BEST

AVAILABLE

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ALL MllrEI{ IfiL

ON THIS FIC.fll:-

Hit S BE EN

DEC LA SSI F/ELJ a - r ______ &1 __ ......

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,- CON\MANDER Uo SQ N'~AL fORCES

VIIETNAM

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MONTHLY HISTORICAL

SEPTEMBER, 1969 OECLASS\f\EO CONFiDENTIAL

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DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY C.,FftfIlfIAl u. S. NAVAL FORCES. VIETNAM

,.~o SAN ""ANCISCO •• e28

Cu;FIDi':lTTAL _ Unclassified upon removal of enclosure

?rom: Corno'1laIlder U. S. 1{aval Forces, Vietnal'! To: Distribution List

FF5-16/23:rpg ';750 3ar: 06S6 4 iEC 1969

Sub·' : Corunander J. S. Naval Forces, Vietnam Honthly Historical S1l!1ll11ary for September 1969; forwarding of

oncl: (1) Commander U. S. Naval Forces, Vietnam Monthly Historical Su~~,ry for September 1969

1. E"c losure (1) is forwarded.

2. The Civic Action Statistical Sl~ includes data ~hich applies to the period 26 .July throu,gh 25 August.

~~~$ Di-=:~_rib'lti.on : CIl!CPACFlT (4) CCJIUSHhCV (Hist. Branch, SJS) COllUSHACV (Doctrine Branch, .1-3053) COliUSHACV (COC, ,JOD) CC:.fL1S!.'.ACV (.f3-12) Dh'ector of :iaval Historyi C;iG (GP-09B91E) C;;o (cp-03, 04, 05, 06) (1 €p)

CW) (OP-3h) ClIO (G?-92) CNO (Ops. Eval. Group) CmCLAHTFl.T CGHFIRSTFLT COl1SECWDFLT COHSIXTIlFT~T

C01·1SEVENTIIFLT CH,IAVl1AT (Code 04) C01·ISEVENTHFLT (HIST. TEAM) Pres. NAVHARCOL COMPHIBLANT CCm'HIBPAC CO!1CBPAC

Er1METT H. TIDD CHIEF OF STAFF

C01lCBLANT C C1{Ill PAC Comnandant, Ar:ned ;'orccc, Staff Collei!e Cl1l-lNAVFACE}lGC(~l

S TJJ-"'"T, IJSNA

Cc !!AV'r1~IBSC("-1, LC:lliE< CC ;AV?mn3CC.L, CI;ce{l WC PiHnTHADET HAInS :;SRDC, P.GFT A NIGTC ;mns Pro.iect :!anaEer, Ilaval Inshore Harfare Project, Viashington, D. C. 20)60 CG Aerospace Studies Institute (CODE ASAS), Haxwell AFB, Ala. )6112 CH:IAVSEV, C and GS Col., Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas 66027 CIGAVoEC, Air University (Attn: AUL (::E)-69-10), }1ru..'Well AFB, Ala. 36112 USA Special ~'arfar" School (Attn: USIl/MC Liaiscn Officer) Ft. Bragg, N. C. 28)07 USIIC Rep., 'J. S. Arr:ry Infantry School, Ft. Benning Ga. )1905 DIA (DTAA?-UA.? 'PentaEon) -·:AV?Ci?V :;CO.S 05216 of 31 July 1969

ListIII.\. (1) List TV A. (1)

Office of the Senior llarine Advisor, lIaval Advisory Group, Box 9, FPO San ?ran.::isco 96626

UNCLASSIFIED

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C01·lMANDER

U. S. NAVAL FORCES

VIETNAM

MOllTHLY HISTORICAL SUMMARY

GROUP 4 Downgraded at J year intervals

Declassified after 12 years

SEPTEMBER 1 969

C (l:1f1tttl4 A l

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TABlE OF CC6TiNTS

List of Charts and Photographs ............................. .,............ iii

OPERATICIi SEA. LORDS Sl.I!I4A.RY ....... 0 ...................................... ~ ...

Gi8l1t Siln.gshot C8J1lll&J.gIl ........................... ~ .............. . Boroer Intet"dictim Ca'llq)8.i.grl ......................................... . Search TUnl C8JftlJlEli~ ................................................ . Riverine Strike Grrup ...... " ......................... s ••••••••••••••

Ka.rket TiJfte RaMer Campai.gJ:l ........................................... ., ... Operaticn SEA. LO)u)S Statistical SUIIIIIIal'Y' (USN&VNN Forcee) ••••••••• ')perat.ien SEA. LOR.'lS Statistical SUJIIIIIaI'1' (COIIb1ned results by !!Ill friellCily forces invol veci) ..... ........................................... " .. ..

COASTAL SURVEILLANCE FORCE SUHMlRY ..•..••••.••••...•••.......•••• Firs·t coast.al ZCUl8 ................................................................... " ..... ..

Second Coastal Zme ................................ " ......................... . Thirtl Coa.st.a.l Zoos .................................................. " ............... .. o--~ra tim Market Tilna .......................................................... . Operat1~' Sea Float/Tran Hung Dao III .••••••••••••••.••••••••••.• OperatiOl'1 St.ble Door ....................................... , .... '" ........ ..

RIVElt PATROL FORCE SlJ}O{lRY ...................................................... ......... . 08Jfte w&rd8l'l sID 6j)8ra t10118 ..................................................... . Enemy Harassment/Attack en Merchant Shipping ••••••••••••••••••••• Task Force Cle.a.l"W'ater ....................................................................... .. USN Statistical SummarT •••••••••• .. . . . .. .. .. .. . .. . . . . .. . . .. . .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . . NAV AI, ADVISORY GROUP StJlrOlA.RY .................................................. ~ .......... .. Vietn8IMse Naval shipj'ilO@ ........................... ., ......................... .. Vietna.n18se l4arine Corps ........ v" ...... , .... , ............................. , ... ..

VNN !VNMC 5 t.a t i 8 tical StlJIJa8.l'Y............ ~ • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • .. • • • • .. •

PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS AND CIVIC ACTION SUMMARy •••••••••••••••• USN ciVic lction Statistical Summar.1 ••••••••••••••••••• ~ •••••••••

ACCELERATED TURNOVER PROOIWl AND TRAINING SUMMARY •• . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .

1 5

11 17 20 24 29

30

3; 34 40 43 48 61 73

77 86 88 88 90

91 103 105 111

113 116

118

GLOSSARY 0' A.BBR.IVUTICfiS .......................................... 123

CC6FIDBNTUL

COO FID~TIAL

LIST OF CHARI'S AND PHO'fOORAPIIll

1 • (P) OV-10A.1rcrart ............. ~ •••••••••••••••. , .............. iv

2. (p) !-fobi19 Base II ............................ It' • • • • • • •• ... • •• • 4

3. (p) "Sl11.!t It l3oa. ts ..... ......................... It • • • .. • • • • • • • • • • '6

U. (C) Operations tn the First Coastal Zone ••••••••••.•••• •••• 39

5. (c) Operat1au, in the Se'cood Coastal' Z0!l8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • 42

6. (c) Operations in the TUrd Coastal Zone •••.••.••••••• ••••• u7 7. (C) Market Time Rd.der .. SEA LORDS Operations in the

Thi.r'd Coasta.l ZO'llE:l. ' .•••••••••••••••••••••••• " ••• " • • • • • • 53

B. (C) Market Time Raider- SEA LORDS Operaticns in the FO\1T"th Coastal Zooe .......... IO.. . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . • . . . . 5'4

9. (C) Sea Float Operations in the Fourth Coastal Zent)........ 55

10. (p) "Racket Boat" •••••.••••••••••••••••••••••••• • •• •.· •• •••• 1'8

11 • ( p) FerrCl-cerne:lt JooklO.......... . . .. . • . . . . . • • . . • . . • • • • • . . . . . . 102

12. (p) ACTOV Trainee....... .. . . . • • . . . . • • • • . . • . • • . • . • . • • • . • • •• • • • '17

13. (p) Coast Gu.a.rcl WPB ......................................... 119

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Hi COOP'IDl!NTllL

CtlNF'I IJ:"UTlAL

Operation Sea Lords 9~ry

Operation Sea Lorris, "hich began on III October 1961l, is a continuous

overall effort which has several principal operational parts: GiQnt Sling­

shot/Barrier Reef East (CTG 194.9), lran Hung Dao/Barrier Reef West (CTG

194.4), Search Trun (eTG 194.)), Market Time Raiders (CTG 194.5), Riverine

Strik" Group (CTt; 194.7), and ENezy Cove (CTG 194.;». Sea Lords main

objectives have been: (1) to interdict infiltration from Cambodia b,'

plaCing naval '-'nits along infiltrat.ion ;,outes; (:') to clear and open L~lta

wate--ways; Rnd (3) to penetrate long held enemy a,'ea:3 with r~L.1er opera,·.ions.

Now J after nearly a year of Sea Lords operat~.ons,· na'ral forGes hav,

succeeded, along "ith the Army and Air Force, in contrl.buting to the inter-

diction of supplies corrl.nCl i ac" 'l'Letnam from Ca.nbodia and to the r~turn t,",

goverTlll\en~ contral of the rive:-d in the lower Delta and various VC strong-

holds. 1'0 date, more tho:n 3070 VC have been killed and 500 t,m<, cf munitiO\;s

and supplie3 in crc.Ghes found and d estrayed.

Perhaps aven more inrport.'nt. than theee st"tistics ar~ th .. , intangible

results such ~s inhabitants a).ong the waterwyas being able to ','!Iove about

with greater freedOlll ond safe'"y and the !'act that areas once controlled by

the VC are now open to econo~ic development. Waterway~, once used with

impuni ty by the enemy, arc now cloeed to him, backing up hl.s 3uppL;.~B I'hich

