| We hope you enjoy our
Vietnam Veteran's photo gallery – it's made-up entirely from submissions
by members and visitors. If you have a picture you would like to submit, send
it with caption information to
GW President. [ Click on a
thumbnail image for close-up view. Navigate through the pages using the text links
at the top and bottom of each page. ]
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Riv Div 543 Photo Excerpts from the 1969 Clearwater Cruise Book
Another Navy team contributing to the success of NSA's logistics mission is Task Force Clearwater. In order to make the inland waterways of I Corps safe for NSA's river craft and to deny the use of the rivers to the enemy, Task Force Clearwater was established under the command of a U.S. Navy captain. The main elements of Task Force Clearwater are the Dong Ha River Security Group based at Cua Viet and the Hue River Security Group based at Tan My. The workhorse of the task force is the River Patrol Boat (PBR) such as those in use in the Mekong Delta. Other craft include LCPL's and LCM's converted for river minesweeping and MSB's from Mine Division 112. The PBR's are from River Division 521 aboard PBR Mobile Base One at Tan My and River Division 543 at Cua Viet. The efforts of Task Force Clearwater in securing the waterways for NSA's logistics craft is another example of a full Navy team in action.
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| River Patrol Boats (PBR's) of River Division 543 make routine
checks of traffic on the rivers between Cua Viet and Dong Ha. |
GMG3 Williams checks his forward .50 caliber machine gun after
completing a 12 hour patrol. |
EN2 D. Evans supervises a towing drill. |
Flying it's "last patrol" flag,
PCF-21 nears the harbor at high speed. |
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| A "swift" returns to Costal
Division home base. |
Assuming command of Coastal
Division 12 LCDR D.R. Breckenridge (left) CMDR C.F. Horne, Commander Coastal
Squadron 1 (center) and outgoing commander, LCDR K.B. McGhee
(right) |
Adjacent to the NSA Small Craft
facility in Danang. |
Vice Admiral E.R. Zumwalt, Jr.
Commander US Naval Forces Vietnam |
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| The Honorable John H. Chaffee
Secretary of the Navy |
Rear Admiral W.V. Combs, Jr.
Commander Service Force US Pacific Fleet |
Stewardsmate Second Class F.M.
David accepts the Navy Unit Commendation on behalf of the US Naval Support
Activity, Danang, from Vice Admiral E.R. Zumwalt on August 14,
1969. |
Secretary of the Navy, the
Honorable John Chaffee, presents the Presidential Unit Citation to LT G.P.
Brent, Commander River Division 521 for the Division's heroic actions during
the 1968 Tet campaign. |
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| A Vietnamese counterpart prepares
to moor a PBR. Vietnamese sailors train with the river divisions before going
to the Mekong Delta to take over PBR divisions there. |
A friendly sampan on the Perfume
River gives SN D. Williams a wave while he mans the forward .50 caliber mount
on a PBR. |
GMG3 E. Duplechin and his
Vietnamese counterpart check personnel on a water taxi for I.D. cards and
contraband. |
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| LT T.R. Babbitt,
Officer-in-charge of PBR Mobile Base One and LTJG R.Z. Hutcherson, Assistant
Officer-in-charge |
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Special: Time Off – Photo Excerpts from
the 1969 Clearwater Cruise Book |
Special: Time Off – Photo Excerpts from
the 1969 Clearwater Cruise Book |
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| Special: Time Off – Photo Excerpts from
the 1969 Clearwater Cruise Book |
Special: Time Off – Photo Excerpts from
the 1969 Clearwater Cruise Book |
Special: Time Off – Photo Excerpts from
the 1969 Clearwater Cruise Book |
Special: Time Off – Photo Excerpts from
the 1969 Clearwater Cruise Book |
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| Special: Time Off – Photo Excerpts from
the 1969 Clearwater Cruise Book |
Special: Time Off – Photo Excerpts from
the 1969 Clearwater Cruise Book |
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USS Sentry AM 299 - HQ 09
 Photo taken on 13 September, 2003 showing the former USS
Sentry (AM 299) built in 1944. It was turned over to the South Vietnamese Navy
in 1962.
(Submitted by Steve Loomis, US Naval Advisory Group, Vietnam
1970-1971.)
From: "Steve Rains" <Steve@meccoconcrete.com>
To:
<laurence.bissonnette@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Steve Loomis
photo
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2004 15:47:52 -0500
Good afternoon,
While I was scavenging around yesterday, I was looking over your site
(Vietnam Vets Photo Gallery) and saw the 09/03 photo by Steve Loomis of the
HQ-09, which he states is the former US Sentry AM-299 transferred to VNN in
1962. This peaked my interest, since my dad was a Lt jg on the Sentry May 1945
thru her decommissioning, and I've been trying to track down info on her. I
would like to comment that I believe that this HQ-09 is not the former US
Sentry, but may more likely be a Petya III class corvette bought from the
Russians in 1978, which the Vietnamise numbered HQ-09. The lines of this ship seem
to be different than pics of the Sentry, and the corvette at about 1040 tons
and 268 ft long was (is) much longer and heavier than an Admirable class
minesweeper (about 625 tons and 184 long), and had heavier armament.
The USS Sentry was renamed the Ky Hoa by the VNN, and marked with 09
(only) on the prow, according to pictures of her. At the time of the fall of
VN, she was just coming off her last patrol (limping in on one engine). Her
captain ended up spending 10 years in prison. At my last contact with a former
VNN officer, the fate of the KY Hoa is unknown, but she apparently never left
VN.
Just thought I'd pass this along. You folks do good work. Keep it up.
God bless America.
Steve Rains
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