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United States Naval Operations Vietnam, Highlights; February 1966
Highlights and Introduction In early February there was preoccupation at home with the Honolulu Conference, the continuing United States peace effort, and the debates before the Foreign Relations Committee on the war in Vietnam. In Vietnam, however, more than 200,000 Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force, and Coast Guard men were preoccupied with the war. Task Force 77 lost nine planes and six pilots or crew in the first ten days after the bombing of North Vietnam had been resumed. U. S. MARKET TIME forces made approximately 2,000 day and night boardings during the same period, and Amphibious forces, led by attack transport Paul Revere (AP-248) supported Marines in Operation DOUBLE EAGLE. Off shore the Navy had nearly 70,000 men in nearly 150 ships. On shore were more than 10,000 serving as advisors on staffs, or performing tasks in other areas of support. Peace, however, was being humbugged by Hanoi, who responded to American presentation of the issue before the United Nations Security Council by declaring that any resolution by that body would be considered null and void. Nevertheless, the American
official position transcribed over and over in world mass communication media
remained as follows:
MARKET
TIME On 8 February, Hissem
(DER-400) who had so carefully shadowed the Chinese trawler described in
January Highlights, detected a junk flying a Thailand flag and acting
suspiciously off the tip of the Ca Mau peninsula. She continued to track her
quarry for two weeks as she moved northeast through the South China Sea. No
attempts at sea rendezvous with anyone were made, but she ultimately ended up in
Hong Kong where she was apprehended by marine police for having on board large
quantities of opium. On 13 February, Pine Island
(AV-12) discontinued seadrome operations in Cam Ranh Bay. She would be succeeded
by Salisbury Sound (AV-13) early in March. In the meantime, P-2 aircraft
Compared with previous months, an increase in the number of junks was noted, which was probably due to a gradual abatement of the northeast monsoon. January and December junk counts are offered for comparison as follows:
Two MARKET TIME operations in February were successful in demonstrating proper patrol coordination against infiltration between DER's and smaller craft. TEE SHOT was conducted in the vicinity of Qui Nhon, and BROWN BEAR further south near Phan Thiet. Both operations permitted shallow water patrol efforts to be accomplished in areas not ordinarily accessible to the short range Swift by giving it "mothering" support from the DER - and in some cases the MSO and the WPB. GAME WARDEN In order to keep the men, equipment, and food originating in the rich, densely populated Mekong Delta from reaching VC strongholds in the Central Highlands of RVN, Chief Naval Advisory Group was directed to establish a patrol force in the major rivers of the Delta and the Rung Sat Special Zone (RSSZ) which encompasses the major ship channels to Saigon. GAME WARDEN was the nickname assigned, and TF 116 became the designator. Limited operations were expected to commence in March. By the end of the month the first two officers and one enlisted man had arrived. As future Corps Tactical Operations Center personnel, they were assigned familiarization watches, first in CTF 115 operations, and then at a MARKET TIME Coastal Surveillance Center. The forces anticipated for the RSSZ were 20 LCPL's funded under MAP and 10 PBR's. For controlling the rivers, 60 PBR's would be needed in addition to the VNN River Assault Groups (RAG), national police, ARVN regional and popular force boat companies, and, as required, observation and strike aircraft. Any operations on rivers near the Cambodian border would be coordinated with U. S. Special Forces who held that responsibility. Figure 4 illustrates the locations of the eight PBR bases, the first of which was estimated to be in operation by 1 July 1966. Since the PBR's were expected to arrive in March and April, austere facilities were being prepared to receive them. Housing facilities were sought in the neighboring base towns, but they were difficult to find. In some cases tent cities were planned. Eight 10,000 gallon fuel bladders were obtained to provide JP-5 for the boats. Navy gunners fired 19,556
rounds in February in support of missions that ranged from small besieged fronts
to the amphibious operation DOUBLE EAGLE and the U. S. Army's search and destroy
mission, MASHER.