nO\l take him longer to get through. This, ill turn, has lesl!Iened the

t'r"'iuency and duration of enemy "high points."

The Mang Thit Campaig;.l (CTG 194.6), which began on III July 1969, had as

its basic objective the pacification of the area adjacent tc the canal in order

to ~timulll.te the resettle.wnt at' thi~ ar.ta IUld the promotion of the gc.vernment

image. This campaign terminated 20 September the initial objectivee having

'f. ": .

been aChieved. Ouring t,he tensure of naval units, traffic on the Mang Thitl

Ni~olai Canal doubled from approximately 1,000 units to 2,000 units per month.

There a180 .. as a noticeable pacification 1mprov.,.ent as evidenc.d. by numerous

hootche" being built in previousl;r uninhabited 'Ireaa, the enthuaiastic responae

of people ~long the canal bank to the PBR presence, and the increased response

to medicr.l aid misllions. Ouring the first twent;,. da;rs of the month, PBR'. of

RIVDIV 53) _de no significant contact with the Imem;y and were chopped to CTt!

194.4 and reloca+,ed to YRIJ{ 20 in th .. vicinity 01' Chou Doc.

As aa exteneion of Sea Lords and in support of the Fourth CTZ pacifica­

tion progr~, Operation Breez;r Cove was activated on 25 September. The mis­

sion is to ilIIplement USN Game Warden t;rpe POO OperAtions on the Song Ong Doc

in An Xuyen Prc.Tlnce in ord"r to prevent "nem;r in!'iltration, movement, Ilnd

resupply along the inland waterways in the Song <Alg Doc area in order to en­

hance the govetTlllent of Vietnam's pacification prol~rllll\, Active Vietruwsse

Navy participation will begin during late Octob",. (Ir Novem.'">er pending ruture

PBf: turnovers.

On 24 3"J*.eoober, the USS GARREn coutn'Y (iST 78.~) arrived in the Y1ciBit:r

of the Song Ong Doc from Rach Gia ..nth HAL 3, DEr 6 sbarked to provide support

for tt." off loadint, po"itioning, and outfitting of the ~ pontoons that

",,,re consolidated into an Advanced Tactical Support Basil (ATSB). RIVDIV 572

arrived f rolll Binh Thu:r on 26 September and assUlled d'."ignator CTU 194.2.1

co..",mcing operations on 28 Se:otember. ThaT were joln"d on the 30th b;r 2

ASPDI., 3 ATC's, an:! a Monitor which hac ... CTU 194.2'.3.

On 28 September, the District Chiei', Song Ong Doc, who had been in ~

position for several nights itl order to obaerve tlfO ;round ladi~1I who had re­

cently JIIoved into tawn to est u;J Hhop, was forced to 1141nd thllli. bt.Ck to S • ..igon.

COIIFIJEN'l'IAL 2

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GUIlH OS!-.1'lAL '

Apparently, these y:mng ladies had heard in Saigon that t he Navy was moving,

in (to Song Ong Doc) and wanted to be there firste,lt with the mostest.':'1'h"re·

"ere no casualties reported on either side. Xinh Loi!

J V1NFIDSHTlAL

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Giant Slingshot Campaign

'Hith OTer 118 USN and VNN "uft committed to the Giant Slingshot Cam­

p"ign along with U.S. end ARVN grounn troops, this campaign continues to be

the ,"ost active ~rrl p.ffective of the SEA LORDS interdiction barriers. Con­

ducted on th~ Vam Co Dong and Vam Co Tay Rivers, Giant Slingshot f0rmB a

n.,tural barrier ;).roln" the "Parr::>t's Be.k" "rea of C .. mbodia Hhich protrudes

into '/ietnm. and is an e::eUiY silnctuary only 35 milos west of Saigon.

Intelligence reports continue to co"," in :<escri.h).Hg ttl"! difficulty

caused to the e~emy by the constantly p£trclling units not 0nly in terms of

phys1.c .. lly preventing his freedom of :':!ovement, but also denying him adequate

weaVins, foodstuffs, and medical supplies.

Durin!\ the mont.h, incr"ased riTer bank activity and river crossing at­

tempts in the dayligW< hours suggests that certain areas of the Vam CD Dong

.. re Be diffic141t to cross .. t night due to the constant pressure of fiIVDIV

UIlits that the Viet Cong prefer to .. ttempt crossi",,: during the ho,"~s of

peak sampan traffic.

Compared to the prev1.ous ",onths, Giant Slingshot in September was ex­

tremely quiet. Hostile fire incidents which had been aver .. ging 130 per

month for the past six months, :l ropped to 56 in September. Enemy KIA's

(Be and EST) correspondingly decre .. eed from 363 in August to 146 this

month while friendly casualties decreased frOll1 30 killed and 204 wounded

in August to 33 woundO!d in September.

At 2215 on ) September, two P8R'~ 0f TU 194.9.1 inserted a company ot

U.s. ArIT~ troops nine miles southwest of Ben Lue (XS 722 662). As one of the

5 C{)Nr'IDENTIAL

FIlR IS "as hacking off the beach, small al'l,lS fire was received from the norih .. ·

west and a sampan 'ilth five occupants was detected pulling into the bank 20

meters away. f.s the friendly units opened f;.re, t.hey received grenades and

~mall arms fire in return wounding two A~ troops. Enemy casualtie~ were

considerahly greater since their 109se5 were: five killed; one sampan dee­

troyed; "nd two AK-47 ' s, " ;(-59 pi"tol, and a large amount of medical sup­

plies captured.

About rnid-day on 5 September, while on a routine Iwtrol on the V~ Co Tay

Rbel" 5~ mile, northwest of Tan An (XS 480 700), two PBR'e of TU 191.,..9.2 weu;

hailed by a >later taxi because two men on the taxi desire to riLlly. Surren­

dering an M-l carbine and a 30 round ~gazine, they stated that there were

other VC in the are. who might also want to rally. The PBR's returned to

base for loudspeakers J and one of the Hoi Char.hs made a live broadcast. in

the VC base ;<rea "d.th negative res'llts. Eefore takillg the Hoi Chanhs to Tan

An Chiou Hoi Center, the PBR's pulled 1n;:,0 the Hoi Chanhs' village so they

coul,: talk to their families anc!. fri.mds. The PBR's received an enthUsiastic

~elcome frem the villagers.

That afternoon, on the Va. Co Dong River, P8R Ie of CTU 1?1 •• 9 . .3 on rou­

tine patrol t ,",0 miles northw"st of Tra Cu receiv .. d frem three to four rockets

an!. light auto .... tic we.pons fire from the east biUlk. The b,llk of. the fire. 'II"''' direct~ at the cover boat whi~h took a rocket hit on the port side of the

cox9"'air. flat below the al"m.or plating resulting in thr..,e USN and one 'INN

wounded (boat captain seriously). The PBR went out cf cont~ol and beached

on th" west bank as th .. other PlIR's returned tiro And remained in the area

to support the beached boats. Four to six VC were seen evading the area and

\le::-e taken under fire with unknOW"l reeults. A Seawol! and FAC both arrived

CONFIDENTIAL 6

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CllNFlIJr;rrrI AL

on station an:! proceeded to place strikes in the contact are;; which were

followed by artillery. Thirt;r-seven minutes after the initial engagement,

.. ?1Jp. patrol .nd 'INN ATC th .. t had been scrambled arrived with a platoon of

,;rmy troops for insertion, The troops swept the contact Olrea lOnd found

fresh trails, ambush ?Ositions on the bank, and two bunkers which tr.~ des­

troyed. After a strike by an OV-IO that had arrived on the scene, plus an

addition&l strike by a second Sel<wolf, the VNN ATC pulled the beached PBR

clear. Enemy ca~ualties for the engagement were 1 VC killed and 1 VC prob­

a.(-ly killed.

Two PBR's of the Upper Vam Co Tay Pa.trol Unit, acting on loc.l intelli­

gence, ins art ed, supported, and extracted 36 PRU troops on the Rach 3ach Chan

4 miles south',o(est of Moc Hoa (WS '175 890) on the morning of 6 September. The

troops located two arnlS c,aches containing 500 Chicom grenades, 40 B-40 rockets

arrl assorted small ams amllmnition.

Acting on intelligence that VC sappers were operating in the area, VNN

RAC of RAG 22 embarked a battalion of ARVN troops and inserted them on the

V= Co Dong River 14 miles southwest of Saigon (XS 592 795) on the morning

~f 9 September. During the sweep, the troops located a cache buried in tin

boxes ~. leh consisted of: 6 boxes of TNT; 1,000 pounds of C-4; 221. 60mm

mortar rourrls; 216 82m1 mortar fuzes; 150 B-40 rockets; 100 8-40 boosters;

31 min.,s of varicus types; 16 hand grenades; 10 AK-47's; arrl 31 boxes of

AK-·47 ammunition.

All the material in the cache was in TOry good condition, and it is es­

timated that the cache had been in place less than Seven days. There was no

enemy contact"

7 CONFIDENTIAL

C0NFliJEN':'I AL

