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LST 1032 at the YRBM 20 in Chou Doc

LST 1032 at the YRBM 20 in Chou Doc

LST 1032



The LST 1032 at the YRBM 20 near Chou Doc on the Bassac River near the Cambodian Border in 1970.



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Fast outboard motorboat

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ARLS and LSTS
An ARL docked at the YRBM 20
PHOTO 20

An ARL possibly the ARL30 USS Askari
Docked at the YRBM 20 at Chou doc
Photo Courtesy of Tom Lefavour
EMAIL: THOMASL374[ at ]AOL.COM
An ARL docked at the YRBM 20
PHOTO 21

An ARL possibly the ARL30 USS Askari
Docked at the YRBM 20 at Chou doc
Photo Courtesy of Tom Lefavour
EMAIL: THOMASL374[ at ]AOL.COM
LST 1168
PHOTO 22

LST 1168

Photo Courtesy of Steve Crandall
EMAIL: crandalls46[ at ]aol.com



Bobby Freeman gives this account
EMAIL: cwofreeman[ at ]yahoo.com


The Askari had a system where any number of Patrol Boats would come in for repairs and a team of Askari Repair Department Specially qualified inspectors would go down and conduct a thorough inspection of the boat and develop work orders to repair all of the problems discovered!
Even divers would go below and check out the screws, rudder and hull! If problems were found that might deter the boat from meeting its combat role or mission, then the boat[s] was hoisted with the ships 100 ton "A" frame crane and appropriate hull repairs were immediately made!

Gunderson Bros [Portland Oregon] built Assualt Patrol Boats ASPBs were powered by two 12V71 Detroit Diesel Engines which were a bear to overhaul! Most repair facilities could not do a proper job!
The Askari had a dual dynometer setup that allowed her to load these engines and test them for overhaul charactistics, thus earning her a name of having the "best" engines available for installation and/or engine change-out!
Even our injector repair shop was the only one in South Vietnam that could do a "spec" job and provide properly overhauled and balanced injectors for the engines they were to go in!

You have no idea what all we did during those days!!! There was no ship like the USS Askari ARL-30...No way!!! We broke the Sphinx upon entry into Brownwater country! The other ARL's did a good job too!

USS Westchester County LST
PHOTO 24

USS Westchester County LST 1167
Photo Courtesy of Bobby Freeman CWO
EMAIL: cwofreeman[ at ]yahoo.com
The Bombing of the USS Westchester County LST 1167

        I do not have the exact date in 1968, but if you were to look at the events and dates in the Westchester Country Web Site, there is a lot of information regarding the two blasts that occurred! Some of the previously reported information is not very accurate [reported by the US Army]. These were two 250 lb. sachel charges set by underwater sappers!

        In those days, we didn't call them bombings, but we called them "minings". In fact, I am having lunch with Cdr George Oncea USN Ret. [Ex-skipper of USS Askari ARL-30] on the 9th of November 2000. He was [and still is] a really great skipper and with a guy like him, the USS Cole incident would have never happened!!! Our defense for such occurrences was almost fool-proof and no underwater sapper or boat ever came within our Port or Starboard sides before we blew their hulls away!

        Anyway, the minings on the USS Westchester County occurred at 0335 hrs when I was heading up to the bridge of the USS Askari ARL 30 to relieve the Officer of the Deck! I had the 04 to 08 watch and as I made my way up the ladders to the bridge, the whole night lit up and then a blast and precussion which occurred that almost knocked me down!

        Immediately, we dispatched our Casualty Control Team consisting of CWO M. Fleischman and his Damage Controlmen in our ready Mike Six! Even the skipper of Askari at the time was Lcdr Al Festag and he was a qualified Navy Diver and he and several other of the Askari's divers deployed with our emergency team over to the USS Westchester County and spent the next four hours extracting the mortally wounded men and the wounded men from he 2nd and 3rd deck compartments on the Starboard side of Westchester County!

        Our XO was Lt. Mike Colonna who was more than qualified to handle anything with the Askari while the skipper was absent! I have seen previous accounts written on this situation and found that no credit was given Askari for their assistance? Yes, that really puzzled me! I was the Assistant Repair Officer at the time, and Lt. Bill Bush was the Repair Officer!

        In fact, the Westchester County was beached then the USS Askari repair department sealed up both holes in the Starboard side of Westchester County and this allowed the ship to proceed at 8 knots back to Subic Bay in the Philippines under her own power for temporary repairs. She then got underway and transited to Yokosuka for drydocking and permanent repairs.

        Askari had one of the sharpest Repair Departments that I have ever seen in all my experience in the US Navy! What we couldn't get through the normal supply system channels, the ships repair department manufactured!
Story Courtesy of Bobby Freeman CWO
EMAIL: cwofreeman[ at ]yahoo.com

LST 1167 Association




Diver Boat
PHOTO 1

USS Cohoes
A diver boat that operated in the rivers near the De Nang area.