Mining
of Rivers and Harbors
CASREPs submitted by SERVPAC ships in WESTPAC during February reached an all time high of 49, two more than in January which was an indication that demands on ships were increasing. CASREPs to 5"/38 gum-barrels were beginning to occur; and AOs were starting to be plagued with a variety of mechanical repairs. Serious machinery CASREPs, however, decreased over previous months, and this is considered to be due to longer on-line periods with more ships force maintenance being performed. Shortages in ordnance supply, however, remained a major problem. Air shipments of bomb-banding lugs were barely sufficient to keep up with the bomb-banding program. Also, a shortage of "optimum use" airborne ordnance was affecting the Seventh Fleet's ability to meet all her strike requirements. Steps were taken in some cases to substitute less desirable ordnance and to recover and rework ammunition whenever possible. No signs of completely solving the problem, however, were evident at this time. Communications Pacific Fleet communication activities during the month of February were accelerated by new requirements. These requirements ranged from a need for improved cryptographic equipment to the installation of satellite communications equipment in ships, and the provision of fixed communication facilities in Vietnam and Thailand. CINCPACFLT developed and forwarded requirements to the Chief of Naval Operations for a high-speed (800 words per mm) off-line encryption device for teletype messages. This equipment will replace obsolete 60 words per minute off-line cryptographic equipment in all ships and shore activities. This new high-speed off-line device will enhance the fleet's communications capability by saving manpower and increasing the speed of message processing. In response to CINCPACFLT's stated requirements, CNO requested the Chief of the Bureau of Ships to develop plans to install voice security equipment in certain ships and aircraft in the Pacific Fleet. This equipment, the first of its kind, would provide cryptographically secure ultra-high frequency ship-to-air and ship-to-ship voice circuits. Certain Pacific Fleet ships were to receive the new SSC-3 shipboard Satellite Communications equipment as a part of the Initial Defense Communications Satellite Program (IDCS). Installation scheduled from May through November was to put this equipment aboard the Providence, Enterprise, Estes, Bon Homme Richard, Coral Sea and Constellation. In plans to program and develop a naval base in Thailand for support of Pacific Fleet ships operating in the Gulf of Siam, CINCPACFLT developed and coordinated requirements with COMUSMACTHAI for a Naval Communication Unit at Sattahip. This included the provision of a transmitter site, a receiver site, and a communications center. CINCPAC concurred in the requirements, and CNO was to undertake an engineering survey to provide the basis for programming action to develop the facilities. The rapid development of plans for increased river patrol force operations in South Vietnam created an urgent requirement to provide CTF 116 with a communications capability in the Can Tho area, An engineering team was in Vietnam conducting a survey to provide plans for permanent communications facilities at Can Tho Pending completion of permanent communications facilities, an Air Transportable Communication Unit (ATCU 100A) from U. S. Naval Communication Station, Honolulu, was being modified for use at the Can Tho site by 15 March. Until permanent personnel were assigned by CTF 116, a total of two officers and thirty-four enlisted men from Honolulu and Japan would operate and maintain the unit. Construction Director, Pacific Division Bureau of Yards and Docks was requested in February to exert all means to meet the June 1st required occupancy date for the Special Landing Force Quonset Facility at Subic Bay. This had been made necessary by the increasing utilization of Special Landing Forces in Vietnam combat operations and the importance of having suitable facilities ashore to restore the combat potential of units as soon as possible. A project for 200,000 square feet of additional storage facilities on Okinawa was included in the Fiscal Year 1966 Supplemental Military Construction Program. Design drawings based on using 40 by 100 foot Butler buildings were completed. However, in-service design criteria, requiring 180 mph wind-load resistance, necessitated a specially designed building, with attendant refitting and increased construction Costs. This additional storage area was urgently required to accommo date added stocks on Okinawa needing inside storage. Permanent MARKET TIME bases in South Vietnam continued under construction. Two at