Operating on SEAL intelligence, SEAL Teara, DEl' GOLF, <k>lf platoon, .quad

BRAVO corducted interdiction of a reported special supply convoy on 14 Sep­

t~mber 3, mil~s south southeast of Ben Luc (AS 629 710). While in waterborne

gtJi< rdpost position, the SEAL' ~ observed a Inge sapan containing approJd.­

mately 12 men exit ti'e canal. Th.-y allowed the c ran to reach mid-streaa b ..

fore initiatil~g contact. The sampan was sunk by direct K-79 hit~, and 25

kilos of personnel effects and one kilo of doc_ents were recovered frem the

water. Enany casualties wlSre 6 VC killed while three SEAL'~ were wourded.

PBR support am artillery illumination ..... II.S called for, and the PER'! 1II&Il~

firing rlln3 along the river bank and then cleared to the opposite bank. A

S"..AL platoon from Alpha squad was inserted at 2245 and patrolled inland ob­

serving numerous blood tr~ils and fresh footprints on both sides of the canal,

but they failed to gain contact.

During the anemoOt' of 16 September, two RAID 71 units attached to TU

191..9.3 extract"d a U.S. Army platoon direr.tl" across from Tra Cu (IS 479

986) and reil'.!Ierted th_ a mile downrlYer (XS 487 974) at the reque"t of

3rd Brigade units. Once a~hore, the troops "",ept inlard toward an area

..... here a USA scout team had made r'!cent contact with 3 VC during which one

Army man wa" s"riously wourded. The "",eeping troops discovered 3 VC bod-

ies, 3 INA poncho~, assorted clothing, coold.ng utensil.s, ani 50 wooden planks.

on 17 Sept' ... ber, while in night· waterborne guardpost thr .. miles we"t of

B.n wc (XS 575 752), four PER's of TU 194.9.1 obsened three VC in a llaapan

exit a nearb" canal. The sampan was taken urder fire 1d.ll1ng four VC and

capturing four AK-47 , ". One USA trooper was wOUDded .er1ous!:r ,.hen he w .. hit

in the left shoulder b" automatic weapons fire. He." .. dusted oft to the

3rd Field Hospital in Saigon.

CONFIDENTIAl. 8

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C;ONFII)Sl;'l'lAL

Three days later, four different PBR's from TU 194.9.1 were in night

waterbo'!"ne gul!.rdpost positions four mles northw .. :.t of Ben Luc (XS 554 810)

with " U.S. Army company. Eight to twelve VC were spotted and taken under

fire by the troops after which they were extracted to allow the PBl\ls to

take the area under fire and a Black Pony air strike. The troops were then

reinserted tor a sweep which discovered 4 VC bodies •

Two Upper Va~ Go Dong Patrol Unit PBRlo inserted U.S. A~ troops 6ight

miles south ot Tay Ninh (XT 244 353) prior to daylight 011 22 September. After

only a few minutes ashore, the troops reported seeins five lights and 15-20

persons moving 200 yards to the nort~.e8t of their location (XT 242 355).

Seawolye" ><ere scrambled and were overhead in five ndnutes making M-60 and

40mm firing runs. Afloat units remained in the &rea as a reaction force,

and as they patrolled along the bank, they discovered a small cache containing

an AK-47. four B-40 rcck~s, and a sMall &Bount ot AK-47 a.aunition. Results

of the action were three VC killed and three probably killed. There were no

friendly casualties.

On the 28th of Septemb<Jr, combined units of RAIU 70, 71, and RAD 151,

while in night waterborne guardpost position with a U.S. Army r.latoon, ob-

3erved three VC on the riverbank opposite their position on the Vall. Co Dong

River seven miles southwest of Ben Luc (XS 723 660). The three VNN craft

opened fire and ~aught the VC in a cross tire while receiving negativ~ r~turn

fire. Artillery was then called in after which the units returned to the

area and spotted three bodies near the water lin.. There wore no triend~

casualties.

In a turnabout is fur play routine, ASPB units ot 194.9 "psyopsed"

one at the Viet Congls ntr ... est psyops devices. These units were in waterborne'

9 CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIVE.'lTIAL

guardpoet position 8 miles northli8:3t of Tuyen Nhon on the Vaa Co Tay River

(X:3 187 eL.3) on 29 September when they observed 1Il0ventent on the river banke.

They broke position and found 2' by ;>" floats with VC le&!lets attached.

After close examination, the flo;,ts were picked up, and the area W&8 recoM.d

by fire with neg .. tive results. :rhe floats were returned to TuTen Nhon where

the leaflets were removed and turned over t~ NIta. The favor was then re­

turned a8 US/VN leaflet~ were attached to the same floats which were then re­

tllrned to the original position and released on the following night.

Two units fI'Ol'Q IUJD 71 and RIVDIV 151 in support of a U.S. Army' pla­

toon on 29 September discovered 225 pounds of TNT in ! pound blocks packaged

in six crates. The condition of the cratel! a!ld explosives indicated that

they had be.1l cached for a cOl1stderable length of tue. The Anrrr units

,cere led to the cache site 100 meters r rOlll the bank of the Ben Luc River

~! miles north of Hen Luc (Xl:, 638 798) by a Kit Careon scout who had re­

cently Chieu Hoid. The cach~ was located in the bottom of a boab or artil­

lery crater.

CONFlDENTIAL

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C0NFlDENTlAL

Border Interdiction C~mpaign

Task Group 194.1, had an average of nearly 120 USN and VNN craft assigned

during September. Int.erdiction operations were conducted in the Tran Hung nao

area 'Of operations which included approximately 22 ;-IBGP's with 300 RF/PF t.roops

placed nightly i')¢reasing to 35 \'iBGP's at month's end, the locations of the

----sites being det.ennined by current intelligence, by recommendations of local

cOli1manders, am by analysis of historical intelligence to dete=ine previous-

ly used infiltration routes or areas. Ter. PBR':! am four to five RAC'3 were

employed during the month to carry out interdiction operations on Barrier Reef

"lest.

In at' effort, to tighten the interdiction barrier and because of the sea-

so,,;ll flooding with its resultant water table that has inundat~d large areas

compounding interdiction probl..,.s, a ne>; tactic for this particular area came

into use dc'ring September. Sampans were utilized by frien:lly troops to extend

the '.fBGP front a .... d thus challenge the enelDY' at his own game. Umer the present

rules a squad size, three sampl/J1, independent WBGP l.e positioned 300 meters

frem the PBR'" thus permitting a IllUch wider disperslon of waterborne interdic-

tion forces. At the end of the "",nt, , conventional WBGP tacttcs were further

altered by the >lse of single boat WBGP'3 throughout the Tran Hung Dao/Barrier

Reef TAOR. PCF's, VNIl Junks, PBR's and RAC were assigned geographical sectors

in which they changed station randomly. These assigned craft were

by troops, sampans, air boats, and Kenner Ski Barges in order to achieve ~axi-

mum probability of detection and countering _1117 inUltration.

In &dditicnal changes" on 13 September, the USS HUNTERDON COUNTY (1ST 838)

arrived off Ha Tien to support RIVDIV 532 and provide other assistance a9

ibe for operations in Ha Tien TAOR and &asumed deSignator TU 194.4.9 with TU

194.4.S.1, nET 3, embarked to provide air support in western Tran Hung Dao.

11 CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENl'IAL

On 15 Sept..t>er, RAD 1)2 relieved RAD 131 in Operation Tran Hung Dao and.

chopped to CTG 194.4 UI RAD 131 ret\\med to Dona 1... On 27 Septllllber,

HAL 3, lJE'l' 9, consisting of two UH-LB gun~hips arrived at YREM 21 (ws 392

895) and -,ssWlled eTE 194.4.5.1 and will operate prLaril;r i.n support ot

Barrier R~ef West.

Two FBR's or TU 194.4.4 were in WOOP on the ViM Te C&nal ~ix mIn

southwe~t of Chou Doc (WS 049 796) on 4 Sept_er wbea th<iJT observed. 50

or )l.ore enemy troops in a c01U11Ul of 20 to 25 _.pans approachina iroa the

east moving west. The PBR'e op8Ded fire aM requested artHler;r i11u.in­

ation. After forty-live minute", artiller;r illu.izw.tion had still not. been

received, and Black Pony aircraft in the area .ade il1u.ination runs with

negative lIightings, however) visibility wae Yer;r poor due to rain" En~

troops " .. re believed to have retreated acree" the CuIbod1an bard .. ", one

mile to the northwest.

Three days later, a llile down the can&l (WS 035 7~), tl>JO additional

TIl 194.4.4 PBR's were in WBGP whm th.,. observed one eaapan croeeing f1'O&

