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Commands/Commanders

Command Location Commander Dates Comments
ComNavForV Saigon    

Established 1 April 1966

    Norvell Gardiner Ward, Rear Admiral

1 Apr 66-27 Apr 67

deceased 7/19/2005 --- Atlantic Beach, FL
    Kenneth Leroy Veth, Rear Admiral 27 Apr 67-30 Sep 68  
    Elmo Russell "Bud" Zumwalt Jr, Vice Admiral 30 Sep 68-14 May 70 deceased 1/2/2000 --- Pinehurst, NC         Tributes
    Jerome Henry King Jr, Vice Admiral 14 May 70-5 Apr 71  
    Roger S. Salzer, Rear Admiral 5 Apr 71-30 Jun 72  
    Arthur Whyte Price Jr, Rear Admiral 30 Jun 72-25 Aug 72  
    James Burnett Wilson, Rear Admiral 25 Aug72-29 Mar 73  
Coastal Flot 1

Cam Ranh Bay

    Established 30 April 1967
    Carl Raymond Quanstrom Jr, Captain ????-12/1/70 Disestablished 1 December 1970
Task Force115

Cam Ranh Bay

    Established 30 July 1965
    Arthur Peter Ismay, CDR
artismay@verizon.net
30 Jul 65-?? Dec 66 McLean, VA
    Clifford Lee Stewart, Captain ?? Dec 66- 4 Mar 67  
    Ralph Dicori, Captain 4 Mar 67-23 Mar 68 El Cajon, CA
    Alan Grady Hodge, CDR 23 Mar 68-16 May 68 deceased 5/19/2004 --- Rancho Bernardo, CA
    Roy Francis Hoffmann, Captain 16 May 68-10 May 69 Richmond, VA
    Richard Earl Nicholson, CDR 10 May 69- ????  
    John J. Shannahan, Captain

??-Apr 70-??

 
    Carl Raymond Quanstrom Jr, Commodore ??-20 Aug 71 Senior Advisor to ComCoastal Surveillance - CTF 213  was from Whitter, CA
    Thomas Irby Kolstad, Commodore 20 Aug 71 - ?? Senior Advisor to ComCoastal Surveillance - CTF 213  was from Palestine, TX
BoatRon 1 Coronado, CA  

1 October 1965

Commissioned at the US Naval Amphibious Base
    Arthur Peter Ismay, CDR
artismay@verizon.net

1 Oct 65-21 Nov 66

ComBoatRon 1 --- McLean, VA
 

Subic Bay, PI

  15 Oct 65 ComBoatRon 1 and nucleus staff organize Squadron
 

 

  22 Oct 65 Report to the operational control of CTF115
 

Saigon

  15 Dec 65 BoatRon 1 staff arrives/establishes headquarters
Squadron1_small.jpg (3115 bytes) Saigon   1 November 1966 Name changed to Coastal Squadron One and administrative control shifted from Commmander Amphibious Forces Pacific to Commander Amphibious Group Three
    William Patrick Holden, CDR
patrickimi@charter.net

21 Nov 66-1 Nov 67

ComCosRon 1 --- Wilbraham, MA
     

27 Nov 66

CosRon1 Representative in Subic Bay disestablished, all 84 PCF's destined for Vietnam had staged through
     

1 Dec 66

PCF maintenance shifts from ComCosRon 1 to ComNavSuppAct, Saigon
     

29 Apr 67

ComCosRon 1 assumed temporary administrative control of USS Asheville PG84 and USS Gallup PG85 until CosRon 3 is established and functioning
  Cam Ranh Bay  

15 Jul 67

Headquarters moved from Saigon to Cam Rahn Bay
CosRon 3    

18 Aug 67

Commissioned aboard USS Gallup PG 85; assumed additional duties as ComCosRon 3
    Alan Grady Hodge, CDR 1 Nov 67-12 Oct 68 ComCosRon 1/ComCosRon 3 --- deceased 5/19/2004
     

23 Mar 68

Assumed command Coastal Surveillance Force and Task Force One One Five
     

1 Apr 68

Administratively assigned to Commander Coastal Flotilla One
    Roy Francis Hoffman, Captain

16 May 68

Assumed command Coastal Surveillance Force and Task Force One One Five Richmond, VA
    Charles Francis Horne III, CDR 12 Oct 68-25 Sep 69 ComCosRon 1 --- DeCauter, GA
CTU 115.4.1     1 Jan 70-20 Feb 70

Gulf of Thailand Special Market Time Operations
Areas 9D1, 9E1, 9F1, 9G1 and 9H1

    Lawrence Richard Jefferis, CDR
jefferis@embarqmail.com
25 Sep 69-1 Dec 70 ComCosRon 1 --- Las Vegas, NV
 