Danang and An Thoi had been completed. Those at Qui Nhon, Cam Ranh and Cat Lo were still being built, looking to completion by December 1966. On the 18th of February, the Naval Support Facility at Qui Nhon was established, and personnel of an Advance Base Functional Component were due to arrive there the next day. The first Swift boats (PCF's) were scheduled to arrive on the 25th of March. Advance base components were expected to take charge in the near future at the other bases under construction. The Sattahip Project for Thailand was one of considerable magnitude, comprising an airfield complete with necessary fuel storage facilities, and a major port facility with deep-water berths, rock breakwaters, and all attendant features needed to operate such a port. The airfield would have more than two miles of runway, capable of handling the heaviest logistical aircraft. The port facility would require approximately one million cubic yards. For some time, considerable thought by the separate services had been given to the military development of the Sattahip area. In November of 1965 CINCPAC had directed the component commanders to formulate plans for the development. As soon as it was determined that a requirement did exist, CINCPACFLT forwarded to CINCPAC the broad Navy plan of Sattahip requirements. February then saw the formulation of Sattahip broad planning estimates and communication requirements and a CINCPAC directive to develop details on naval facilities at Sattahip. Funding arrangements were to follow, and 1 April 1967 was proposed as the operational date for the Sattahip naval facilities. Maintenance The ship repair workload at all Western Pacific ship repair facilities remained heavy. Until additional facilities were provided at Ship Repair Facility, Subic, an increase in the requested ceiling of 3,400 civilian personnel could not be effectively utilized. The heavy workload at West Coast private and naval shipyards continued to disrupt operational planning. Concentration of work at San Diego, Long Beach and San Francisco had necessitated shifts of regular overhauls and restricted availabilities to Bremerton. Further delays in completion of activations and conversions of AE's and AOG's in the Seattle area were attributable to labor shortages. Unless a significant increase in ship repair manpower was effected, little relief could be foreseen in the near future. The completion of work on the Mauna Kea (AE-22) was delayed ten weeks by a labor strike in the Seattle area. Critical labor shortages were also expected to affect completion of work on four other naval auxiliaries in that area. The regular overhaul of the MARKET TIME support ship, Krishna (ARL-38), was delayed one year until the fourth quarter of 1967. Krishna had been completely reworked from stem to stern in the United States in the summer of 1965, prior to reporting to CTF 115 for duty. Consequently, the regularly scheduled overhaul was not considered necessary until the next year. The Krishna was playing a vital role in sea surveillance operations by servicing the Swift boats (PCF's) and the Coast Guard Cutters (WPB's) actively engaged in MARKET TIME operations. Relieving her by an interim ship with less capability at that point was judged unnecessarily detrimental to operations. Incidental maintenance problems were met as they came up. Sometimes they were simply due to short supply, involving questions of delivery and even procurement. The wartime pace of action in the South China Sea often meant resorting to most expeditious means. Representative of the variety of maintenance problems was trouble with the R-1051 radio receiver, damage to an SAR helicopter, loss of armor-plate on another, rapid deterioration of canvas in tents for the Marines, weather damage to aluminum matting on the Chu Lai runway, and LCM-8 engine breakdowns. The Marines needed crushed rock for construction projects, tail and main rotor blades for helicopters, and brake lining, brake pistons, and preformed packing for fork lifts. During the month of February shortages of aviation equipment and spare parts continued to limit Seventh Fleet and First Marine Air Wing capabilities. Unfortunately, the overall parts "cannibalization" rate for naval air activities in the Pacific continued at a high level due to shortages. Corrosion and repair parts shortages remained the major maintenance problems. Those problems, many of them carried over from previous difficulties were met variously on an emergency basis. Makeup of emergency repair kits, special airlift arrangements, round-the-clock response to requisitions. updating allowance lists, and changes in the supply system were some of the steps taken to solve particular maintenance