south to north. The PER initiated tire aDd d_trored the sUlp&ll. Three

enflll:J' were killed am two gre&de, u WI. uailom, tOtU' poZlChoe, a first

aid kit, ani s ... articl .. of clothing "ere found in the Saapul.

Still another lIile lar\her to the west oa the Vinlt re CaMl. (WS 020 788),

TU 194.4.4 PBR's 1n WOOl' obe.rved two VC in a ... po with t.wo VC ...n..1nc

alo"l'ltide crolllli~ the cazal toward. the 1IOM.h oa 19 s.pttllllber. Wh_ tile

ve e&W the PBR'_, the;r att_pted to .......se aM vere tabll luMier tin aD!

,..ere killed. At this t1ae, tIM PBR's raeeheel .uttered .-11 &mil tire

troll unlrnavn posit1oftll to the • .,uth ruultinc in nr;r .l1&ht daMl.

to one PBR. :IneaT cuual tie. were 4 VC ldllecl. There vere no tri..cUr

casualties.

CONFIDEm'lI.L 12

..

-.

CUt~I"!D~~N'l1AL

VNN junks am a Coastal Group 44 reaction team in \;BGP the fol1moting

night 13 miles n0rtheast of Ha Tien on the Vinh Ta Canal (VS 600 634)

sighted approximately 2C persons to the north of their position proceeding

south. \fhen the reaction force o;..ened fire, they received return «utomatic

weapons fire as the enemy evaded north into Cambodia. A sweep conducted

lat.,r by the reaction force \nth Black Pony aircraft orbiting to the south

of the canal produc~d negative results. Enemy casualties were estimated

as three VC killed while triendly casualties were one VNN killed and one

'INN slightly wounded.

While on C=bodian border patrol, units of MINDIV 113 on 11 September

sighted a funeral float drifting down the Melcong River 13~ m:l.les northeast

of Ch'OU Doc (wr 210 030). On .. unit foU"",ed the float until it was 17 miles

east northea8t of Chou Doc (\-15 380 930) where it ran aground and was par­

tially destroyed. The remains of the noat were towed into the river and

destroyed by 14-79 fire.

Two ATC's of RAD 132 were in waterborne guardpost position 15, miles

northeast of Ha Tien on the Vinh Te Canal (VS 645 635) on 19 September

when two persons were obser-~ed in the vicinity ot an abandoned hootch .,o;ar

their position. A sniper opened tire an:i shot one man through the head

and is believed to have hit the other one. A sweep at first light revealed

large AnY)unts of blood on the ground near the hootch. There wero no friendly

casualtie,;.

PBR's of RIVDIV 512 were in WHUP positions in the early morning ~f 24

September 'On a areall c~al ott the Vinh Ta Canal 21 miles southeast of ~hou

Doc (VS 870 560) when they spotted two groupe of VC/NVA approximately 200

yards apart. The i'irst group, which was 200 yards from the PBR's, evidently

13 CONFIDENI'IAL

C0*,lDi::NTIAL

sighted the 512 unite as they were observ"d setting up mortars. The PBR'II

initiated fire on the first group and received spo.-adic AK-47 tire in return.

A USN OV-IO was diverted and was overhead in five minutes. Placing 1llU1tiple

strikes in the contact area, it obtai~ed one secondar,; explosion. The uV-IO

was relieved by an UiFT which also placed a strike in the area. A 1I.0rning

sweep by CrDG troops produced negative results with only miscellaneous equip­

ment located. Enemy casualties were 10 KIA/KBA (Proo). There were no friendly

casualties.

In the early morning on 26 September, a VN outpost in the Tien Binh dis­

trict. 5! miles southwest of Chou Doc (\is 049 798) was reported '~nder attack

by 50 ve, An LHFT of HAL 3, DET 3, was scr=bled and sent to the scene '(he:~e

it searched the area with negative results. Meanwhile, personnel manning an

NOD appro){imate!y two miles away (WS 088 799) reported moving lights were seen

about I! miles southwest of their position (liS 075 782). The LHFT then made a

low leval reCOnnlUBsarx: e using its landi ng lights art! observed four or five

sampans with 10-15 people aboard. ~ith clearance from the province and con­

currence from CTG 194.4, the LHFT placed multiple machine gun and rocket

strikes in the area. Enemy losses were 5 VC killed (Frob) and '- to 5

sampans sunk or damaged (Prob) while there were no frIendly casualties.

Junks of CO.Rtal Group 42, while proceeding tc WBGP on 27 September on

the Vinh Te Canal about 13 mile~ northeast ~r Ha Tien (VS 572 640 to vs 585

635), received two B-40 rounds at an estimated range at 10 meters. rhe

units returned fire for 20 minutes, then one unit cleared the area to

evacuate t,ro woun:led VNN. At that time, the r_lning unit received A/vi

fire. A few minutes later, an LHFT arrived on the scene to pI"'Jv1ci~ clc~.

support. The LHFT II.&de fl.ve tiring runH and received Al'II tire on all ruM.

CONFIDEmAL

..

"

CONFliJlim'IAL

The Ull"1' cleared the una as an LAFT arrived to provide suppori and il­

luminat.ion tor a ground sweep, which ~howed that an estimated five men

has been in ambush position approximately 200 meters to the n~rGh and

an estimated company sized lxnit had beaten down the undergrowth. It is

believed that the &mbush was planned as a diversion tor an en~ crossing

which had been prevented :In the intended area. l!;n~ casualties are un­

known while friendly casualties were two VNN wounded (one serious),

On th~ evening ot 28 September, PBR'e of RIVDIV 514 sighted three

S"-'11pana each carrying two persons 150 feet. from their WJ3GP position 6

miles "est so"thwest of Chou Doc on the V'inh Te Canal (WS 037 790). The

P9il's initiated fire with illlllllination provided by an UlFT with unknmfn

results. Several minutes later, fire was once mor" initiated. A sweep

discovered :2 VC bodies and one 8,v.mpan. The two ena-ny bodies appeared to

be unde.r sixteen.

CONFI DEN'l'I AL 15

"-- -y-- -~

~---

Two "Swti't" boats tow a third damaged by

enell\Y fire during the incuraion as gunners

wat~h for gn~ ambush positions.

CONFI m,N1'I AI.

Search Turn Caapaip

Task G:roup 194.3 with an ave .. age of 30 PBR's and four Seawolves "-3-

signed continued r~utine sorties, waterborne guardposts, ~nd interdiction

patI"'ls in Kien Giang Province and the Gulf of Thailand, in addition to

supporting the 21st ARVN Division in the "Three Sisters" arca. COlllll1encing

on 12 Sept"lltler, the Search Turn AO WII.S broke., down into the following

l.re8.3 of responsibility: (1) IUVDIV 554, TU 194.3.5, to patrol nen Tan,

Kien Tanh, and K.i.nh Binh Districts out of Racll Soi; (2) RIVDIV 513, TU

194,)1., to patrol th~ Song Cai Lon, Kien An District, and the lower Gulf

out of fuI.ch Soil and (J) IUVDIV 553, TU 194.3.2 to patrol Kien Son ar.d Kien

Phting Di,;trict including the upper Gulf out of Kien Son.

During September the eneay suffered 76 killed by Search Turn units which

is two ",ore than the previous month. However, this was accowplished "hi1" re­

ducing j~r1eMIJ' casualties frOJIL 4 killed .. nd 10 wound~ in August to 2 killed

• noi rour wounded in Se!,~embor. Tile following incident narr.tti ve are typic .. l

of activUy 1n the SeILI'ch Turn AO.

Or, 6 Sept..,.ber, two PER's of IUVDIV 553 supporting net ARVN Division

operatJ.ons sighted IUd took under fire three e-.n.-el"J crossing fro. east to

.... est 0" tho Lu;rnh ~nh Canal 18 llilu nortlntest of Rach Gta (VS 861 238).

Seawo]'{ee ""re divert"d f %'". th"ir patrol &nd plac~ ILir etrikes while th"

PER's provided .: lluwr'.nation. The PBR'a and Suwolvea beth received. return

fire .1'ro1ll the bank" &nd returned and ;ouppre .. ed s.... As the Seawolvee

depari.ed station, Black Ponie" arrived and pl.&!:toei Iddit.ional ILir strikes. A

troop s .... eep at d&7li~ turned up four VC bodie., a llaall .. ",unt of cl~t·hillf.;,

and ,,,,,,., freshlr U3ed medical. dresainp. There wer!! no frie;:dly casual,ti"s.

17 COilFIDENTIAL .

C()NFUENTIJ\L

On 11 Sept.ember, two PBR's o.r RIVDlii 51.3 ).:1 liBGP on the S')ng etC. Be

11 ",nils south gouthfa5t of Rach Gia (\'iR 178 888) observed two slIlIlpans

approaching their position .. ftar curfew. The number of occupants could

not be dntennin.'d due to the extreme darkness. The sampans were ~ak.m UT.-

der fire .md a 3ubsequ.,nt search of the 8rea resulted in th,' capture of on.

VC f. ,,~pect and one sampan. In additinn, ol~e VC Wr.>.S probably killed and :I

saJUpan destroyed wt,ile t.htlre w"re no friendly ea.'luuties. Also on t.he 11th

::'n • typical Se.wol1' ndr"ion, two Seawolves un so"thern coastal patrol

were cleared by C'TG 194.3 to strike target3 or opportunity in a deeignated

