The Navy Department schedules reactivation of hospital ship Repose (AH-16). 1st hospital ship activated for service during the Vietnam Conflict.
Below is an article from Proceedings March, 1946 called “The Function of a Hospital Ship” written by Captain Howard K. Gray (M.C.), U.S. Naval Reserve.
Operation Market Time was established after the Vung Ro incident to blockade the vast South Vietnam coastline against North Vietnamese trawlers that could carry several tons of arms and ammunition in their hulls. The ships would maneuver out in the South China Sea, waiting for the cover of darkness to make high-speed runs to the South Vietnam coastline. If successful, the ships would off load their cargoes to waiting Viet Cong or North Vietnamese forces.
Example of a round up
Commander R. L. Schreadley, U. S. Navy, pointed out in “Sea Lords” (Proceedings, August 1970),
In his article “Skimmer Ops” (Proceedings July 1977) Lieutenant J. F. Ebersole, U. S. Coast Guard remarks in the words of one Market Time Swift boat (PCF) skipper,
Swift boat
Thomas Moorer stands out as one of the few senior American military leaders who fought hard with the political establishment over the conduct of the Vietnam War. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from July 1970 to July 1970, Moorer constantly pushed for the authority to strike targets in the Hanoi area with air power, and
mine Haiphong harbor. President Nixon finally agreed to Moorer’s proposals in the spring of 1972, and the war ended eight months later on terms acceptable to the United States. A hardliner and reactionary to some critics of the war, Moorer is seen as patriot and a hero by many veterans—someone who, in the words of Defense Secretary James Schlesinger, “always put his country’s interest before anything else.”
Born in Mount Willing Alabama in 1912, Moorer graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1933, completed aviator training in 1936, and then flew a variety of aircraft, including fighters, bombers, and patrol planes. He also served on the carriers Langley (AV 3), Lexington (CV 16), and Enterprise (CV 6).
Early in World War II, Japanese fighters attacked his PBY-5 patrol plane during a reconnaissance mission in the Southwest Pacific. Although wounded in the thigh, Moorer landed his aircraft in the water and got his crew of seven safely into a life raft. A Philippine merchant ship soon picked the group up but was attacked by Japanese aircraft that same day. One of Moorer’s crew died in that attack, but Moorer and the other survivors and many of the ship’s crew managed to escape from the vessel in a lifeboat and row to a nearby island. For his gallantry that day, the Navy awarded Moorer a Silver Star. He later received a Distinguished Flying Cross for flying supplies into and evacuating wounded from Timor Island in October 1942.
After the war, Commander Moorer continued to serve in both aviation and staff assignments and was promoted to rear admiral in 1957. As a junior flag officer, Moorer worked as a strategic planner for the Chief of Naval Operations. He commanded Carrier Division 6 for 17 months in 1959 and 1960. In 1962, Moorer received his third star and assumed command of the U.S. Seventh Fleet. Two years later, the Navy promoted him to full admiral and appointed him Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet. In that position, he commanded U.S. Navy forces in the Pacific during the August 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident and subsequent retaliatory strikes against North Vietnam. Moorer took command of the Atlantic Fleet the following year, thus becoming the first officer in the Navy’s history to lead both fleets.
Vietnam once again became a major focus for Moorer when President Johnson appointed him as Chief of Naval Operations in June 1967. Privately, Moorer opposed the land war in Vietnam “for the simple reason that we cannot afford to trade a high school graduate” for a North Vietnamese peasant. Once committed to the endeavor, however, he argued that the United States should focus its efforts on the source of Communist aggression in the region: North Vietnam. Moorer advocated bombing Hanoi, the enemy’s center of gravity, and mining North Vietnam’s most important port facility, Haiphong Harbor. Moorer, in short, rejected the idea of limited war and containment, instead favoring a decisive application of force, and with it, the possibility of compelling North Vietnam to end its aggression in South Vietnam.
His arguments fell upon deaf ears in the White House, and over time, frustration set in. President Johnson’s bombing halt following the 1968 Communist Tet Offensive and then his failure to retaliate against North Korea following the seizure of the technical research ship Pueblo (AGER 2) greatly concerned Admiral Moorer, who was afraid that America was losing global credibility. He also worried about the Navy’s aging ships and infrastructure. In January 1969, he testified to Congress that 58 percent of the fleet was at least 20 years old, while only 1 percent of Soviet navy ships were the same age. Finally, he deeply disagreed with Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara’s habit of “meddling” in the selection and assignment of flag officers, which, Moorer argued was the purview of the Chief of Naval Operations.