problems, or at least to contain them as best possible for the time being. Salvage Operations On 23 February 1966, a small commercial tanker, Sea Raven, went aground about one hundred yards from the beach in the vicinity of Chu Lai. Bad weather and heavy seas made it difficult to render assistance, while Outagamie County (LST-1073) stood by. The crew, however, was taken off by helicopter before dark and by rubber boat during the night. Hitchiti (ATF-103) arrived on the scene the next day, joined on the 26th by Reclaimer (ARS-42) for salvage operations after abating seas had allowed salvage personnel aboard the stricken ship to complete a survey. On 1 March Bolster (ARS-38) relieved Hitchiti. De-watering and cargo off-loading was completed on 3 March, and Sea Raven was refloated on 5 March. Collision On 4 February Waddell (DDG-24) and Brinkley Bass (DD-887) collided while maneuvering for position during a SAR mission near Cap Falaise in North Vietnam. Both ships suffered extensive damage but were able to proceed toward Subic at five knots. No personnel were injured. At NSRF Subic it was estimated that Waddell would require 16 to 18 weeks of repair plus two additional weeks for the ASROC systems check. Brinkley Bass, it was reported, would need a new bow. Naval Advisory Group Although the complexion of the war had been changed for several months by the events which brought direct military action by Americans in Vietnam, the Naval Advisory effort there was still very important. Some 900 of these advisors served the VNN on MARKET TIME patrol, in the River Assault Group, (RAG), and at 28 Junk bases. On 13 February, a U. S. Navy Captain was designated Senior Advisor on Admiral Ward's staff. Since the CNO of the VNN was a captain this answered a need for a more correct working relationship between the two counterparts. During February, the Naval Advisory Group turned over an LSSL to the VNN which completed delivery of five of these landing ships. Four River patrol craft (RPC) also arrived and were turned over to the River Force. The construction of Yabuta junks in the Saigon shipyard -- a program long encouraged by the Naval Advisory Group -- received a blow during this month when the supply of Sao wood began to run out. Since Vietnam sources for this lumber also appeared exhausted, a substitute wood was obtained from Thailand so as not to delay the construction of 60 junks for the Coastal Force. Several Coastal Group and Supply Corps advisors have proposed to Vietnamese Navy headquarters the establishment of marine diesel engine pools at supply centers throughout the country. When a junk engine incurs a casualty that is beyond the ability of the base personnel to repair, the inoperable engine would be "swapped" for one from the engine pool. In those cases where the repair work is beyond the capability of the personnel at the engine pool, a similar "swap" would be executed with one of the two major repair facilities or with the shipyard in Saigon. The problem of a limited number of technically trained personnel would be partially overcome, and the ability to quickly replace inoperable junk engines would keep the number of junks in operational status at a high level. Authority was granted CHNAVADGRP to provide supplemental rations to two Vietnamese ships for a two month period. A similar project had been attempted with junk forces based at An Thoi but proved unsuccessful as the food was unpalatable to the Vietnamese. The present program, therefore, was limited to two ships for a short trial period. Inflation had effected the junior officers and crew's pay so that meats, vegetables, and fruits, usually purchased on open markets every few days, were out of price range. This not only effected their physical stamina, but caused disenchantment with their government. In terms of the amount of goods distributed, the Vietnamese Navy Psychological Warfare Bureau is the Navy agency doing the greatest amount of civic action. However, the reports which institute the Psy-War Bureau's projects often originate with an advisor in the field, For example, in December a letter from the advisor at Coastal Group 24 to the advisor at the Vietnamese Navy's Psychological Warfare Bureau directed attention to a refugee problem on Hon Chua Island, five miles north of Tuy Hoa, Since that date tons of food, clothing, tools, and building materials have been sent to the 2,500 refugees, and the VNN Psy-War Bureau has scheduled a team of doctors, corpsmen, and social workers to visit the island every two weeks. This month a mosquito elimination project was carried out; work commenced on a community toilet; and funds were procured from the USAID province representative for a second village well. A similar