while I was waiting with all my baggage at the helipad Col. Merbott's driver By 2030, this port will have 8 general cargo terminals with a length of 2,280 m. It is forecast that by 2020, the volume of goods via Chan May port will reach 7.4 million tons / year. Halfway around the world they were to engage in a frustrating and perplexing war with an elusive foe, where there were no fixed battle lines, yet where there were absolute lines of containment as far as United States forces were concerned, which were self- imposed by political decisions in Washington. The Army, hard pressed to take care of itself, wasnt prepared to supply them to the Marines, and the Marines didn't have the capability either. The number of teams in country was upped to eight in 1967 and by July 1968 their number had grown to fifteen. Veteran C. Young, After 30 years and learning the computer and finding VetFriends, I went to my first reunion of the USS Navasota AO-106. Do you have DANANG VIET NAM, DEEP WATER PIERS Reunion information you'd like to share, "When I Joined VetFriends, I read about the email locator service, and sent an email to my old friend. Since its first opening in 1860 under French colonial rule, Saigon Port today has become an international port. I departed Danang immediately following Danang, but it didn't look the same. Civil Engineers, Seabees, and Bases in Vietnam The station hospital begun in 1965 had treated over 21,000 casualties, 44,000 nonbattle patients and one million outpatients flowing in from the hostile and disease-ridden I Corps environment. What a conversation we had. I'm the first to ever contact him. While the Navys responsibilities in this area were still being debated in Washington, however, efforts were made, primarily in ComServPac, to lay down some general rules for the operation of NSA, should it become a reality. This international mixed military and civilian force, organized along Public Works Center lines, had grown with roughly equal proportions of Seabees, Vietnamese, and Koreans. of the attack. Put another way, a battalion could be expected to place about $350,000 worth of new construction a month. It was located in the area of asked if I would consider becoming his aide, but I had to decline because my It is interesting to note the comparative age of the World War II Seabees who averaged 35 years of age, whereas their successors during the Vietnam conflict averaged 23 years. Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, United States military bases of the Vietnam War, http://www.worldcat.org/title/southeast-asia-building-the-bases-the-history-of-construction-in-southeast-asia/oclc/952642951&referer=brief_results, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/b/by-sea-air-land-marolda/chapter-4-winding-down-the-war-1968-1973.html, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. At the same time we managed to generate an extensive military peace corps effort in and around the war. One of the biggest problem areas was real estate Property was not automatically available for our bases but had to be bargained for, haggled over, rented, bought, or condemned as the situation demanded. (Nautical Terms) to turn or be turned towards the port, [before 900; Middle English, Old English < Latin. Home ported at Davisville, Rhode Island, and similarly deployed to Argentia, Bermuda, Morocco, Spain, Roosevelt Roads, and Guantanamo Bay, were the five battalions of the Atlantic Fleet; three with an allowance of 400 men and two with an allowance of 200. disappointed not to find any information, except on the landing craft JUD Page, "Although this Seabee Team program is not widely known, I believe it is encouraging to learn of this down-to-earth attempt to assist our friends in Southeast Asia to build better communities for themselves and their families". At the same time, Vung Tau port is one of two international gateways in Vietnam. Thanks to world-class customer service and a growing community of cargo agents, SeaRates.com is the easiest way for people to ship their goods overseas, or to offer free space in the container, truck or vessel to millions of consignors. In this instance the CBMU played a much more dominant role than its counterpart in I Corps, supplying some two-thirds of the manpower involved in public works functions under the cognizance of NSA Saigon. Its first project was to administer an architectural and engineering contract for the layout of a runway at Bien Hoa. the radio to inform me that an LST which had been at anchor, was attempting to operations office. This hiatus was cut to a minimum, however, by having advance parties from the new battalion get on site several weeks before the official change-over. UN/LOCODE VNDAD. In other cases, under the stress of wartime planning, items might be left out of the drawings and the construction forces would move on before the occupant-to-be realized what was missing. The Navys answer to this problem was to import CBMU-302, a slightly smaller (200 and later 300 men) version of the CBMU which went to I Corps about the same time. Ultimately every Seabee unit went to Vietnam except CBU-201, which was a small force serving the Antarctic research program. Within six months 5,000 new petty officers had been recruited. As a matter of fact, as the contractor's force was reduced, it turned a number of its jobs over to the troops for accomplishment. LECs Representative in Indonesia To get the required experience level in uniform in a hurry, the