target area 18 miles southwe,t of Rach Gia (VR 940 810). The r .... ") ... s were

seven st rllctures dest royed and eight <l.',lllaged, s .wen sampans destroyed and

It! damaged, ant.'. f,'ur VC probably killed.

Two RIVDIV 553 PBR's were in WEGP positinns on 14 September when thoy

sighted six unoccupied sampans fl0ating toward their position on th~ V ...

Ray Canal 24 miles northwest of P .... ch Gia. Taking the sampans under fira

result,K! in s·,,,eral secondaI"J ""xplosions. At the same time, ~lI!all arms

fire ""s received from the west barJ<, which was returned and suppressed.

Seawolves were scrambled and ar'rived on the scene after the PER's had en-

gaged in a second firefight. The Seawolves placed a "trike cnich was fol-

lowed at daybreak by a troop sweep. A search of the area and the sampan

wreckage procLced on •. V,) body are. ir.dications that six rore were probably

kill19d. In addition. truee AK-:'i' S J two cases of AK-47 UIIIIWl1t,ion, two

/3'-40 rockets, one M-16 ,ine, i.en M-16 II&gazines. anJ four places of '>feb.

There wer .. no fri.mdl;r casualties.

An unf0rtunate .ccident occurred on 15 Septemh~r when Seawolf 302 ot

TU 194.3 • .3 era.hed into the ~llf of Thailana during a seraablQ takeoff in

a rain squall. The two pilots were wounded (nne seriously) aM the two

cr~en ... ere killed.

CONFIDEIIl'IAL 18

.-

-.

CuNFIUhlUIAL·

PER's 677 and 67? of lUVDIV 513 were in WBGP on the Cai Lon River 20

miles south souti'I!!ast of Rach Gia (l.'R 200 772) on 20 SeptembtJr when the af­

ter gunner 0n one of tr.e b~ts was hit in the chest by an ene~ grenade

which then fell on the boat's pump covers. The quick thirJdng gur~'1e:£'

quickly retrieved the grenade hurling it. back into the rJ.ppa plam bush

from "hich it eminated. The grenade exploded probably killing one VC.

19 CONFIDENTIAL

Bi verine S;t-;:,;I.jr,. rjk'o1Jy

(r-k G2..lUP 1$4.7)

Fon:a connilit of River A_ul.t DiY1sions 1.,3 m& 115 ~ oontinuo operational

commitm8nts 8S the Riverine Striko Group (RSG) WlI.t.hja til. Operation au. LORDS

Ol'gILIlilllLtioil&J. struoture as depic·!;ed :I.n the tollowing ohal'tl

OP~TIONAL ORGANIZATION

TF 194 'SEl LCIUlS VADK Z"UKlALT

TG 194.0 TG 194.7 FIRST SEl LORDS RIVERIIIE

RALM FLlNAGAN STRIXE GROUP CAP: BLUR

I I !'.IVRON l~ I CDR M1lRPHY rg:R~

~311 RIVDIV 132\ RlVDIV 151 RIVDIV 152 IlUVDIV 153 .r::. CONN! JLLY LT BARTLKTT LX SCARBROUGH LX LOPEZ

USS~ rL::~ 1 (.\PB 35) WDR SOLOl(oo

Wla> ONE, au_lid ~ duti .... 1Ibe llillD:l.or JiI!rIleor, no. .. .. "7 ..

phibious Ta8 10rce 21it vi til aMi tiODal duU ..... Co "..... ~ ..... 194.7

mel on the "tatt ot Co nd.r Riftll' Patrol Flotilla pm ill obar .. or Ri_

... .w. t Q.raf'\ _ttc1l.

C lH FIIl ENT I Al 20

.'

'.

CONFIDtNTIAL

U~ted operations by the Riverine Strike Group, as compared with

the large scale, extensive, and relentless off~nsive activity o! the Mobile

Riverine Force, cont:tnued during September. Riverine Assault Operations in

support of various PRU, ARVN, and RF troops wsre conducted in arsas in Kien

Hoa, Go Cong, and Dinh Tuong Provinces. The~e troop insertion and

operations were conductlld on request of the respective u.n1t U.S. advisor and

usually developed on short lead ti.!lle. ReconnaisslI.nce in force operations

in support of the 6/)1 Infantry Battalion of the 3rd Brigade, U.S. N1~th

Infantry DiviSion in the Can Giuoc District of Long An Province were carried

out. As began last month, RSG units continued patrol and interdiction

operations on the Song Vam Co, Rach Cat, Bach Cac, and Song Nha Be. The

Cho Gao Canal became a CTG 194.7 operating area on 1 September, and an

average of six assault craft were on patrol there. Emphasis in all areas

was given to inspection as 8448 persons and 25,565 persons ~ere checked.

Operations were in general routine, and contact with the enemy was

very light or non-existent ill all operating areas except on the Cho Gao

Can.t.l. P'ive en..,. ubushes ...... re sprung on RAC along this waterway duril'ig

September wheread none are recorded for the other ars&s. Casualties were

light again this month - enemy casualties were listed as 9 Viet Cong

killed; friendly cas1,laltiu were on. USN killed, and six USN and 4 VNN

were woundlld.

Dispostion of RAC in the Giant. Slin&ahot and ot"-er campaign areas

contin1Jed as in P"viOUII IIOnths as shown in the accOII.paI11ing table which

d.picts the situation on the last day of Sep~eaber.

2l CCllFIDEIil'IAL

Operat1o~ Aaaault (1) (2)

!m'Moo D1yisisn ATC Am! HQIi CCB Vy11tx Retuler tp'kJ.

RAJ)

Dong T_ l.3l 14 6 4 (IF) 2 1 :n Tran Hung Dao 132 13 6 3 (IF) 1 1 1 25

Giant Slingshot 151 12 6 4 (IF) 1 1 24

IIa.m Co River 152 13 6 3 1 1 1 25

Rung Sat Speoial 153 16 16 ZoDol & Giant Slingshot -

Tota.l 52 40 14 5 4 2' ll7

(1) F - name thrower (2) Utilit:r craft are MSK

RlC vare ambuahed on the Cho Gao CUI&l on tva _a .. 1 .... mahta.

At 2050 on the 4th, HAD 132 arafi on patrol _ aargaa HT81'al ."pens,

Aa lloon &II the area vaa 1llUllinated the patrol rM81T11Cl 5 B-4O rooltata and

A/W tin tr-. both bank.I at a pod tion 5t lIilaa .. at ot ..., 'l!ho (lW 595 4.38),

F:1ra was retllnled and .upprulled vith lmlaww:D. ~ oall1llll.ti.a. A'J.'C-9 took

3 rooket hits end 3 Ia...,..n 10"81'. \IIcnmdecl in th. aotion. Ap.iJl, th. next

maht, RlC reoe1nd rocket tire troa both bI':IIta or the aual 4 lI11e. south­

east or Ifl' Tho (rioin t7 lS 569 432) .. a 1'J.'C 23 to<Jlt 3 hi ta aDd ZIPPO 2

took 0.l8 hit, !be p5.trol auppralllled taa tin aDd the ZIPPO tl&Md the

arM. later in'natigation revee.hd tN.t 3 VC \!We lr11led, one n.tnaJII_

II&ilA>r waa .1lahtJ..T _lied.

A U.S ... ~ vaa ItUJ..e4 at OS2~ 011 5 kFt'"'ber vIMm a .1ntLe 011.,­

.,rtar rollDd ad. a cI1reot hit OIl the tllpt 4eo1t ot .u'O 22 (lW) 132) &8 1t

VAIl tied up to Pier Obarlie .. ~ Doq 'faa. !!Ie HOudt,. vatch waa.orl&ll;r

volIDdecl and tbrM oth .. adlAIra reoa1T84 VOUDd".

22

.-

ClCY1T!8/!'TAI

At 2lJO on the 17th, RAC vare again ambwIhed i)Jl tha Cho Gao Canal ••

0I:lII B-4O rocket struok ZIl'PC-l r .. u1Ung in II1nor damap and no parllODnal

casualties. Just atter Jlidnigbt on the 24th, RAC on the Cho Gao inter­

diction patrol received 10 B-40's and A;W tire trOll a .300 mehr long

ambush position on the south bank in the Tic1n1ty ot lS 565 432. Tvo

RAC received hits rell1llting in light IIIlterial daIIIlge and 3 U.S. and 3 l> . .

Vietnamesa sailors wollZldad. Subsoquent reports indicated that 8 Vietnam­

ese civilians were u~tacl as tha ZIPPO ta-!. the ammsh arae. to

suppress anemy fire. Another ubuah erupted at 2.300 on 2h Septeabar as

RAC on the Cho Gao CIIDILl receiTed 8-40 ~d A;W tire 8 miles northeast ot

~ Tho (xs 6'57 472). Fire was returned and suppressed and an embarked

reaction t8IIJl inserted. Three USN vere vollZldad while en~ easuaJ.tle:

vere unkDovn.

RAG ot IW> 152 1naElrted 6/31 Inran1irT Battalion troops along a aalI&l

in Long An ProTinoa. During lata IIOrDing ot the 27th, tha troops, with

the aid ot a Roi Chanh 3 IIllIIII east ot Can Giouc (lS 879 720) dillOonrad

a 450 pollZld cacha ot nplosbas. BOD personnel destro;rad the ruated and

datariora ted rockets and primers in plso ...

23 CON FIDEl'lTIAL

CONFlOENTIAL

Market Time Raider Campaisn

En~ base areas and fortifications along the navigable waterwRy5 of

the III and IV Corps Tactical Zones were hit frequently b7 the combined sea,

ground, and air punch of the "Swift" boat river incursion operationll. Em­

plo7ing two or more PCF's and supported by helicopter, 01-10, and OV-6A

aircr:L!'t and USCG liPE's, the III ;.nd IV Coastal Zone Raiders conducted 78

mission~ in support of operations SEA LORDS and Sea Float during Septem-

ber. The "Swift" boats, in addition to conducting H and I fire and respond­

ing to requests for urgent naval gunfire support and manning of waterborne

guart'?Osts, inserted, extracted, and supported ground. forces consisting of

Underwater Demolltion Te=s, Exploeive Ordnance Teams, SEALts, PRUttl, RF/pF

troops, MSF and ARVN soldiers. Enemy initiated hcstile firt inoidencs de­

creased from 43 in August to 25 during the month cf September. Theee were

suppres3ed on all occasions except when ~earness of friend17 forces pre­

vented return fire in the area. There were no U.S. or VNN "Swift" boats dam­