project was initiated by the advisor at Coastal Group 23 when he reported on refugee's problems at Song Cau. Here, 4,000 are now receiving assistance of a similar nature. These are two examples of the large scale civic actions accomplished in February. However, on a lesser level, just as important was individual work performed by the advisor himself. At Rach Gia, a base without an assigned corpsman, the Navy advisor arranged for an Army corpsman to distribute MEDCAP material to people the advisor had seen during his patrol. General Information When the RVN released 21 North Vietnamese prisoners at the DMZ on 30 January, they all threw their gifts from the RVN, consisting of clothing, notions, and other useful items into the Ben Hai River as they crossed over the bridge. Through loudspeakers provided by VC receiving them, the ex-prisoners called these gifts "reminders of imperialism." Three others refused to return. From the notebook of a VC party member of relatively high standing killed in October, it was learned that VC armed forces "should be doubled" and ammunition increased although what they had was better than when the Vietminh fought the French. Guerrilla war remained the primary policy, and the basic tactic was the ambush. Mobile warfare would be intensified, The VC have devised a new method of sabotaging vehicles: the handle of a grenade is taped down after the safety-pin has been removed. It is then placed in a gas tank to explode when the tape is removed by the gasoline. According to tests, this might occur very quickly or after several hours depending on the amount and quality of tape used. North Vietnam received an estimated $353 million in military aid from the Soviet Union between 1953 and the end of 1965. More than half was received after the Gulf of Tonkin incident in August 1964. This aid has mostly been in the air defense field -- AAA, SAM's, MIG's, and radar and communication equipment. As SIGINT vessel Protraktor picked up Enterprise when she arrived back at Dixie Station early in February, the old wardroom joke about soviet trawlers being "addressees" on Movement Reports was revived. Protraktor had signaled good-bye in January when Enterprise had left for Subic and Hong Kong. S. B. Roberts (DD-823). assigned to keep an eye on Protraktor reported 16 men and two women on deck! Movies aboard TF 77 ships during February covered a span of time from when Jackie Coogan was a boy to "The Beatles." On terrorism, the American Embassy sent the following message to the Secretary of State: "What we confront here is not a moralistic, patriotic group of civil war fighters, but a flagrant aggression based and directed from outside South Vietnam ... a group of highly trained terrorists are sent into a village. They ... put a dozen bodies on a main street -- old men, women, children, priests. Then they go to the leading man in town, cut off his head, walk it around on a pole. with the result that by mid afternoon there is not much difficulty in getting males 14 to 17 years old to join up..." Two-channel TV was introduced into South Vietnam on 6 February by using U. S, Navy "Project Jenny" airborne capability. This consisted of a Navy EC-121 aircraft-air-borne from 12,000 to 15,000 feet beaming programs of news and education as well as entertainment. Operational evaluation of a contraband-location device for MARKET TIME was completed in February and determined to be useful in conducting thorough "board and search" operations. CTF 115 recommended that 300 of these devices consisting of a ferrous probe and headphones be ordered for use on MARKET TIME ships. The number of SAM sites increased to 93 in February with areas of concentration around Hanoi, Haiphong, Hai Duong, and Kep. A thinner focalization of SAM's was beginning to show between Thanh Hoa and Nam Dinh to the south of Hanoi. Not more than a third of these sites was occupied with firing elements, but increasing the number did improve the flexibility and mobility of their missile defenses. Lessons Learned 1. CTF 115 advises that chain drags fitted with cutters have been successfully employed in cutting command wires to mines in rivers, but that the present maximum effective drag speed is 6 knots at 40 foot depths. This is because increased speeds lift the cutting device off the bottom. He feels a higher speed drag is necessary to increase the effectiveness of the sweep ahead of transiting merchant ships, and to minimize the vulnerability of mine countermeasure boats to harassing fire from the shore. Accordingly CTF 115 has requested the development of a simple, reliable, high speed drag to include such features as the capability to cut 1/4 inch wires on a single pass at 15 knot speeds at a depth of 60 feet. 2. COMCARDIV THREE warned that there have been reported cases where the U. S. Navy ship blocking the Soviet trawler found himself in an embarrassing position with the carrier as a result of his attempt to keep the trawler away. In this case the trawler had maneuvered the blocker into a dangerous situation. The lesson here is that without due care the blocker may become the real hazard instead of the trawler. 