Navy instituted in the spring of 1966 a Direct Procurement of Petty Officers program. The Seabees in the Saigon area departed with the demise of HSA, but in June 1966 some one hundred of them were back again, on "loan" from the newly formed Public Works Department at Naval Support Activity, Da Nang. In time, procedures were developed which brought the deadline figure under five percent for all battalions then in country. ". At this writing the end of the war in Vietnam is not in sight, yet sufficient time has elapsed to look back and consider some aspects of the part played in this conflict by the Civil Engineer Corps, the Seabees and the Naval Facilities Engineering Command. He didn't want to tell me what had just happened. The challenge of building the first master jet air station in the Navy, at Miramar, California, was his task during the years 1954-56. Under the most adverse conditions of climate, terrain, civil unrest, unrestrained warfare, constantly changing requirements, lack of trained workers, and distance from an industrial base, they had changed the face of Vietnam. The city is served by Chu Lai International Airport. The port controlled 900,000 square feet of supply depot space, 2.7 million square feet of open-air storage space, and 500,000 cubic feet of refrigerated storage space. [3]:2, By 1969 NSA Danang was the Navy's largest overseas shore command and third largest supply depot after Norfolk and Oakland Naval Supply Depot and Camp Tien Sha had grown to accommodate over 6000 personnel. it was moved, but for the life of me I do not remember to where. After 1965 the Seabees definitely dropped below, the figure in FY69 being seven and one-half per cent reenlistment (including DPPOs) or 18 per cent (excluding them). A particular bridge near the Hai Van Pass was destroyed six times. Camp Tien Sha Seabees returned again in 1956 when a group of five officers and six men from NMCB-10, led by Commander W. M. Brown, surveyed some 105 tortuous miles of jungle, the toughest link in a master survey involving 1,800 miles of existing and proposed roads in South Vietnam. 86-111. U.S. How cool is that. As late as 28 May 1965, Chief of Naval Operations sent "do not concur to establishing NSA Da Nang to CinCPacFlt. find my friend. Essentially the Seabees of Public Works and the CBMUs attached to them had the same basic missionto come in behind the construction forces and maintain and operate the bases already built. The job was begun, albeit under a cloud of doubt and uncertainty as to where it would end. Nng (which the French called Tourane) and its port would remain in French hands until 1954, upon the formal dissolution of French Indochina in the 1950s. All U.S. personnel began carrying weapons, especially at night. The one hundred and fifty battalions of World War II had dwindled to two shortly thereafter, were rebuilt to eleven during the Korean War, and returned to ten from that point until the Vietnam build-up in 1965. During the early allied buildup in South Vietnam the only primary deep water port to handle incoming cargo ships was the Saigon Port on the Saigon River in the Capital Military District of Gia Dinh Province in III Corps Tactical Zone. One other statistic is also worthy of note; at the time of this report team hospital corpsmen had treated well over 150,000 Vietnamese at sick call. Public Works Da Nang had not reached its required strength to support the Marines when it was directed by MACV to give repair and utilities support to all Army units in areas now served by public works, this service to commence 1 January 1968. Net progress has been minimal since during one period 22 bridges were built while 21 were destroyed by sabotage." Navy planners should concern themselves with the full range of naval warfare which includes the bases supporting the ships, aircraft, and Marines. Despite the handicaps of weather and terrain, the "Men of Ten had put enough of the airfield in place (3,500 feet) to enable Marine jet planes to operate from it 23 days after the initial landing. To develop the ports, to start a pipeline of materials across the Pacific, to of determine the what, where, and when of facilities to be constructed, involved countless decisions that could not wait. From the latter part of 1964 on, elements of the Marine Expeditionary Brigade were embarked in ships cruising in the Tonkin Gulf waiting for orders to land. Those in the Pacific Fleet, home ported at Port Hueneme, California, and deployed at various times in unit or sub-unit strength to Guam, Okinawa, Midway, Adak, and Sangley Point, were five in number, each of 525 men. were removed and fresh water tank trucks came to the port every two hours to the seam an sunk it. Shaffer arrived I took the pictures which are on the I was supposed to fly [10], The approach to Sng Hn Terminal is 12 nautical miles (22km) long with a navigation depth of 6-7m. Create stunning websites with this awesome clean and modern template, ts and innovative designs concepts. 1 See Naval Review, 1969, "Naval Logistic Support, Qui Nhon to Phu Quoc" by Captain Herbert T. King, U. S. Navy, pp. In that same year 1ti3ounbocks established its Officer in Charge of Construction (OICC) office under a CEC Captain, G. M. Inscoe, at Bangkok. In addition, a Navy destroyer was severely damaged up north and was listing The job would not be easy. gang plank came down the entire crew came charging off the ship with all of In the initial planning for NSA, ComServPac concentrated on the supply, operations, and medical areas but did not devote much attention to Public Works. We raced volkswagens on our time off and we'd go to the range and shoot all day. And in I Corps, supporting the Marines, were the Seabees. find my friend." The district invests in IT infrastructure. metal pier shed which was mostly destroyed by a typhoon--Ralph Grambo]. 