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Anybody Else Go To Vietnam By Boat?
DancesWithSheep
Member Posts: 12,938 ✭✭✭
I was in BLT 2/5 aboard the USS Mitchell (sister ship to the USS Breckinridge that took me to the Med in '63 with 3/6). Totally sucked. Twenty-three days of going from one long chow line to the next, cots five-deep in the rear hold with two * pipes bringing air down to us. Good libo in Hawaii and Yokosuka, though.
Comments
I went both ways by Continental Airlines, but my brother in law went over in a boat in 1965. Not sure if it was as a unit, but he was with 7th Motors while there.
Ray: Ask him. Maybe we were on the same ship. We docked at Naha and went through Jungle Lanes at Butler for a couple weeks before flying south.
Combat Vet VN
D.A.V Life Member
in Ton Son Nhut airport, then went by C-130 to Na Trang. Then by
jeep.
28 days to guam and 18 more to Nam. Sleeping shifts eating in shifts and taking turns on deck. The only cards in the ships com. were pinicle. I think every body who ever got off that boat knew how to play.
the 8th Bn, 4th Artillery"
http://www.8th-4th-arty.com/invade-danang
Our battalion went over by boat. Follow this link to my story of "The Invasion of Da Nang by
the 8th Bn, 4th Artillery"
http://www.8th-4th-arty.com/invade-danang
heh-heh-heh. I don't think it was a D-Day landing for anybody.
1st Inf Div
Joe
Am Plank Owner and Shellback.
How bout you ?
Left Oakland on Aug. 13 1965 a bright and sunny day. USS Barrett.
28 days to guam and 18 more to Nam. Sleeping shifts eating in shifts and taking turns on deck. The only cards in the ships com. were pinicle. I think every body who ever got off that boat knew how to play.
Left Port of Oakland on the USNS Barrett, May 1967, with my Battalion. Hit big seas on the route to Japan, skirted a typhoon, and dropped into Subic Bay. On to Nam. 21 days of fricken sea life, no sea legs. We were a petroleum outfit that ran the operations out of Cam Ranh Bay. Return was on Continental Airlines to Alaska, Seattle. Derosed out of Ft Lewis, Washington. Welcome Home Brother.
Mick 67-68
Made 2 trips over and 3 trips back by ship as a "Gator Sailor" with BLT 1/9, 1/4, 2/5, various HMH's, HMM's and HMA's along with 1 HAL.
I saw the last big offensive, sweated and bled and at times cried over dead Brothers with my Marine Brothers. I was where I "really wasn't" in 1973 and had the doubious fortune to also take part in the evacuation of Saigon, which I then thought was the greatest display of political dishonor and cowardice I had ever seen. I now find myself amazed to see it happening again as our supposed "Representitives" expose their treachery and disregard for our values in an attempt to dishonor the next generation that would defend our freedom.
Sailors and Marines are siblings in a most disfuntional family.
Left alone we constantly fight amongst ourselves.
Let an outsider pick a fight with either of us and we will join forces to fight them.
I played a small part and have the greatest respect and offer the greatest thanks to all who served. Some gave all, all gave some.
ABH-2
Phibron 5
USS Duluth LPD-6
1972 - 1975
USS MIDWAY CVA-41 , 1970-1973 , PT2 - photo intelligence - briefed and debriefed the pilots for their missions , photolab personnel were the other half of my department , airwing PT's were also in my office.
Am Plank Owner and Shellback.
How bout you ?
Me too!......USS Midway CVA-41.....VA-93....Plane Captain, 1971.
Dave
I was a crewmen on a TVR, (Tank Vehicle Recovery) a 62 ton tracked Tow &30 ton Crane, top speed on road surface 35 miles per hour. Called the M-51, engine was a Gasoline, Continental V-12, 970 hp. w/auto-transaxle, two forward, (low a Drive) N and reverse, & park/idle.
We packed more ammo then allowed, each crewman carried .45 pistol,in shoulder holsters, the TC turret had an aircraft mount .50 Cal MG, 1-3.5 rocket launcher, 2-.45 cal. grease guns, 1- M14 Rifle,w/1000 rds. 7.62x51, we were issued 4- M-79 rockets, but obtained more. My TC traded off K-rations, for a Thompson .45/w 30 rd. straight mags. Every man wore a steel helmet when not wearing a tanker Comm. helmet, on the ground, otherwise it was a soft utility cover. Each of us learned the others crew duties, we could all drive, all use the radios, (PRC-25's), all fired the .50 cal., 3.5 Rocket L., and could hook-up tow bars, or cables to a downed Tank, faster than a AAA tow truck driver on the Freeway. (Because we trained together that way!) Each crewmen was a Tank mechanic/tanker mos's, except me, I was weldor/tanker mos, Rigger/crane operator, as was the TC (not a weldor)but he could use a cutting torch.
We were in country less than 45 days, when during OP Starlight, we made a beach landing with RLT-7, off loading from landing craft, with fording stacks on in the 5-6 ft.surf, as we followed the Grunts and support Tanks, to the objective VC and NVA positions. Only later did we learn of the extensive tunnel system in place. After three days of fighting the sob's. We recued three wounded crewmen from a shot up and burning tank, before we could get the last man out. We took them north of the fighting, where they could be airlifted out, we had passed three bogged down LVT's, two were on fire, and we were ready to go help them, when we were ordered to stay put untill morning. It was the longest six hours to dawn, none of us slept a wink. When we returned to the burned out Tank in daylight, we all wept at seeing it still smoking, knowing a buddy died in it.
Semper Fi !
Ski
Got off in Cam Rahn about a month later.We stopped in Hawaii ,Guam , Subic Bay then VN.
MSTS Barrett. 31.5 days It sucked. Typhoon and all. Supposed to go to Guam, wound up in Subic Bay, Got 4 hours leave, 3 guys, $21.00 total Drinks .25 ea, Do the math, I tried to get on the wrong ship afterwards, I think it was a tramp chineese freighter. Remember fighting on a wooden gang way. Finally made my way back to the Barratt saluted the officed of the day when I borded, and passed out in the middle of the salute. Worst hang over I ever had the next day. Sitting on the deck waiting to leave and looking at the USS Foristall acress the bay.
If it happened on smaller boats too, no one would ever go fishing or boating. It wouldn't be worth it. And on a busy waterway we would always be seeing it. But we don't.