3. COMCARDIV THREE also points out the importance of recognition in this war -- with positive identification of enemy fighters and attack ships required by the existing Rules of Engagement. 4. On many occasions pilots have pointed out the value of the emergency radio gear, PRC-49A, which they carry with them. COMCARDIV THREE points out that almost 100 percent of the time the PRC-49A is required in order to make a successful pickup of a pilot downed in enemy territory. He points out, however, that while he was in WESTPAC, the PRC-49A failed to function properly in too many cases. (See CAW 7's "Survival Lesson" below) 5. COMCARDIV THREE states that the Public Information program in WESTPAC is of vital importance and requires a maximum of support and attention. It is a task that should not be shoved off on the most inexperienced officer on board, but rather handled by one who is experienced in PIO as well as competent in this field. 6. CAW 7 on Independence made the following modifications to survival equipment while in WESTPAC: a. The whistle, two MK 13 Smoke/Flares, two dye markers, and compass were removed from the Scott kit since they were all found in the MK 3C life preserver. Added were three food packets, one bottle of leech repellent, a bottle of insect repellent, mosquito net, an ace bandage, and plastic kit with the following contents: (1) Rotanone (fish killer) (2) Antibiotic eye ointment (3) Antibiotic ointment (4) Ammonia inhalant (5) Haiazone tablets (6) Salt tablets (7) Knife edges and needles On the PRC-49A radio CAW 7 pointed out it was too inaccessible when packed in the para-container. If landing in enemy territory, evacuation of parachute and departure from the immediate area may become necessary. This will probably preclude unpacking of any survival gear located in the seat pan. Recent experience has shown the radio to be the primary aid in effecting rescue. CAW 7 pilots, therefore, removed the PRC-49A and packed it in a separate container to be carried by each pilot on every flight. This allowed the pilot to "hit the ground running" without sacrificing his best piece of equipment. Also, it made the PRC-49A available as a piece of emergency communication equipment in case of the plane's radio failure. Tests are not complete, but satisfactory communications have been made between aircraft at a distance of 30 miles. A side benefit is that the PRC-49A can be functionally tested every day. To survival kits have been added: a. 50 iodine water purification tablets b. Styptic pencils c. 8 malaria tablets (one a week required) d. 1 pair of trousers Each crew member is provided with an Aviator's First Aid Kit which includes morphine, several bandages, and oxytetracyclene tablets. This kit is attached to the standard squadron vest. One hundred feet of type 3 shroud line (550# test) is carried in the survival vest to assist the crewmember in descending to the ground, should he become hung up in a tree -- a likely situation in many parts of Southeast Asia. Other items included in the Survival vest are: a. Pen-flare gun with cartridges. Green and yellow cartridges recommended. Red is too much like tracer ammunition and could scare away rescue personnel as well as draw fire from the RESCAP. b. Shroud cutter knife c. Sheath knife (bolo preferred) d. Strobe light, with extra battery e. Leech repellent f. Pistol with ball ammo or individual preference 7. COMUSMACV points out the tactical advantage obtained from the Army's Mohawk display of SLAR and IR information. He states that the target data that is immediately available to the Mohawk pilot provides an opportunity to engage the enemy before he can take evasive action. He has recommended to higher authority that Navy and Air Force aircraft be given a similar capability, citing MARKET TIME operations and interdiction efforts in both Laos and North Vietnam as examples where this equipment could be used effectively. Glossary of Terms IR - Infrared (photographic equipment) in Mohawk (Army) aircraft MEDCAP - Medical Civil Action Program MSB - Minesweeping boat; 55' wooden hull with diesel engine Project Shoehorn - Program to provide self-protection electronic warfare equipment for strike aircraft in Southeast Asia SLAR - Side looking airborne radar
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