50th Infantry (2) Much greater emphasis on base development planning for contingency operations must be made. Building airfields, ports, roads, cities, and almost every kind of facility imaginable, they had by early 1969 placed nearly $1.5 billion worth of new construction. A few days later a typhoon hit Vietnam and I learned the Naval Support Activity 1964-1973 Port Authority Vietnam National Shipping Lines. Air shipment to Vietnam of critical items could normally be accomplished within 30 days of ordering. [3] NSA Danang originally operated from a commercial pier on the city side of the Hn River and this "Museum Ramp" (160300N 1081328E / 16.05N 108.2245E / 16.05; 108.2245) near the Cham Museum began operation in November 1965 off-loading LCU's and LST's. . I really hope some other people can find this service and get in touch with people like I did. After the Dong Xoai Seabee Team action opinions began to change, and when MCB-9, working on the hospital in Da Nang in October 1965, was hit with mortars and infiltration gangs the lessons hit home. "By the time the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese did move in strength, the fundamental facilities from which to move American troops, planes, and ships were in place., By Captain Charles J. Merdinger, Civil Engineer Corps, U. S. Navy, Civil Engineers, Seabees, and Bases in Vietnam, CNO Naval History - Midshipmen and Cadets, CNO Naval History - Professional Historian, Doctors and Dentists, Nurses and Corpsmen in Vietnam, Captain Charles J. Merdinger, Civil Engineer Corps, U. S. Navy. captain who had replaced me was killed while lying in his bed when the main only four deep draft berths from June 9, 1971 until the facility was turned over Da Nang Port Email: richardseth@lecvietnam.com According to the plan, by 2020, Chan May port will have 6 general cargo berths with a length of 1,680m. The sites involved were Pleiku, Bien Hoa, Tan Son Nhut (Saigon), and Da Nang. each evening and morning. Southeast Asia became Navy responsibility. Email cangdn@dng.vnn.vn. Atlantic battalions, in the meantime, were recalled to Davisville, increased in strength, and then flown directly to Vietnam. All the resources of the Commandits officers, civil servants, enlisted men, research facilities, design agencies, contracting officeswere pressed into service to meet this new demand Industry was mobilized, construction and maintenance troops were organized, and vast logistics bases were created under the guidance, assistance, and advice of the Civil Engineer Corps. In June 1965 the Chief of Civil Engineers in a letter to Chief of Naval Operations noted that the current planning for NSA did not contain Public Works components. Operations expanded in the latter half of 1967 when a considerable build-up of Marine and Army troops took place in I Corps to meet the threat around the DMZ. The war that seemed to many to have just happened, turned out to be several wars in one; it was, among other things, a guerrilla war, an air war, a political war, and an engineering war. Practically all of the public works activity in the early months was internal to NSA itself and was theoretically limited to the "secure" areas; but as the troop buildup continued, the demand for an expanded public works organization became more pressing. Though it was not that long ago, the Civil Engineer Corps had also been exposed previously to this exotic land. [5], In 1965, U.S. Army General William Westmoreland and James Killen, chief of U.S. foreign aid, agreed to expand Da Nang Port in order to supply materiel directly to U.S. troops in Vietnam. One of the dead was Marvin G. Shields (CMA-3), who was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry in carrying a critically wounded man to safety and in destroying a Viet Cong machine gun emplacement at the cost of his life. There is little doubt that their influence on Vietnam and its people has been substantialparticularly in relation to the number of Seabees involved. Also significant were a few large U. S. contractors who did not belong to the RMK-BRJ combine. [3], Tin Sa Seaport has a navigation depth of 11m (36ft), and is able to receive medium range tankers of up to 45,000 DWT, as well as container ships of up to 2,000 TEUs and large cruise ships of up to 75,000 GRT. The former stated that the Marines did not have this support capability and suggested that naval assets outside of Pacific Fleet be tapped. Quang Ninh Port is a deep-sea port located in the key economic region of Northern Vietnam. into the Captains room and look, which we did. Chu Lai the path of the F4 which was attempting to land at the airfield located across Personnel in public works and the CBMU were shifted as circumstances dictated. In many places in the U. S., civil service and trade union restrictions had kept them from working in their trades, so they were employed in a variety of jobs (such as Shore Patrol, Master at Arms, Commissary) in which they could be replaced by other sailors. This is a port cluster with 4 areas including 10 major ports serving the needs of oil and gas trading and trading in the Southeast region of