aged in the missions while one Seawolf supporting the operations. received

minor damage, and seven U.S. sailors ,~ere wounded during the IIIOnth.

Enemy personnel losses by combined allied forces increased over August

with 109 Viet Cong killed (80 body count, 29 problLbl.!), 10 wounded, ILIxI 22

captured. There was a decrease in enemy matdrial losses over the previous

",onth with over 100 watercraft and 254 structures damaged and six craft

captured.

Althou~ these operations continued to produce maximum damage in secret

zonee and enem7 base areas, the primar7 emphasis continued to center on the

p,.cification of the ell. Mau peninsula under operation $sa F10at/Tran Hung Dao III.

CONFlDENI'l AL

."

CONFIDENTIAL

A new tactic utilized by Market 'time Raiders include a drifting

waterborne guardpost wherein two PCF'~ drift downriver with the current

to intercept VC traffic. Another tacttc is the utili'~ation of the lead

PCF of three or more PCF's as a decoy. When transiting the river, the lead

peF proceeds out ahead at maximum speed steering a zig zag course. The

remaining boats stay in a colwm fonu.tion at a speed appmximately500 JU'M'e

lees than the lead boat. Upon reaching a distance of approxi.'!lately 2,000

yards ahead of the others, the lead PGF returns and then cClllltlences his run

again. The rationale is to lure the enem;y into thinking only one "Swift"

bo.~t is on patrol. If shot at, all FCF's converge at a point on the

oppo"ite bank and saturate the area .rith 8lnmt mortar fire.

On J Sept_ber, peF's 5J" 24, 28, and 59 and the PT GREY (USCG WPB)

embarKed two companies of RF/pF troops (vicinity m 521 643) .. bout 50 miles

.outheast of Can Tho. The units then proceeded to a eaall canal (XR 476 622)

ju~t aouth of the Kinh Quan Chanh Be·n aOO aft.er prepping the beach with .50

caliber machine gun fire, inserted t.he troops. The troops made light contact

" with the enem,r; however, the: cl08e proxiaity of friendlies preclude the "Swift

boats frOlll providing 8'll1fire s'lpport.. Shortly thereafter, the RF /PI" troops

weT'e extracted arxl dis_barked at. XR 485 636. The units then exited the canal

without further incident. The Sea Lords aiasion T'esulted in eight sampans,

four structures, and two bunkers destroyed. There were no friendly cuualtiee

whil" four 'Ie were killed and seven VC captured.

The PT GREY (USCG WPB) an.! PT CAUTION (USCG WPB) conducted a Sea Lords

IJ.i.don on the afternoon of 4 September about six ailes southeast of Thanh

Phu (XR 76 95). The WPB'" entered the Unh Eo Lo1 taking targets of oppor­

tunity under fire and firing at a VC Mchin'. shop. During the eneae_nt,

saall ana" tire was received and suppressed'. 'fhe afternoon operation result ...

25 CONFIDENTIAL

C0NFllJEN'flAL

in (our bunk~r,., 21 structures, ~nd eight sampans destroyed and 13 structur"''' ~

heavily dliJl\aged. In additiorJ, several small fire:! were ignited. There were

no fr<.endly casualties, md enemy casuil.lties are unknown.

en the night of 4 an:! 5 September, PCF's 63 and 64 inserted a Kien H::>a

Province Kit Carson Scout platoon (KCS) on the Co Chien Rlvei" in Base Area

49C about six miles r.orth ofPhu Vinh (XR 461 082). Following the ins ertion,

the "S,.;1ft" !ooats stoodby to provide support as i1ecessary. The SCout3 were

extracted at 0200, 5 September and l"t'turned to Ben Tre. The "Swift" boats

made nc contact ','ith the ~n'Wy, hut the KCS captured four VC suspects and

destroyed 200 feet of trip '.ire and 200 gallons of gasoline. There were

no fri~ndly casualties.

At 0615 on the morning of 14 Se>*-ember, six PCFis and the USS ,IINDHAM

COUNTY (LST 1170) got underway and proc~ed"'d. to the Song Ong Doc (VQ 805 985)

"here 60 RF were I'lIlbarked on the "Swift" boats. The troops were inserted on

the south bank of the Song Ong Doc em 910 oern am swept east and then south

(to VQ 918 998) where contact Wil.S made with a two squad size enemy force. In

the ensuing firefight, seven VC were killed and two VC were captured along

with numerous weapons, ammunition, and field gear. Continuing the sweep, one

large rice mill and 200 kilos of rice were de~troyed. Three PCF's provided

lIIortar support for the troops while the other three "Swift" boats with UD'l.'

embarked destroyed river barricil.defJ in the vicinity in preparetion for fu,-

ture PBR ;operations. During the operation, tne IST p!"ovided H and 1 fire

while Seawolves provi<ii.ng air cover took targets of c'pportullity undsr fire.

l'he troops were extracted at 1530, il.nd all units exited the dYer without

further incijent. There were no friendly casualties while en~ losses

were 12 VC killed am three captured. There were three structuree destroyed

com DEll'rIAL 26

•

o·

COIIFHENJ'IAL

and four heavily damaged. One 30 foot sampan loaded with cardboard boxes was

nestroyed. Une o! the detainees indicated that the VC were holding a meeting,

and the RF troops had surprised them, and t;.o of the VC killed were hamlet

level cadre.

en the ni~t of 22 September, three PCF's proceeded up the Song Ong Do(:

to the northeast corner of the Killh Ba Kheo (VR 889 002) where PCF 17 dropped

out of the fonnation am ineerted an RF cmpany, OOT, and PF personnel to es­

tablish I. night guardpost. PCF's 103 nnd 25 continu"d up the river about 2,000

meters to simulate a nigj1t patrol, then reversl!d course and along with PCF 17

returned to the Song Long Doc to standby. The troops took a sampan under fi::e

,>'hen it did not respond to a call to stop for a search and wounded two ~iv:a­

ians. The "Swift" boats returned up the river, embarked the wounded, and .'e­

turned tht!D1 to Song Ong Doc for treatm.mt. ene man was identified l-y anoth"r

detainee as I. VC. The river traffic increased after the second trip by the

PCF' s; apparently, the operators thouglit the troops had been extracted. One

sampan was called over for a search and at first slowly approached the troops

then attempted to evade to the opposH" canal bank. It was taken ur..der fire

am d!!stroyed, and the four occupant s "'''re killed. During the night, 15 other

per30ns and their motorized sampan .... er" detained. The troops .... ere extracted

at 230)15H, and all units exited the riYer without further incident. There

were four VC killed and ono VC captur,.d while sixteen civilians were detained

as curfew violators. One sampan .... &9 d •• stroyed. There were no friendly casu­

alties.

On the night of 25 September, PCF' .. 63 and 54 inserted Uen HoI. Province

PRU's off the H&4 Luong Riyer about 12 miles northeast of Phu Vinh (XS 540 170).

The "Mit" boats then waited to remer support as necessary. A short tiIIMI

lAter an _rgency CAli for fire was received froll the Kien H oa PRU Advisor

CONFIDEIITIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

whose .forces were receiving heav;y enemy' A/W tire. The "Swifts" reacted

quicklJ. and the eneno- attack ·",as suppreseed. The troops were extracted

at 0300 the next morning h:r PC? 63 while pcr 54 !ired H and I in the area

evacuated h:r the troops. There wer .. no fri<lr.dl.:r casualties while four VC

were killed and two VC captured. One tield hoepital w .. s destro:red and

documente were captured.

.0

.--.----.,.,...,~""

. .

uSN ,,< Vi-IN

OPERATICll SEA LORDS STATISTICAL sm·mARY Bf. CAHPAIGN

SEPTEMBER 1969 TRA:'! !!AR.'<ET RIVERINE

GIAllT BARRIER Hlmc SEARC!! Tn-IE STRIKE MANG THIT SLINGSHOT REEF DAO TUR:'I RAmEPS GROUP C4KP4IOH ~TerJl\. 20 SeE2

Ene~ casualties: 29 BC & 41 BC & 48 BC & a. Killed 56 BC l< 63 PROB 0 54 FST 35 EST 28 EST 3 BC 0 b. 't:ounded 2 1 1 4 10 0 0 c. Captured 3 0 0 0 12 0 0

USN & VNI! casual ties: a. Killed 0 0 1 VNN 0; 0 1 USN 0 b. y!ounded 11 USN & 2 VNN o 2USN & 3VNN 3 USN 7 USN 6rSN & 4 VNN 1 USN c. Captured 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 d. Mis::;ing 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

I\) Ene~ material losses:

'0 a. Destroyed (1) Junks & sampans 8 0 )1 62 90 2 0 (2) Structures 91 (} 18 109 219 3 11

b. Captured (1 ) Junks and sampans 1 0 0 ~ 2 1 0 L

(2) v:eapons 10 0 2 6 11 0 0 (3) Ammunition : rounds) 50 0 100 100 60 5 0 (4) Rice (tons) • 1 0 0 .1 3 0 0

("> c. D=ged n

i (1) .Tunks ,!r sampans 6 0 7 107 5 0 0 ~

~ (2 ) Structures ·30 0 17 110 88 0 0 ~ US!'! material losses:

! a. Destroyed !l2 ... ~

(1) Surface craft 1 USN 0 0 0 0 0 0 ~ (2 ) Aircraft 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 b. Da.'!laeed

(1 ) Surface "ran· 4 USN 0 1 0 0 5 lim: 0 (2) Aircraft 0 0 1 2 1 0 ·0

Hostile fire ivcid~ts: 49 1 18 28 25 4 1

""

COMBINED

OPERATICN SEA LORDS STATISTICAL SUH~!ARY BY CAHPAIGN

SEPTIlMBIIl 1969 IMJ HARKET RIVERlllE

GIANT BARRIER HUNG SEARCH TUIE STRIKe KANG THIT SLlllGSHOT REEF DAO TlJR'I RAIDERS GRC:Jl CAMPUCIi {Term. 20 Sep} ----

Enemy casualties: 31 Be .. 41 Be & 80 BC & a. Killed 7JBe&n PROB 0 SlIEST 35 EST :19 EST 9l!C 0 b. r.ounded 2 , 1 4 10 0 0 n

§! c. Captured 7 0 0 0 22 0 0 ~ USN & VNN casualties:

a. Killed 0 0 0 0' 3 1 0 !I b. .!ounded 33 0 8 4 19 10 1 ~ c. Capt~ 0 0 C 0 0 0 0

d. Missing 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Enemy material losses:

a. Destroyed (1 ) Junb & sampans " 0 31 82 100 3 (I (2) Structures 1$) 0 18 109 254 8 11

b. Captured (1 ) Junks and sampans 1 0 0 3 6 1 0 (2) .:eapms 164 0 2 6 14 0 0 (3) AIImIlniticn (rounds) 1000 540 100 100 70 80 0 (h) Rice (tons) .1 0 0 .1 ~

0 0 " ". c. Damaged

,~ (1 ) Junb ,f, saMpans 6 0 7 107 5 0 0 (2) Structures 30 0 17 110 101 0 0

UII material~osses:

I ' a., Destroyed

19 0 0 (1) Surface craft 0 0 1 0 (2) Aircraft 0 0 0 0 1 USN 0 0

h. Da.'Ilaeed (1 ) Surface craft 4 USH 0 1 USN 0 0 5 0

~ (2) Aircraft 0 0 1 USN 2 USN 1 USN 0 0 Hostile :ire incidents: 56 1 19 26 33 4 1

CQASTAL SURWLUNCE FORCE S~

Market T:!Jne had Stable Deor tore ... OOIltim» l'OlI.timl operaUoDII

durillg September. MarJcet 'HII8 unitll retained patrol rellpollB1blllt7

in the GallI! Warden IU"Oa of operations 0:1 the lover BaSIl3C aDd. Co

Chlon rivers during the entire IIOnth, detect.ing 5,.388 W8.tercra!'t,

inepecting 1,920 and board1n.g another 2,474. T!wr$ were eeven craft

and 20 persons ~taiMC1 with ne reported incid.nt. ot evading an.tt

in tile rlvers. TaU: Foro. ll5 .urft:l.llanoe unite detected ll9,167

"raft in thair patrol areas along tbe Closet a nd in the harbor. of

t.1l1l ll..1publle of Vie~. null ls IIOre than 20,000 tower dOltections

than in August; adTers. wes. th~r 00lldi tione in the :r1r.t all4 SeeoDd

Cosetal ~\s1l cauaod the de"rea... ther. wre a total. ot 33,180

1Jupecticms LUd J.8,693 boardings during Septteber. As a result of' these

oheat. 236 oraft and 1364 perlOn.I vere detained far possession ot

o.Jntraband, 'TiolatiOll of restricted area., 1aproper perlOllll81 ar

ora£'t papers and other suspioiOW! aotiT1.tie". '!hera wre 32 Viet

Cong 6llSp4Iots detn1ll8d in .. ddi tiOIl. to '\;he .. boTe.

IDaJ' actil1.t:r dur.lne tile ntin IIOnth ot S.pteJaber rea1ned at

a generall7 low 10"..1 1\1 during the pre~ two IIOnthli. :Inars ••• in

ell8llQ" aotiT1.t;r predioted tor 121. latter plLt"t of Septmabel' failsd to

_ter1Al.:l. ....

On J. SoptSlbar, Mark.t fl:M Barri.r Airora.tt reported .. 1IOd1t1ed.

SK.-6 C&U '\!au Olal';11 tnlvler in tha c:lIllt at 'fbailaD4 at poo.1tin

09-2511, 103-J7& .. bout 100 .n." " .. t ot Sona 0I1g Doc 011 owr .. 320

deiX"". tr.1e at a speed ot II lmo~~. OIl 1Ja1t1al 11&11t1nc tAo treloller

)1 CO!I FIDE:,TIAL

w" ob.emel to han. INca bIall, wbit. d~ aJId wbiw aunu

....... tern aad appMred to be hea"1l7 loaded. !h4I airoran

f!O M*'i QOtrel't 1'lU1'n1llen-)4 aad r...q 9.larl a1rcratt __ la1DlO!Ml4

1", _intaiD the barrier 1Jlt..critr. !he ooniiut va. dea1paW 1 r 1

bl' th .. C nder C;outal SurnjllYnM Jon,e. st.orU;r.rter 'W!,> ~.II1t.ial

,1eteot.10Jl the travlt!r ~ oour.. to a NlRber17 hllacliq, i!li1jll"ex1-

.te17 100 aUa. ~t .. _.t lIDtU pad Ca ., lWI1:llnla 1Iha it

~ caur .. to a Mrlaaar17 la_tUa il tnud .. Pan.oel r.l • ad ••

nu. tlSS '.IlLD'S (m 44l), ms QJreGI I. IIlODIII& (lID '36) Utl 'ilICOC

SPDCSR (1IlDC )6) took .teUOII _ tile trawler aal .Jt:a1:!a1P1Cl •

_u-t ocrrel't nne1Ue_. U OJlU" uvum Jlaet .1t. .. I ~ relpllZUl1b1l1t,' ua all ~ n.. 81t. n ....

ttl.. ] ... ~1 ~Mu. Qa tu eo hi of (, leplt_b. tIM ... aatb

tlaitl 1Irt _t.6t vith the travler w.. .... _Mre4 .. llafteel

IalAad. 1A the rtoiJUt,' ~ 1.1 ola lalaM. 1 ~1a1b]. SatUtrat.t.cm

att.p"t •• allGrW.

au !Vee 115 'Cit. _~wnaA to JIII'"1U _w.l. pat1rc .114

bloak'-I tor ... ill wppiIIt to et M~ '""_ .,..u.al u..c tIM

.oan &lid 1a 111M rt .... &lid ".1.. IIIIr1aI hilt Plr _ V.S •• ..,..

MJl a1l4 _ 'O.S. Goa., CluarIt MJI Wl:'I HUed. IIIIIl 11 'O.S. aa1J.Gr1 __

--'IId. ...,. la •••• wr .. 79 oatu.ed. kUla u4 y:} probt\~ 'ki11.ed,

2'T ..-1= &ad 18 _p ....

At 1150 _ 311 .... t wII1la a1'eV. ...... h 'fbo1 ta Ii& f1.a,

PC7 '2 _ • M&dlq of 035 dell'M1 .paUI Oftlled. 1atA ~

co:, t'ID j;)JT IAL 32

_ters (VS 220 440). At coordiDate 'is 260 530 aall are tire was

rllcei Ted but was not return1ld. As soo:o. as the otfioer Ua charI"

realized he was in Cambod1a.u waters h. aJ.tered cour" to 140 degrees

maglletic to clear the area as soon as possible and entered South

VietDamese waters (VS .330 480). The POll' penetrated approxilDate17

liiz miles :Inside Cambodian territor;,-.

JJ CON ]i'IJ) EN T IAL

· FIRST Ca,oti'lU zng

'DItI !'irst hal! ot Septa.ber totmd. aeTer1A1 ot th. patrol stat.1ou

in area 1 and 2 vacant due to heaVT vaatlwr IlDd a8 a rell1llt 121ere vere

13,475 detection~ of vatereratt which vas neer17 8,000 less than

during August. or these craft, 4,991 were inspeoted aDd uother 3,725

vere boImied. There VBre 32 arai't detained and 270 persoD8 detained

tor ourtew violations, iaproper peraoDal or "raft papers aDd violatiol1

of r~stricted areas.

First C08stal Zone patrols partioipated in 110" U1aa 160 D& w.J.

guni'ire IlUpport aialions during Sep~r. or theM, 57 vere SEl

TIGUl aiaBions or patrols with ahoat ha1.f' reporting DO cunt1re daap

i!.ssea_nt due to heaVT rain, darkness, i1eaVT foliage or lID troops

II 't1rl1a ble to weep the are,;..

On the IIOrning of 1 Septeabur Pel's 65 sad 79 while on a 1IOra].

SF.!. TIGER patrol inserted II Vietnamtoso 1aV7 landing teaa abo1lt 15

ailes lIOuth!le.at ot DIIJI.aJI.g and provided Mouri~ while the te.a -.de

a sweep to the east. Atter deBtroying btmkera aDd 0Jl _/..u.o1ne

caohe the t.e&a vaa extraoted and reinserted in tvo grollpa about three

ailes to the south_at ,,'here the,. INept tcNard each other aDd tIaeD to

the east. The teaa det.ined three Vietnue .. t-.J. .. uddtatro,.

bunkers ill the area prior to extraotion aDd the Pel ~5 1;00): .nwral

struotures under deatruotiTB tire. The 1IOna1.Dc op'tratioa r .. IIJ.te4

ill ~ <l.estruotion ot 10 btmbra, tour atruotu:re. aDd three -'IJI'n.

There vere DO tritmdl,. oasualtiea vh11e three Vi ..... " t~.s vere

detained aIld turned onr to Coastel. Group 14 (CG-14).

ca; FIDEI/TIAl 34

On the mornlng of 5 September, PC~" s 13 and 15 1m erted an

Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) and PCF's 39 and 75 inserted RF

troops off the Song Tbu Bon for a combined sweep through coordinates

BT 143 535 and BT 153 535 about 15 miles southeast of Danang. While

the "Sw1t't" boats provided security the gl'ound forces deatroyed

bunkers in the m:aep area and observed four large secondary explosions.

The troops were extracted at 1400 vit.b.out incident. Tbere were no

friendly casual ties while one VC was probably k1lled. The sweep

resulted in 45 bunkers, three structures, two 105I11III rounds and four

8JJmn rounds being destroyed.

A SEA TIGER mission waB conducted on 11 September to 1IIIplant

Dutfel Bag senso::-s on Tbuan Tinh Island in the Song Cua De.! (BT

187 553) about 16 miles southeast of Dan"ng. The operation co_nced

vith halo gulUlbips prepping the area with rockets and a1n1gu1U1. PCF's

39 and 78 then imerted the EOD, lIDT and Duffel Bag personnel, while

the helo gunships and "Swift" boats stoodby to pronde security.

CompletinJ;: a beach and tmderwa ter recon the llD1: cOllllllBllOed 1IIIplanting

two sensor strings in the water while the lIu!!el Bag team. ilIIplanted

two sensor strings on Tbuan Tinh Island. During the operation some

A.K-47 tire was received, but it 10'88 ~tely suppreased by the

PCF's and helo gun..~ps. The aensor string Wall laid by 1130 and all

personnel ;,ere extraoted vithout further 1noident. There were .eTC

structures, two bunkers and one 15_ duel round de.tro;ye<l and one

lli.-47 riae captured. There were no tritllldlT casualties while tour

VC were Id]] ad •

