Cargo runs mekong delta

[deaver]

the heavy red line is where we ran mostly hauling cargo.

we would pick up frozen foods at newport piers saigon.
we picked up ammunition and other items at cat lo.
sometimes we would convey cb's from nha be up the delta.
on occasion we would tow an lcvp up the delta because it did not have enough fuel to make it on its own.
we dropped all cargo destined for song ong doc at a support lst off the coast, usually around an island 'an thoi', in the gulf of thailand.
late in 1971 it became to hot enemy wise to run the rivers in the daytime so we started at night and would find fishing net entangled on the bow the next morning.
I now am close to tears from remembering so my fellow vets remember we were there to do a job and we did it well!

 

[squatting dog]

the heavy red line is where we ran mostly hauling cargo.
View attachment 273175
we would pick up frozen foods at newport piers saigon.
we picked up ammunition and other items at cat lo.
sometimes we would convey cb's from nha be up the delta.
on occasion we would tow an lcvp up the delta because it did not have enough fuel to make it on its own.
we dropped all cargo destined for song ong doc at a support lst off the coast, usually around an island 'an thoi', in the gulf of thailand.
late in 1971 it became to hot enemy wise to run the rivers in the daytime so we started at night and would find fishing net entangled on the bow the next morning.
I now am close to tears from remembering so my fellow vets remember we were there to do a job and we did it well!

Guess we came up short on your supply route. We played mostly in war zone C and D. (the iron triangle). I think we got re-supply from a place called Cat Li.

 

[Nathan]

We operated out of Newport (71st Trans Bn, 5th HB Co) running all kinds of stuff to Vung Tao,Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Can Tho etc. in the Delta. Hauled JP4 from Nha Be to ?? helicopter outposts on the Cambodian border, on the Y-100 and Y-73 tankers.

 

[deaver]

the ship


the holds


a letter home


at sea support lst

in photos 2 and 3 you can see the white plugs when we refrigerate the holds. you can also see other cargo stacked on deck near the forward hold and the twin .50 above that on the forecastle. when we were not hauling food stuffs we hauled ammunition. the usual cargo run consisted of 200 tons of small arms such as .38, .45, 7.62, 40mm and boxes of 50cal.
when we went up the cau lon to solid anchor seafloat we hauled only 155mm howitzer, about 250 tons. I think that is the number 20 on the map.