Vietnam. U.S. Navy ship Comet docked at a deep water pier. Conversely, as the Seabees were called upon for more tactical support, work originally assigned them was shifted to the contractor. HD Stock Video Footage - Flatbed trailers are unloaded In July 1966 the "Bridge Cargo Ramp" (160307N 1081352E / 16.052N 108.231E / 16.052; 108.231) began operations increasing NSA's supply capability. Even though the Army brought their own engineers with them to I Corps, during the build-up period about 25 per cent of the Seabee effort was devoted to support of the Army. and the total berth length is up to 5,710m. It seems clear that our system, stock reserves planning, and procedures can be vastly improved. PO3 Berglund w/ beetle found in hooch - NSAD Sa Huynh . according to the Coast Guard investigator, it simply ripped a large whole along First of these was the 30th Naval Construction Regiment, formed in Da Nang under Captain H. F. Liberty in early May 1965 to provide operational control over all Seabee battalions in Vietnam. Obviously there were many uncompleted projects when it came time for a battalion to leave for home, and there was some lost motion as the relieving battalion took over. A. Jones of Charlotte, North Carolina. I actually thought it had all been forgotten. In Saigon and in the II, III, and IV Corps Areas the Navys public works role, though complex, was much lighter. Thank you so much again for helping me In mid-1965 the break was completed when OICC Republic of Vietnam was formally established as a separate entity with 135 people, including 20 officers. Of the first 5,000 recruits some 75 per cent were under 24 years, yet veteran commanders state that they were as effective as their World War II predecessors. already be aware, Sealand vessels had top priority for berth space, so I was in Included in the bulky items were some 250 pieces of tactical automotive and construction equipment such as bulldozers, tractors, and mobile cranes. Port Type Seaport. When charges against project funds were made, troop charges were about one-quarter those of the contractor; but the other three-quarters, though hidden, were real enough, for they were charged against other appropriations such as military pay, operations cost, and the like. I even told him that I was WebNaval Support Activities Da Nang Vietnam War Video militaryvideocom 40.7K subscribers Subscribe 249 89K views 14 years ago Like This Movie Trailer? In the beginning the buildup was military, but then, the Seabees in Public Works were augmented by direct-hire Vietnamese civilians and Koreans brought into the country through a contract with Philco-Ford. The total surface area is 500,000sqm including 5 ports (Passenger ship, Nha Rong Khanh Hoi, Tan Thuan, Tan Thuan 2 and Phu My Steel Port) with 3,000m piers, 30 buoy wharves and 280,000m2 warehouse. pop. huge Delong Pier was the most prominent feature. [1][13][14] Sng Hn Terminal contains 3,314m2 (35,670sqft) of warehouse space and 16,330m2 (175,800sqft) of yard space. WebShips docked to Vietnam shore or pier The VA Says: This category includes large ocean-going ships of the Blue Water Navy that entered an open water harbor and docked to a pier or otherwise docked to the shore of Vietnam. His primary job was that of OICC, permanently based in Saigon, so the 30th NCR commander at Da Nang continued to exercise the greatest command influence over the Seabee battalions, all of which were in I Corps. The port controlled 900,000 square feet of supply depot space, 2.7 million square feet of open-air storage space, and 500,000 cubic feet of refrigerated storage space. I was to stay and ammunition ship being off loaded while at anchor. In theory the CBMUs were a little better trained to defend themselves as units, but there the difference ended. It must be emphasized that offloading at DaNang for the first year was all by lighterage as there were no deep draft piers. units outlined by President Nixon in 1972. It is also the site of the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone (Vietnamese: Da Nang Air Base was the first major airfield used by the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. The first two teams the country in 1963 were in this category. Its head, also a CEC Captain, now carried the title of Deputy, though the Saigon office became increasingly independent of the main office in Bangkok. While a number of the old stand-bys of World War II, the metal quonset huts in stock, were used, particularly during the early phase of the buildup, the majority of the structures erected were of wood. (7) Programming requirements by the line item (a barracks or aircraft parking apron, for example) through channels to Congress for authorization and funding has been standard procedure in developing the peacetime annual construction program. The new port will augment northern Vietnams growth further. At the working session of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Nghe An last February, the planning of Cua Lo port cluster will be implemented. The other two Pacific battalions were at their home port of Port Hueneme, taking leave and retraining, having recently returned from overseas assignments. During the early years, ten teams (four teams at any given rime), on six to seven month tours, supported the Special Forces, and two others had split responsibilities between military and rural development programs. (5) If we are to use the ABFC system we must have adequate stocks of the components in our war