3S CUlFID&iTIAL

A.t 2120 on 16 Septeml>er, PCY 61 on a SEl TIGER patrol ob .. r....s

a large explosion on the Song Cua Dai (BT 2m 568) about 17 .uee

aoutheast of Danang. Subsequ811t investigation revealed two Coastal

Group 14 junks vere completely destroyed, probabl:r b:r a 1'loating

mine. PCF's 61 end 78 pro'Yided UlUlliDation and assisted in a search

for survivoI"s. A MEDEVAC halo was called in to encuate rom- vcnmded

VIDI vhile artiller;r rire was placed on the vest bank or the ri ... r.

On 22 Septelaber, the PT LOMAS (USCG WPB) vh1le OD nomal Market

Ti.M pe. trol cbtected 11 S8lIIpaDlI lIIIdsrva:r vi thout rmming lights

(7icinity of :m 772 "ft5/ID 700 420) about 60 mUes northwest, or

Danang. Eight ot the sampans vere boardod and 9 V1etJlamase vi tbout

idsntUication vere detained. 'l'bree eaapans ended and after tlIe:r

ignored varniilg shots vere taken l:llder fire vith K-16's b:r .liors

in the -U boats. !here vere no friendl:r ('.asaalties vh1le eIght

va vere ldlled. The nine detainees vere turDed onr to CG-12 tor

further trs.nsrer to the lanl Intelligence L1a1_ Officer (IIILO) at

Hue tor disposition.

On the night of 22 Septeaber PCF's 1.3 and 69 in a night vater­

!;orne guardpost lIighted a sampan vith tva OCCUpantli on board about

14 lIile s lIOuth ot Da.nang (BT 170 545). With olearanoe t'roa the QIIal:Ig

lIaJI Sector the sampan was taken under tire, rellUlt1D, in 1:'..0 va

ldlled and one sampandsstro;rec!.. One belt or va gr~es aDd ODe bag

ot 1118d1oine vas reoovered troa the wreokage. !here vere no t'rillJldlJ'

caaualties.

CC :'1"03: "! rAL 36

.'

--

Intelligence sources reportad underwater caves about 75 IIOUtb-

• • st or Ilanang (vicinity BS 792 858) as being used by the Viet Congo

A Seavolf conducted visual reconnaiSS8llce ot tiw area. on 23 Septe.ber

to &termine the feasibility of a joillt ArrIq/lJavy operation to detect

and destroy the undervater caves. Five W vere sighted emerg:l..ng troa

the lIIIierwater Caves and \/hen they attllllpted to return vere taken 1IDier

fire and killed. l'urther r&''lonnaissance of the area 1lld1c:ated a high

density of lDille9 and booby tr.'ipa and based on this information

further operations in 121i9 area lIere rec~nded.

On the afternoon or 26 September a helo gunahip escortillg tvo

PER I s during a probe of the Truong GW\g Ri ver received autoaa tic

veapons Un ~m the vicinit,. of BT 168 497 about 18 Jdles southN.st

of D&nang. 'l'he helo IS 8lls tank \illS hit IIJld :l.t ..... s forcM to land.

pcr's 61 and 65 along vltc'l the tvo PBR's retunl.ed tho Ure ~ediate17

and erfectively suppressed it. As the units vere olosing the area

PCF 61 received one incoaing K-79 round vhioh Cl&used no damage. 'there

vere no frimdl:r casualties vh1le one b1mker:, three struotu::-es, one

sampan and t-NO Usb traps vere destroyed. Two structures vere damaged

and one sampan c:aptared. ~ caBllO.lties are 1mlmovn.

At 0.330 OIl JO September on a SBl nGIR llission, Coeste.l Group 14

and River Assault Group 32 unit, ill .~rted three VIR lIWep/ •• curity

teams rolloved by a PC, illserUon ot EOD IDd ODT perllODll81 (rlciJIity

ot BT 154 532) about 16 lI1le, southeaat ot DeNDI. CG-14, Jlj.G-)2,

tvo helo gII!l.ship. IDd an 0-1(1 (ligtlt observation aircraft bird dol)

37 CC;WIDEilTIAL

pz-o'Viding waterborne and a:a- oover the VNN team conducted a weep •

to the east of lang Dong Island while the ro and U!lT teaIIa conducted

beach recon and bunker de/Jtruction along the south beuk. All

personnel vere Elxtracted at 1330 without incident. 0Ae va vas e1ghted

in the area and taken under fire b,r the helo gunships. '!'he operation

vas termiDated at 1430 with no triendl7 casualties and one va IdlJed.

The ground torces deetro;yed 71 large bunkers, five etruc.tllres, one

sampen, one 1, 000 lile. oo.b, one 10_ round, one 155a round and

"Varlous quantities ot fresh tOOt!. The averap sise ot the bunkers

lIere 10nS feet with the lRrgest being 20X3Q teet.

38

.'

COOFIDENTIAL

OF-SRAT.J')NS N iTE F"HST COASTAL ZONE - -_. - --------~ ---- --- --.-~.

Ll-}ENf). D - Ccas .. al Surveillance Center X 0> Hostile Fir e/E<"as1on InCident # ~ SAR/MEDEVAC In'7.1d"r.~

SCAU:

o )0 NAUTICAL MItiS

39

A. Sea Tiger - 1 SEP B. Sea Tiger - 5 SEP C. Sea Tiger - 11 SEP D. Sea Tiger - 16 SEP E. PT LOMAS - 22 SEP F. Sea Tiger - 22 SEP G. Seawolf - 23 SEP H. PCF's 61 & 65 - 26 SEP I. Sea Tiger - 30 SEP

= RE ISLAND

/

COOFIDENTliL

CONFIUENTIAL

Second Coastal Zone

Weather throughout' the Second Caostal Zone was generally good during

the month of September although the number of detections was app~Yiaatel7

10,000 less than in August. There were 998 detections of watercraft. with

16,511 of the craft in."pected and 5,847 boarded. There were 42 craft and'

281 persons detained for curfew or restricted zone violations, incorrect or

fault,. manifests, pos3ession of con~raband, lack of or fault ... · identificatioa

papers or as suspected draft dodgers.

There were 109 naval gunfire support missions reported in t.he Second

Coast.l Zone during the month of September "ith a mi.n1muI:1 _"unt of gun

damage assessment reported.

On the afternoon of 24 September, the USCGC SPENCER (WHEC 36) conducted

a NGFS RisBion as requested and cleared b7 the Naval Gunfire Liaison Officer

(NGLO ) of the ARVN 68 l!!; les north or Tu,- Hoa (CR on 526). The SPENCER

neutralized three VC base camps, well covered 1,200 meters of infiltration

and supply routes, and destroyed three structures. In addition, six structures

were destroyed, one massonry stl~cture was heavily daaaged, and four large

secondary tires were ignited. There were no friendly callualties, and ClUV'

ca3ualties are unknown.

On the morning of 2.5 September .• the USCGC SPENCER was again requested

by the ARVN Naval Gunfire Liaillon Officer for a support mSllion about 70

miles north of Tuy Hoa (CR 026 548). The target was a VC b~8e camp, and

it was neutralized bY' the Cutter's (iYe inch guns. One masonry structure

was destroyed and two masonry structures and a cave heavil,. damaged and

3,000 ,.eters of infiltration and suPPlY' routee well covered. There were

no friendlY' casualties, and enemy casualties are unknOlfn.

CONFIDENTIAL 40

. '.

•

At 0200 on the morning of 27 September, two suspicious Nationalist

Chinese fishing ves8els were spotted within the restricted zone by ~F 57

about 25 miles south of Phan Rang (EN 88 39). The two vessels were elo:led;

however, heavy 3eas prevented boarding. The vessels then retrieved their

nets and dep .. rted the are2- escorted by PCF 57.

On the afternoon of 28 Septenber, the U3CGC TANEY (WHEe 37) conducted a

gunfire support mission in support of the Capitol ROK Infantry- Division about

70 miles north of Tuy- Hoa (CR 013 490). The mission was requested and spotted

by the ROK Infantry- Division NGLO. The NGLO reported the target area well cov­

ered with 300 meters of assembly area nnd 400 meters of infiltration route well

covered, one cave partially closed, and one s~condary- fire. There were no

friendly casualties while one VC was killed and three VC were wounded.

On the morning of 29 September, the TANE! was called on ag,dn for a gun­

fire support mission two miles to the" east of the previous day's mie~ion

(CR 032 505). The Cutter's five inch guns destroyed five bunkers and damaged

five more. On the morning of 29 September, PCF 49 patrolling in Market Time

area 3G was informed of a possible searet alld rescue mission ."bout 14 ailes

southeast of Qui Nhon (CR 205 035). An emerg"'r,~y beeper" signal had been

picked up by an air'craft on patrol. Investigation by the "Swift" boat revealed

the emergency beeper to be aboard a small Vietnamese fishing vessel. The

fishing vessel was then brought alongside the USCG TAllEY (WH&: 37) tor question­

ing of p<!rsonnel by the VNN liaison officer aboard t he cutter. Interrogation

revealed that the fishing boat had been in the area since 2818C>oH and a ap­

proximately 290530H discovered the radio in the water and brought it. aboard.

They "'Irther stated they had eeen no aireraft crash or any indication that

one had crashed. T\{o VietnaJllese were detained and transferred to PCF 49

for tranaportation to Qui Nhon for fUrther interrogation.

41 CONFIDI!'.NTIAL