On 2 July 1970, President Nixon appointed Admiral Moorer as the seventh Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Moorer perceived Nixon as a kindred spirit, someone willing to make hard choices and take significant risks to extricate America from Vietnam. Other members of the administration, however, often blocked his efforts to liberalize the rules of engagement and resume the bombing campaign against North Vietnam. In an attempt to counter these opponents and gain an upper hand with the new president, Moorer encouraged Charles Radford, a young yeoman working for the National Security Council, to make copies of pertinent White House policy documents for him. When President Nixon found out about Radford’s “spying” in December 1971, he sent Attorney General John Mitchell over to the Pentagon to let Moorer know that “we had the goods” on him. Nixon, however, retained Moorer as chairman because he valued him as a fellow hardliner and a vital counterweight against administration doves, especially Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird.
The Communist Easter Offensive of 1972 finally gave Nixon the justification he needed to relax bombing restrictions and turn up the heat against North Vietnam. One of the first moves he made was to order the mining of Haiphong harbor, an idea that Moorer and others in the Navy had been advocating since the early 1960s. He also initiated the Linebacker bombing raids against North Vietnam. Both operations helped convince Hanoi to agree with a peace settlement acceptable to the United States.
In addition to helping settle the Vietnam conflict, Moorer oversaw the transition of the U.S. armed services from a conscript based military to an all-volunteer force. He also managed deep cuts in the defense budget. While he did not always prevail in Washington’s bureaucratic battles, Moorer managed the services with great strength and confidence during a deeply divided period in our nation’s history. Appointed to a second term as JCS Chairman by President Nixon, Admiral Moorer retired in July 1974. He died on 5 February 2004.
Now Showing on NavyTV: – the story of the USS Kirk.
In late April and early May of 1975, the destroyer escort USS Kirk became a haven for refugees fleeing South Vietnam. Kirk‘s officers and enlisted personnel–trained as warriors–instantly transformed their man-of-war into a humanitarian assistance ship. Desperation and anguish gave way to reassurance as crew members fed their unexpected guests, dispensed medical care, diapered infants and provided hope to a dispirited people.
A story of courage, of compassion and hope.
From NHHC Public Affairs Officer, Lt. Cmdr. John M. Daniels, USN:
Washington, DC – The Navy premiered “The Lucky Few” at the Smithsonian Institution’s Baird Auditorium Nov. 11.
The documentary featured a little-known rescue operation in the tumultuous days following the fall of Saigon.
In late April, 1975 panic and hysteria ruled the streets of Saigon as North Vietnamese soldiers surrounded the capital city. Americans and South Vietnamese sought escape and refuge any way they could.
Produced by the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, “The Lucky Few,” chronicles one part of this story. The documentary is about USS Kirk (DE-1087) and its crew of 260 who played an unexpected, but considerable role in Operation Frequent Wind – the evacuation of personnel from Saigon.
For most, the images of the end of the Vietnam War came from the nightly news. Television stations showed the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy as Marine helicopters landed on the roof. But there was another story that didn’t get the same attention—the rescue of more than 30,000 refugees who found other ways to escape the frenzy. USS Kirk played a pivotal role by first rescuing, then escorting South Vietnamese military and civilians to freedom and a new life.
As Frequent Wind began, U.S. helicopters loaded with evacuees began heading out to sea, where a 7th Fleet task force awaited them. Just as suddenly though, hoards of unknown contacts began appearing on the ships’ radar screens. South Vietnamese army and Air Force Hueys, packed with refugees were following the American aircraft out to sea.
On 15 September 1967, River assault boats of the Mobile Riverine Force (TF-117) fought one of their bloodiest engagements of the year against entrenched Viet Cong (VC) forces along the Rach Ba Rai Creek in the Dinh Tuong Province, Vietnam. On this day, a naval convoy transporting elements of the 9th U.S. Army Division was ambushed from both sides of the stream by Viet Cong in fortified bunkers. As recoilless rifle rounds and rockets slammed into minesweepers, monitors, and Armored Troop Carriers (ATC’s), Lieutenant Commander Francis E. “Dusty” Rhodes, the commander of the convoy’s 23 assault craft, issued a terse order by radio: “Fire all weapons.” Dozens of Navy guns responded, some at point blank range.