reserve stocks. A 450 m (1,480 ft) breakwater provides protection from high waves and monsoons. He said we were like brothers and then all of a sudden, we lost all contact. WebShanshui Beach is China Beach, located 30 kilometers north of Haiyun Ridge. I believe I remember a picture that hung in the old office on who became our Harbormaster. Also called. Because it could barely handle the regular commercial commerce and with the heavy volume of additional Following the initial landings in 1965, the Seabee battalions spent about 18 months developing the enclaves at Da Nang and Chu Lai and later in Phu Bai. The entire video is 60 minutes long. Captain Merdinger was Public Works Officer at Naval Support Activity, Da Nang in 1967-68, and currently commands the Western Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command at San Francisco, California. Phone 84 511 821 114. [10], In recent years, the number of large cruise ships docking at Nng Port has increased, despite the fact that its infrastructure is not specifically designed to accommodate cruise ships. Naturally, all Seabee materials were not in the stored components. Eustis a couple of years ago and visited the Transportation Museum, but was [9], Nng Port consists of two main terminals (Tin Sa Seaport and Song Hn Terminal) and an additional freight warehouse, Tho Quang Station. Terminal 1 is the main port area in Dung Quat Bay capable of receiving 70,000 DWT ships with the function of loading and unloading, transporting all goods and equipment to build Dung Quat Oil Refinery. WebUnplanned, unwanted, undeclared, and unpopular, the Vietnam War in most American eyes just happened. Using excellent film footage shot in-country by navy cameramen, this video documents naval activities at and around the port of Da Nang during the Vietnam War. China Beach was recognized by UNESCO as one of the six fine sand beaches in the world in 1995. This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of the Naval History and Heritage Command. [1], In 2008, Nng Port handled 2.7 million tons of cargo, of which 1.2 million tons were exports, 525,900 tons were imports, and 985,600 tons were domestic cargo. These Marines were the vanguard of an American force which was to expand steadily beyond half a million troops. This was contrary to the general policy among the armed forces in Vietnam wherein individuals and not units were rotated. tanks also fell in. the radio to talk to the LST Captain, who was Korean, but he was talking only in You've read 1 out of 5 free articles of Proceedings this month. Underwater divers were brought in the next day to begin As the contract effort went down, most of the non-Vietnamese left the country. Contingency plans must have realistic construction annexes with real substance to them. Another incident I remember was a morning that I also was again working the R. L. Ferriter and Lieu tenant C. V. M. Popowich arrived at Dam Pau in the central part of the country and Tri Ton in the southwest for the construction of civic action and tactical support projects. Tincidunt integer eu augue augue nunc elit dolor, luctus placerat scelerisque euismod, iaculis eu lacus nunco. Many times they had to do a job over again. Initially, to counter Viet Cong political influence in the villages, their missions in Vietnam were of two basic types: to construct small fortified camps and support facilities for U. S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets), and to assist Vietnamese civilians in civic action projects in relatively secure rural areas. However, Seabee strength measured in terms of numbers of battalions could be somewhat misleading, for not all of the Group VIII enlisted men (as the construction trades had come to be designated) were in Naval Mobile Construction Battalions (NMCBs) in 1965; nor are they today. The international calendar is 362m long and has a total capacity of 225,282 GRT. Saigon Port is the main port of southern Vietnam, playing a key role in connecting maritime transport of the Southeast region and the Mekong Delta. airforce fighter and an unidentified ARVN helicopter collided in a gigantic [1][13][14] Tin Sa terminal contains 13,665m2 (147,090sqft) of warehouse space and 138,251m2 (1,488,120sqft) of yards. I was on duty the night NAVSUPPACT DaNang the story that will never be told: this China Beach has deep blue water and fine white sand, and is not damaged by pollution, which is known as the Gold Coast of Vietnam. Join now and never hit a limit. The degree to which we can improve on the men is another matter. The Air Force also had a few heavy construction squadrons known as Red Horse (Rapid Engineer Deployment, Heavy Operational Repair Squadron) consisting of 12 officers and 388 enlisted men. There were only four deep draft berths from June 9, 1971 until the facility was turned over to the Vietnamese on June 6,1972. Viet Nam Vietnam brought an additional 500 officers to active duty, making the total 2,200. arrival in country and assignment to the 5th Transportation Command. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The military Services justified their requirements for major new facilities such as runways or barracks dually through their service command chain and through the combined staff chain, starting with MACV-DC, to the Department of Defense and thence to Congress. [11] Due to these limitations, cruise ships generally make short staysabout 2 or 3 days at most.

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