Cat Lo

 

13 Apr 70

Headquarters moved from Cam Rahn Bay to Logistics Support Base, Cat Lo
CTG 194.0   Lawrence Richard Jefferis, CDR 5 May 70-30 Sep 70 Fast Raider Unit for special Cambodian operations
CTG 194.5   Lawrence Richard Jefferis, CDR 8 May 70- 2 July 70 Delta Major River Incursion Unit established "Operation Blue Shark"
CTG 116.5   Lawrence Richard Jefferis, CDR 2 July 70-14 Nov 70 "Operation Blue Shark" redesignated
   

John Joseph Dooley, LCDR    Kcaller@aol.com

3 Aug 70-20 Aug 70 Acting Commander Coastal Squadron 1
Alexandria, VA
CTU 194.0.2

Sa Dec

  8 May 70-2 July 70 Ving Long Riverine area "Operation Blue Shark"
CTU 116.5.2    

2 July 70

"Operation Blue Shark" redesignated
     

25 October 1970

Disestablished
CTU 194.0.3

Long Phu

  8 May 70-2 July 70 Lower River area "Operation Blue Shark"
CTU 116.5.3

 

 

2 July 70

"Operation Blue Shark" redesignated
    John Joseph Dooley, LCDR
Kcaller@aol.com
28 Aug 70-6 Nov 70 Assumed command of Lower River area
"Operation Blue Shark"
 

Ben Tre

 

15 Oct 70

Operational Headquarters moved
    Daniel Joseph Sullivan, LCDR
dansullaw@att.net
6 Nov 70-14 Nov 70 Assumed command of Lower River area "Operation Blue Shark."
Disestablished 14 Nov 1970. --- San Diego, CA
  Cat Lo  

1 December 1970

Disestablishment of Coastal Squadron 1 at Cat Lo
PCF Div 101

Subic Bay, PI

  20 October 1965 First subordinate unit of Boat Squadron One
    John Dominic Broglio, LT
jb@ncia.net
20 Oct 65-1 Oct 66 ComPCFDiv 101 --- Hudson, NH
 

An Thoi

 

30 Oct 65

PCF Div 101 deployed to An Thoi, Phu Quoc Island First PCFs, #3 & 4, arrive in country and commence Market Time Operations
      14 December 65 Tent Camp, in the American Sector of the Vietnamese Naval Base at An Thoi, Phu Quoc Island
 

APL-55

 

10 June 66

Division base moved afloat with the arrival of APL-55
    Nathan Leo Astleford, LT 1 Oct 66- 31 Dec 66 ComPCFDiv 101
Division11_small.jpg (3538 bytes) An Thoi   1 January 1967 Established as Coastal Division 11
    Nathan Leo Astleford, LT 1 Jan 67-9 Sep 67 ComCosDiv11
    David Charles Brown, LT 9 Sep 67-14 Aug 68 ComCosDiv11 --- Mountain City, GA
    George Milton Elliott, LCDR
trenny@verizon.net
14 Aug 68-6 May 69 ComCosDiv11 --- Lewes, DE
    Charles Louis Miller, LCDR 6 May 69-24 Oct 69 ComCosDiv11
    Markham Dennis Tuft, LCDR
mark_tuft@msn.com
24 Oct 69- 24 Jan 70 ComCosDiv11 --- Akron, OH
CTU 115.4.1     1 Jan 70- 20 Feb 70

Gulf of Thailand Special Market Time Operations Areas 9D1, 9E1, 9F1, 9G1 and 9H1. Areas were adjacent to the shoreline and augmented rather than replaced areas patrolled by VNN assets. Ten (10) PCFs were assigned to this operation.

    William Glynn Martin, LCDR 24 Jan 70-1 Oct 70 ComCosDiv11 --- Orange Beach, AL
 

APL-30

 

27 Jun 70

CosDiv 11 admin offices moved to APL-30 anchored off the mouth of the Bo De river
 

Cat Lo

 

15 Jul 70

CosDiv 11 admin offices moved to Logistics Support Base, Cat Lo
     

1 October 1970

Coastal Division 11 disestablished at Cat Lo
PCF Div 102

DaNang

 

16 January 1966

Staff arrived DaNang 16 Jan 66. Established 23 Jan 66 with arrival of first 6 PCFs  #13 thru 18
    Daniel J. Houton, LT 16 Jan 66-29 Oct 66 ComPCFDiv 102 --- Mattapan, MA
 

Chu Lai

Patrick S. Grafton, LT 15 May 66-10 Apr 67 OinC Chu Lai Det
 

Hue

  20 Aug 66-20 Nov 66  
   

Joseph Lawrence Sestric, LT                 joesestric@aol.com

29 Oct 66-31 Dec 66 ComPCFDiv 102 --- Chesterfield, MO
Division12_small.jpg (3628 bytes) DaNang   1 January 1967 Established as Coastal Division 12
    Joseph Lawrence Sestric, LT                 joesestric@aol.com 1 Jan 67-11 Oct 67 ComCosDiv12 --- Chesterfield, MO
 

