOW1ding Han Sm Chan Island (BT 035 986). The

YFU took ~iate evasive Iletim. Damage was light and no perllormel

casualties were inflicted.

USS BOLSTER (ARS-J8) CO!lllll8llced a sal-nge opera~im at Chu Lei Ql

2 May to reco"el' 6, 100 f.~et of eight inch POL (Petroleum, Oil, Lubricant)

line which had been carr:Led away during rough weather m 13 April.

The operation was succesflf'ully completed 00 9 May.

On the morning of S M:1y, the Naval Support Activit)" Detachment

at Chu Lai was the unhappy recipient of a lS round mortar or rocket

attack. The attack, whi.ch lasted mly five minutes, fortu.'lately caused

n.o pSl'Boonel casualties and in"i!';nilicant l'IIater1al claJ1l!lge.

87

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THDID NAVAL C~STRtX;TICN BRIGADE

During Ma;y, a5 in past /DCI'lthll, all "~1ficant tactical illcidents

involTing Seabees took place in the southern I Corps Tactical Zone.

Mining incidents in this area haft hindered conatru('tion errorts

along Routes LTL-4 and Ql-1D IIl!d 1Ia'nl resulted in equipment dl!lllCige to

a bullolour, tvo scrapere, a TS-24, and a tift ton truck. RelatiVII~

minor injuries vere in!lictAd. upC!l tlw operators of this equipa:mlt.

On 1 l",q, BU3 Carl Dee OIootea, .. & _' ar or an NMCB One Twm.ty-One

nter syetelll installation eq1lil! at ThUlllll Duc, was killed by tm8ll\Y'

mortar tire, Another Seab .. , BU2 Stephen Lyrm Frazier, was WOI1l¥ied

in the 8.- attack, Chu L&1 ca.bat balle received approxillatel,y 230

incCllrlng rockets en 4 and 5 l'b;r nth 11 1aDding in Camp Shields of

NMCB Sewn, . The roctl:8t~ ceulI~ mnor d--ce to the Seabee camp aM.

in!lict..'<i ene minor persormel canal.t,.. lltogether, ene Seabee was

killed ani nh"1e others werel W!'IlIIIled in the RepubJ.l.~ or Vietru.ll\ in May.

Cl'c\structien coo.tinu.d withOl1t cOlllplicatien cr, the- Quang Tri

highway bridge en Route QL-1 • The 901 root two-lane higloolY bridge was

36 percent complete by I8aIth'II.. 'l'he patching and oV6rlay or t.axi-

1f8:J'!1 at Phu Bal Airtield cem tinlUli throaghout Ma;r wi til a COI!!ple iim

dew of 28 J\me echedu:ud ror tIM FojlMl~. The third or tour eeccmdaI'7

bridges north or Hua il1 now OCll:;lletl9. Conatz:uctioo. ot thl1 fourth bridge

has beg-nil, but d1fticult1e. co,*,tan4 in pile driT1ng ha.,. pushed

thl1 COII1',JleUcn date beck to 1 ~ nee 1 Jlme. Ttl i :~UI detention

bclli t:r i. 1I0'lr 87 percant ~te.

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Work on AC'raV bases in III and IV Corps Tactical Zenes continued

at. Ha Tien, Long Phu, Kien An, Nam Can, ard Rach Soi. Work at Ha Tien

is complete with materials now being staged for the VN dependent

shelters at that site. Rach Soi construction is 71 percent complete

while extensive fill work cootinues at Nam Can. Construction at Lcng

Phu and Ki.m An has cOl1lmenced and both were 11 percent complete by the

end of May. Work at Thuan An, tlle one ACTOV base assigned to ~\s

in the I Corps Tactical Zooe, is progressing 'wll ar.d stands at 1" per-

cent co;nplete.

The major effort 1r.. the line of connmmieaticn (LOC) road upgrade

program continued to be directed toward Route QL-1 south of Danang

between the villages of Tl:a."1h Quit and Tu~. The upgrade of Route

LTL-4 between Routes QL-1 and ML-1D wa.e &l.so started during the ll',cnth.

The applicatioo of a second li!'t o! asphaltic concrete pl';lB extensive

drainage rework of QL-1 through the Hai Van Pass also ccntinued en

schedule.

The aircraft shelter construction program was CQIIPleted in May

with the "xcepticn of eight shelters for FASU, Danang Air Base, which

are now under procurement and axe scheduled for ccnstruction in September

and October of this year.

Naval constructioo forces haw a total projected backlog :in I

Corps amounting to 20 weeks of horizcntal work and 10 weeks of vertical

work. In III and IV COl"'p~, the projected backlog for prellMlt ?Mbee

assets is 60 weeks of vertical work with adequate horizental :ropport

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for the vertical effort. There l<8l'8 a total of 3.783 Seabees (137 officers.

3.646 enlisted) in country as of 31 May. Seabees received a total of

four Bronze Stars. 20 Na~ COiiiuendatial Medala• 33 Nav;r Achis_nt

Medal'3. 442 Conilat Actial RibbalB. and Nine Pllrple Hearl8 dt1ring May. . ' . . '

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