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Vietnamese Navy (VNN) Fleet Command

The VNN Fleet Command included the "blue water" ships of the navy. It was organized into two flotillas: a patrol flotilla made up of PCEs, MSCs, PGMs, LSSLs, and LSILs; and a logistics flotilla made up of PCs, MSCs, PGMs, LSMs, LSM{H)s, LCUs, LSTs, AKLs, YOGs, and YRs. The Fleet Command was directly responsible to the VNN Chief of Naval Operations for the readiness of these ships and craft. The Fleet Commander assigned and scheduled ships to operate in the Coastal Zones, Riverine Areas and the Rung Sat Special Zone. When deployed to those areas, the ships changed operational control from the Fleet Commander to that of the respective zone or area commander.

From 1965 to 1968, progress was uneven for the Fleet Command, a major component of the Vietnamese Navy. The Fleet Command grew, with an increase of 300 personnel and the acquisition of 3 more LSSLs, 8 PGMs, 6 LCM(M)s, 1 patrol rescue escort (PCER), and 1 YOG. But maintenance and repair of vessels, crew training, and the quality of leadership remained marginal.

Despite operational deficiencies, the Vietnamese Navy's blue-water sailors had worked with their American naval advisors to rectify problems and increase efficiency. By the end of 1968 the rivers and inshore coastal waters were more secure than they had been at the beginning. Further, on 15 May 1967, Fleet Command units began to take over sectors of the Market Time outer barrier from U.S. ships; by the end of the year vessels were stationed in each of the coastal zones. When deployed, the ships operated from the following ports:

• I Coastal Zone - Danang
• II Coastal Zone - Nha Trang/Qul Nhon
• III Coastal Zone - An Thoi/(Phu Quoc Island)
• IV Coastal Zone - Vung Tau/Can Tho/Chau Duc
• Rung Sat Special Zone - Nha Be

The 57-acre Saigon Naval Shipyard, located on the southwest bank of the Saigon River about 30 miles from the South China Sea, represented the largest single industrial complex in SEASIA. The shipyard had been created by the French in 1863 as its major repair and resupply base in SEASIA. In 1969, 1,800 men were employed working six days a week, repairing and overhauling vessels ranging front the largest in the VNN (328-foot LST) to the smallest (35-foot LCVP). The shipyard's primary mission was support of the VNN enabling it to maintain its day and night patrol of the over 1,100 mile RVN coast line. The shipyard was equipped to perform the most complex kind of repairs including overhaul. A ferro-cement construction project was completed late in the year. The first ferro-cement PCF and Viper came off the line in December, (See pp VI-4h, 47 for the description of ferro-cement craft.) The shipyard was heavily committed to training programs to fill the critical job vacancies which existed during the year.

The VNN training establishment consisted of a Training Bureau located at VNN Headquarters; Training Centers located in Saigon, Nha Trang, and Cam Ranh Bay; and All Fleet Command ships were homeported in Saigon normally returned there after deployments. Overhauls, major repair, and maintenance of Fleet Command ships were accomplished at the Vanal Shipyard and the YR 9601 in Saigon. The shipyard was capable of performing major overhauls on any ship in the VNN, The YR 9601 (Floating Workshop) was equipped to perform all repair and overhaul work except shaft, screw, and underwater hull work. Normally the YR was reserved for PGM repair support, however, "ship-to-shop" repairs were accepted from other ships.

Flotilla I Patrol Ships

Flotilla I was composed of 41 patrol ships in 1969. They were organized into four squadrons. The patrol types included LSSLs and LSILs which were normally operated only in Riverine Areas or the Rung Sat Special Zone; although, on accession, they were assigned the four coastal zones. Such duties included gunfire support for the coastal groups or other units requiring assistance, PSYOP light logistic/personnel lift missions and patrol of MARKET TIME stations. These operational commitments required 50 percent of the patrol flotilla be deployed at all times. To meet that requirement, normal patrol routine was 40 days at sea for PGMs and 50 days for LSILs, PCEs, PCs, and MSCs. Fleet Command patrol ships assigned to the riverine areas provided naval gunfire support as well as patrolling the main waterways in the riverine areas. They enforced area curfews and conducted light logistic personnel lift. One river patrol unit was assigned as convoy escort on the Mekong River to and from the Cambodian border.

Flotilla II - Logistic Ships

Flotilla II was composed of 14 logistic ships in 1969, which were further divided into two squadrons. The primary employment of these ships was to support the naval unit, and bases throughout RVN. Logistic ships were under the administrative control of the Fleet Commander, and under the operational control of the VNN Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics who acted upon orders from the Central Logistics Command of the JGS.