Chu Lai

Harold Craven Griffin Jr, LT             ChldeHrlde@aol.com

10 April 67-19 Jun 67 OinC Chu Lai Det, Greenville, SC Detachment became CosDiv 16 - 20 June '67
    Ian McDonald Bailey, LT 11 Oct 67-28 Aug 68 ComCosDiv12
 

Cua Viet

Thomas William Yankura, LT 1 Nov 67-30 Nov 67 OinC Cua Viet Det - CosDiv 12 takes over control of the PCF base from CosDiv 14 and establishes its detachment 1 Nov 67 and then closed it 30 Nov 67 due to the onset of the northern monsoon season
 

Chu Lai

Bruce H. Wentworth, LT 1 Nov 67-???? Detachment re-opened 1 Nov 67 --- Warwick, RI
    Benjamin A. Wagner, LTJG ????-8 Jul 68 OinC Chu Lai Det --- Exeter, NH
    Thomas William Yankura, LT 8 Jul 68-???? OinC Chu Lai Det
 

 

Kenneth Buren McGhee, LCDR KBandEAMcGhee@aol.com

28 Aug 68-2 Aug 69 ComCosDiv12  --- San Diego, CA
    Jerome Aloysius Peschka Jr., LT ????-20 Dec 68 OinC Chu Lai Det
    Earnest Alexander Flynn, LT 20 Dec 68-24 Jun 69 OinC Chu Lai Det
   

Tan My (Hue) mobile PBR base with anchored barracks barge

  3 Jun 69-18 Aug 69 - Opened 3 June 1969 with 2 PCFs and crews, eliminated 4 hours transit time from DaNang
- Closed 18 August 1969, because of the shift south of US Navy PCF forces and area 1A would no longer be patrolled by US Navy PCFs
    James Francis Giblin, LTJG 24 Jun 69-25 Oct 69 OinC Chu Lai Det --- Portsmouth, RI
Chu Lai Det disestablished 25 October 1969
    Donald Roger Breckenridge, LCDR 2 Aug 69-28 Feb 70 ComCosDiv12
      28 February 1970 Coastal Division 12 disestablished at DaNang
PCF Div 103

Cat Lo

    Established 11 February 1966, patrols commenced 23 Feb 66 with arrival of  4 PCFs  #23 thru 26
    Wilbert Clyde Clancy, LT 11 Feb 66-21 Dec 66 ComPCFDiv 103 --- Huntington, MD
    Joseph Smith Hurlburt, LT 21-31 Dec 66 ComPCFDiv 103
Division13_small.jpg (3525 bytes) Cat Lo   1 January 1967 Established as Coastal Division 13
    Joseph Smith Hurlburt, LT 1 Jan 67-8 Dec 67 ComCosDiv 13
    Daniel Knight, LT 8 Dec 67-16 Nov 68 ComCosDiv 13
    Joseph William Streuli, LCDR 16 Nov 68-3 Nov 69 ComCosDiv 13 --- Virginia Beach, VA
    Edwin Butler McConville, LCDR 3 Nov 69-15 Apr 70 ComCosDiv 13
 

Sa Dec

 

6 Mar 70

CosDiv 13 admin offices moved to Sa De
    Daniel Joseph Sullivan, LCDR
dansullaw@att.net
15 Apr 70-1 Dec 70 ComCosDiv 13 --- San Diego, CA
CTU 194.0.1

CTU 116.5.1

 

Lawrence Richard Jefferis, CDR
jefferis@embarqmail.com
CTU 194.0.2

5 May 70-30 Sep 70 All CosDiv 13 assets were chopped to CTG 194.0, Fast Raider Unit for special Cambodian operations,  8-US PCFs, 15-VNN PCFs and 8-VNN ASPBs.
All units returned to CosDiv 13 for duty
 

Cat Lo

 

9 Oct 70

CosDiv 13 admin offices moved to the Logistics Support Base at Cat Lo
     

14 November 1970

All US Navy PCF patrolling ceased, to prepare for the turnover of the last 14 swift boats at Cat Lo
     

1 December 1970

Coastal Division 13 disestablished at Cat Lo
PCF Div 104

Cam Ranh Bay

    Established 11 April 1966, patrols commenced in late April with 13 PCFs
 

APL-55

    Division base was afloat on APL-55 till 5 June 66, when it re-established ashore, APL-55 was shifted to An Thoi
    Mark Van Voy Nelson, LT 11 Apr 66-31 Dec 66 ComPCFDiv 104
Division14_small.jpg (6021 bytes)     1 January 1967 Established as Coastal Division 14
    Mark Van Voy Nelson, LT 1 Jan 67-3 Mar 67 ComCosDiv 14
    Edward R. Farrell, LT 3 Mar 67-21 Dec 67 ComCosDiv 14
 