Photo Courtesy of HOLLIS who obtained it from Gary "Frenchy"
EMAIL: hfan78[ at ]dnsonline.net






SMALL SUPPLY SHIPS
USS Brule
PHOTO 40

USS Brule
in Dong Tam basin sometime in 67

Photo Courtesy of Doug Lindsey
EMAIL: VERMIN250[ at ]aol.com

USS Brule
PHOTO 41

USS Brule
Tied along side the YRBM17 delivering supplies

Photo Courtesy of Doug Lindsey
EMAIL: VERMIN250[ at ]aol.com

Supply SHIP
PHOTO 42

A small supply ship at the YRBM20 in Chou Doc
Jack Ely gives this account.
EMAIL: jackely[ at ]tampabay.rr.com

U.S.S. Brule, 1969-1970

The Kerrey story gave me a flashback to Nha Be. I believe the seals had a barracks there. I remember them as "Rambo" types, very strange dudes.
I didn't see any explosions but there was ship sunk in the middle of the river with it's hull sticking up the whole time we were there. I understood it was the work of a "swimmer". We dropped hand grenades all night, at 15 minute intervals, whenever we were docked. This annoyed most of the people on the base but especially the smaller boats docked nearby.
I had a date with the most beautiful woman I ever went out with in Vung Tau. We went to some kind of play, all in Vietnamese. I had no idea what they were saying but she laughted a lot.




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THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS ARE THE COURTESY OF FREDERICK J. MCGAVRAN

EMAIL: FMcGavran[ at ]FROJAC.com
ARL
PHOTO 60

ARL Support Ship
LST 1150
PHOTO 61

LST 1150 YRBM LCM and PBR
AKL 12
PHOTO 62

USS MARK AKL 12
ARL
PHOTO 63

ARL Support Ship
LST 1150
PHOTO 64

LST 1150
AKL 12
PHOTO 65

USS MARK AKL 12 Closeup


USS MARK AKL12
PHOTO 2
USS MARK AKL 12
Lost rudder control on the Long Tau River when 100 yard from the YFR785 Tug Boat.


Arnold Martin BM3 -- EMAIL: AWM45[ at ]aol.com was on the USS Mark AKL 12, from Nov. 65 to Nov. 66. It lost electrical steering many times. When I went on board, there were only about 25 or 30 men on board. When I left there were about 55 on board. We traveled up & down most of the rivers. Only one man was shot while I was on board.

Photo Courtesy of Matty Veneziano
EMAIL: MV1949[ at ]aol.com





THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS ARE THE COURTESY OF SAM CRAWFORD

EMAIL: samispoor[ at ]aol.com
LST 825
PHOTO 81

LST 825
AKL 28 Supply Ship
PHOTO 82

KL 28 Supply Ship
AKL 28 Supply Ship
PHOTO 83

KL 28 Supply Ship
USS Benewah APB 35
PHOTO 84

USS Benewah APB 35
PBRs at the Mother Ship
USS Benewah with LST
PHOTO 85

USS Benewah with LST [825?]
APB 35
USS Benewah APB 35
PHOTO 86

USS Benewah APB 35
Flight Operations



Crew Photo Onboard Small Ship
PHOTO 3

Crew Photo Onboard Small Ships at An Thoi

Photo Courtesy of Christopher Jarvis
EMAIL: crobinjarvis[ at ]hotmail.com




Crew Photo Onboard Small Ship
PHOTO 4

Crew Photo Onboard Small Ships at An Thoi

Photo Courtesy of Christopher Jarvis
EMAIL: crobinjarvis[ at ]hotmail.com





THE AUSTRALIAN ARMY LSM FLEET IN VIETNAM
Vernon Sturdee
PHOTO 100

Vernon Sturdee
Australian LSM [ex US Ship] beached at Can Tho in 67

Photo Courtesy of Dave Perham
EMAIL: dkp[ at ]spiderweb.com.au

LSM 731 LSM 732
PHOTO 101

Thai LSM 731 LSM 732 in 2001
Previous Australian LSMs
[Ex US ships (1944-1956)]

Photo Courtesy of Dave Perham
EMAIL: dkp[ at ]spiderweb.com.au

The Austalian Army operated 4 ex US LSMs in SVN. One of these (AV 1356 "Clive Steele") was hit during a Mekong River rocket attack in '68. Above is a photo of AV 1355 "Vernon Sturdee" beached at Can Tho in '67.. I served in SVN on LSMs. Cheers from Dave Perham. Australian LSM Association
For More info contact Dave Downunder Perham
EMAIL: dkp[ at ]spiderweb.com.au

Australian LSM Association


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Sampans on the Copper river

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USS Cohoes Patch
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EMAIL: User104445[ at ]aol.com

Ski Boat Left
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South Vietnam Flag Bar

USS MARK Patch

A photo of a the USS MARK Patch.
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EMAIL: stanlambert[ at ]prodigy.net

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THE BROWNWATER NAVY IN THE MEKONG DELTA
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