As the line of boats moved deeper into the ambush, the intensity of the fight grew. Some boats slowed while others sped up, but all poured fire from every operable gun. As fast as they could, the gunners fired, reloaded, and fired again. With only sporadic breaks, the battle continued. Round after round struck both troop carriers and monitors. Three minutes after the fight started monitor 111-2 took two rocket propelled grenade rounds. The boat captain managed to beach the monitor while crewmen worked frantically to repair the damage. The job done quickly, the 111-2 lunged again into midstream.
Around this same time, the command and communications boat took two anti-tank rockets on the port 40-mm. gun mount. The rounds caused no major damage, but a few minutes later, the command boat took another hit. This round knocked Commander Rhodes unconscious, but a few seconds later he was back on his feet, ordering his units to regroup and return downstream out of the enemy’s fortified area. After evacuating casualties and reassigning personnel so that all boats were manned, Lieutenant Commander Rhodes again took his task group up the river and was subjected once more to heavy enemy fire. Hard hit for a second time by a large number of casualties, he nevertheless successfully landed embarked army units ashore in the assigned objective area, and set up a naval blockade of the river. When the battle finally ended the next day, U.S. Army troops tallied 213 Viet Cong killed in action, 600 bunkers destroyed, and a large quantity munitions captured. Total U.S. losses stood at 7 killed and 123 wounded, and Navy losses included three dead and 66 wounded—the largest number of combat casualties suffered by the Navy to date in the Vietnam War. For his leadership that day, Rhodes received the Navy Cross.
Navy Chaplains have a long and distinguished history of administering to the spiritual needs of Marines. One such man was Father Vincent R. Capodanno. After his ordination in June 1957, Father Capodanno served from 1958-1965 as a Maryknoll Missionary for the Catholic Foreign Mission Society in the Far East. As the conflict in Vietnam escalated in early 1965, Father Capodanno felt the call to enter Naval Service. He subsequently accepted an appointment on 28 December 1965 as a Lieutenant, Chaplain Corps, U.S. Naval Reserve, and received indoctrination at the Naval Chaplains School in Newport Rhode Island.
In April 1966, Lieutenant Capodanno deployed to the Republic of Vietnam, and was assigned as a Chaplain with the First Marine Division. Battle hardened Marines soon came to seek out and appreciate the consolation and understanding they found in the tall, soft-spoken “Grunt Padre.” Lieutenant Capodanno always seemed to be on the go, and most of the time he was to be found with Marines in the field. While serving as Chaplain for the 3d Battalion, 5th Marines on 4 September 1967 in Quang Tri Province, he heard reports that 2d Platoon, Company M, was in danger of being overrun by a strong enemy force. Lieutenant Capodanno immediately requested to leave his secure station and attend to the Marines. In the words of the citation that would accompany his posthumously awarded Medal of Honor, Father Capodanno “ran to the beleaguered platoon through an open area raked with fire…and despite painful, multiple wounds to his arms and legs, refused all medical aid, and continued to move about the battlefield and provide encouragement by voice and example to the Marines.” Seeing a wounded Corpsman directly in the line of fire of an enemy machine gun, he rushed forward to the man’s aid, but was struck down by a burst of machine-gun fire. By his heroic conduct and inspiring example, Chaplain Capodanno upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service, and gallantly gave his life in the cause of freedom.
Today, Lieutenant Capodanno is recognized as having been one of the Navy’s most dedicated Chaplains. There are monuments in his honor, and both a Chapel at Camp Pendleton California and a U.S. Navy fast-frigate bears his name. The devoted service of Lieutenant Capodanno during the Vietnam War to “his” Marines, his “chosen flock,” remains a shining example of one man’s willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
… that the Vietnam War ended 35 years ago today.
Thirty-five years ago today, I was an about-to-graduate high school senior. State wrestling champ, All-state football player, with a scholarship offer from the University of Missouri. Ready to move on to the next phase.
I walked down the stairs to where my bedroom was, turned left, and the Auld Soldier was sitting on the couch, watching TV. He was four months away from retiring after 27 years, two wars, a Silver Star, BSM w/v, and seven Purple Hearts.
In honor of those who went and came back. And those who did not.
