Advisors

Unit consisted of 21 enlisted and 3 officers: CO, XO and Engineering Officer.

One advisor per boat, each advisor had his counterpart on his boat and would go on the various patrols to observe Vietnamese crew.

Vietnamese had 12 Swifts and 4 WPBs, the patrols where the same as the previous American crews, including the Cua Dai river patrols.

One advisor per boat

Unit consisted of 8-10 US Navy enlisted and officers

One advisor per boat

Vietnamese had 6-8 Swifts and 2-3 WPBs

One advisor per boat

Vietnamese had Swifts

Vietnamese had Swift Boats

- On the night of 22 January 1969, during one of the first SEA LORDS missions in which VNN PCF's experienced enemy activity, the USN advisor of a PCF, MM2 A. L. Krukow, USN, was lost overboard and presumed dead. The action took place on the Cai Lon River as two VNN PCF's were participating in a SEA LORDS operation with USN and USA elements in the Kien Giang Province. One PCF received B-40 hits directed from the west bank of the river. Both PCF's retaliated with .50 caliber, M-79 and M-16 fire which effectively silenced the enemy. The advisor had been hit by shrapnel and concussion from the B-40 rocket, he fell into the river and was immediately swallowed up by the black waters. Subsequent attempts to retrieve the body by a combined force of US MARKET TIME PCFs, Army air cover and VNN Coastal Group 43/44 reaction units failed.

- At 1300H on 4 December 1969, US PCFs 50, 56, VNN PCF 3805, an LSSL with Seawolves providing air cover, were conducting a psyops patrol on the Song Dam Doi about 25 kilometers northwest of Sea Float, when they were ambushed by an unknown number of VC with B-40, AK-47 and M-16 fire. The lead boat, PCF 50, took a B-40 hit head-on, in the pilot house, killing the bow gunner, RD3 Martin S. Doherty, and wounding the OinC, LTJG Robert S. White and helmsman, QM3 Thomas R. Terfehr. A second B-40 hit close aboard to port, wounding two (2) additional crewmen, EN2 John R. Phillips and BM3 Roy D. White, on the fantail. The VNN PCF 3805, took a B-40 hit low on the port bow and another on the port side of the pilot house, killing the USN advisor, BM1 Don E. Stevenson, and seriously wounding the VNN OinC and XO. PCF-56 received a B-40 near miss that wounded the OinC, LTJG Patrick L. Evans. The Seawolves and LSSL responded with saturation fire into the area and silenced the enemy fire. A VNN reaction team was inserted and a ground sweep resulted in the capture of two twin B-40 rocket launchers, two entrenching tools, wire and batteries. Two members of the VNN reaction team also received minor wounds.

US Naval Base at Nha Be, June 1967

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This page was last updated on:  June 03, 2013 at 09:38