Cua Viet

  7 Jul 67-1 Nov 67 Detachment opened 7 July 1967, CosDiv 12 took over control of the PCF base
1 November 1967
    Max D. Caldwell, LTJG 21 Dec 67-12 Jan 68 Acting ComCosDiv 14
    Grant Welk Hibbard, LCDR
ghib849945@aol.com
12 Jan 68-10 Jan 69 ComCosDiv 14 --- Gulf Breeze, FL
    Paul E. Dodson, LCDR 10 Jan 69-15 Dec 69 ComCosDiv 14 --- N. Kingston, RI
    Daniel Joseph Sullivan, LCDR
dansullaw@att.net
15 Dec 69-1 Apr 70 ComCosDiv 14 --- San Diego, CA
      1 April 1970 Coastal Division 14 disestablished at Cam Rahn Bay
PCF Div 105

Qui Nhon

    Established 2 May 1966, first 4 PCFs #57, 58, 59 and 61 arrive 16 May and commence patrol 18 May 1966
    Samuel Smith, LT 2 May 66-23 Dec 66 ComPCFDiv 105 --- was from Maine
    Stanley R. Svenson, LT 23 - 31 Dec 66 ComPCFDiv 105 --- Chula Vista, CA
Division15_small.jpg (3688 bytes) Qui Nhon   1 January 1967 Established as Coastal Division 15
    Stanley R. Svenson, LT 1 Jan 67-6 Dec 67 ComCosDiv 15 --- Chula Vista, CA
    Francis Joseph Boyle, LT 6 Dec 67-18 Nov 68 ComCosDiv 15 --- was from Portsmouth, RI
    Charles Louis Miller, LCDR 18 Nov 68-8 May 69 ComCosDiv 15
    George Milton Elliott, LCDR
trenny@verizon.net
8 May 69-24 Jul 69 ComCosDiv 15 --- Lewes, DE
    Edwin Butler McConville, LCDR 24 Jul 69-3 Nov 69 ComCosDiv 15
      5 November 1969 Coastal Division 15 disestablished at Qui Nhon
CosDiv 16 Chu Lai   20 June 1967 Established as Coastal Division 16
Division16_small.jpg (4400 bytes)

Chu Lai

 

 

Original complement of 12 PCFs and 18 crews
    Gerald D. Ferrell, LT 20 Jun 67-1 Nov 67 ComCosDiv 16
     

1 November 1967

Disestablished as separate Coastal Division and again becomes
Coastal Division 12 Detachment at Chu Lai
PACV Div 107

Coronado, CA

 

June 1965

Hovercrafts received from Bell, assembled in Coronado
PACV small.jpg (7092 bytes)    

1 February 1966

Commissioned at the US Naval Amphibious Base, Coronado, CA
 

 

Kenneth Herbert Luenser, LT

1 Feb 66-????

ComPACVDiv 107
 

Cat Lo

 

31 Mar 1966

Division deploys to Cat Lo aboard USS Cabildo LSD-16
     

1 May 1966 arrival
2 May 1966 offload

PACV 1, 2 and 3 arrive at Cat Lo. The operational evaluation of the "hovercraft" got underway on 20 May 1966 and was to continue for 90 days.
 

Moc Hoa

 

20 Nov 1966

Operational control transferred to CTF 116, for evaluation and training, unit moves to Moc Hoa
 

Cat Lo

  6 Dec 1966 Unit returned to Cat Lo
     

15-17 Dec 1966

3 PACVs, personnel and all deployed equipment loaded aboard USS Gunston Hall (LSD-5), for return to San Diego, CA, pending overhaul, reworking and replacement crew training
     

1 September 1967

Administrative control shifts to ComRivFlot 1 (CTF 116)

- The last 14 US Navy PCFs were turned over to the VNN, the last Coastal Division (#13 at Cat Lo) was closed, Coastal Squadron One and Coastal Flotilla One were disestablished, at a ceremony held in Cat Lo, at the Logistics Support Base, at 10am, on 1 December 1970, thus closing the history of the US Navy Swift Boats in Vietnam..........

- The history of all US Navy "Brown Water Naval Forces, " in South Vietnam, came to a close on 10 December 1970, at a morning ceremony held in Saigon, where the final 125 small coastal and River Combat Boats were turned over to the South Vietnamese Navy.       Stars and Stripes Story

 

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This page was last updated on:  March 30, 2008 at 14:08