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Tom Briggs | all galleries >> Galleries >> 1966 Vietnam > Boat Duty on the River
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Boat Duty on the River

... taken near the Nha Be anchorage outside of Saigon. I believe this type of patrol boat was a Boston Whaler.


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Bob Jones 05-Feb-2025 07:11
Fired quad 50,s on River,glad I didn't have to stay. Convoys were a Bad enough.Welcome Brothers.Pershing Field 67-68
Bob Jones 05-Feb-2025 07:06
Came across this narrative.At Pershing Field 67-68 , we fired the quad 50's on the River but lucky enough not on patrol there.Bad enough on Convoys.welcome Home.Cpl. Jones
Guest 11-Dec-2023 23:29
Rob Parisi
Just want to say hello to all you guys who were there in 1966-1967. You are right those river boats sucked. I just turned 80 on Dec. 8th. Hope every one is well. Seems like yesterday in Nha-Be and Pershing Field. Also Vung Tau my favorite place. Good luck to all. It was a trip.
Guest 17-Oct-2022 03:53
Thank you. Bernie was my dad.
keith hittson 21-Oct-2020 17:46
It was August 5, 1966 that myself, five other MP's and a Sergeant were given our orders to travel to Nha Be to set up security operations. We were told by the officer who was briefing us on our assignment that we would be in mud up to our you know what. He said that he would send us reinforcements as soon as possible. The Navy already had personnel there and ran swift boats up and down the river. There was six of us so we worked in pairs with a papasan as the pilot of our little boat. We worked 6 hours on and 12 hours off, 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week. In our off time we slept, ate, cleaned our weapons, filled san bags, etc. It was an exhausting schedule. I was jealous of the Navy's swift boats because they were fast. I quickly named our boat "The African Queen" after the Humphrey Bogart movie by the same name. Our orders were to shoot anything that floated down the river like tree branches, debri, and garbage. So we were taking shots all the time. When i went to the dock for duty I would have my M-14 over one arm, carrying a 30 cal machine gun in one hand and and a canister of ammo in the other. I would set the machine gun up on the deck lean back against the windshield and tell papasan to proceed. During the day we would be busy shooting at floating objects and checking sandpans. But, at night it was like the 4th of July every night. I tried to keep the boat in the middle of the river at night because red flares would illuminate the night sky and we would be setting ducks on the river in the Africian Queen. I would set on the deck and watch the hellicopter gun ships fly along the edge of the jungle and spray the jungle with tracer bullets. I would wonder what the hell they were shooting at. At night if you traveled too far down river you might see a few rounds of tracer bullets fired across the river from the jungle about 200 yards ahead. I took that as a warning from probably ARVIN troops out in the jungle that we had gone far enough so I would direct papasan to head the other direction. We ate our meals at the navy mess and I thought they had great chow. I couldn't believe it when they ask me how I wanted my eggs. I will never forget our first latrine because there wasn't one. We were told by the Sarge that if we needed to go #2 that we were to go to the river to a nearby old abandoned pier, find a convenient missing plank, squat down and take care of business letting the river take care of the waste. I just knew that Charlie was across the river and was taking aim at me when I would squat down. But, those were record setting bowel movement when I was 20 yrs old. Yes, I have alot of memories setting up camp at Nha Be and the time I spent on the Africian Queen. Also, I just knew that area of the river was where the Creature from the Black Lagoon lived so I was especially watchful at night. After about two weeks of setting up security at Nha Be we were reinforced by Lt. Norman Haber and a squad of fresh MP's. Things got better after that and before long I was sent back to Pershing Field where I was soon to participate in Operation Attleboro.
Dennis Perry 22-Oct-2018 14:57
Hey Lilley! I see your comment on those piece of s___ patrol boats. They might have had a top speed of 10 knots. Really great combat vessel for engaging the enemy. Your right they do look like tugs with those tires hanging off the side. Ed and I went through MP school at the same time; same orders to the 188th, then down to Nha Be, and then to the 9th division mobile riverine 9th MP where we lost touch. From there I went to Ft. Bragg and the 503rd rapid response to the riot and marshal law in Washington D.C. in 1968. A ride across the U.S. and home to the S.F. Bay on a Honda 350.
Ed Lilley 21-May-2017 19:31
I was in the 188th Feb '67-Sept'67 and was on these boats plus tugs at Nha Be and Cat Lai.
Remember one Vietnamese crew member called .45. We were out there day and night, rain or shine.
Deck shoes , fatigues, and ball caps. Plus the vests.
Loved the tug boat duty.
Bernie Kichula 07-Mar-2016 20:28
These Boats were called Captain boats used during past wars to transport officers between ships in port. Powered by Detroit Diesel inline 6 81 series engines. the PBR
powered by twin D>D> 53 series motors . The captain boats were the worse no place to stand, seat on our 12 hr. shifts.. Bushy
Guest 05-Jul-2014 18:21
TwoM.P.s three vietnamis crew driver who didn't drive very well, mechanic who could not fix anything,interpreter who could not speak English. I rember they smiled a lot.

Jim Williamson sp/4 188th.M.P. Co Nha - Be. Vietnam. 66" 67"
Guest 26-Jul-2013 23:10
Cowhorse@sbcglobal.net. I posted the two prior requests
Guest 26-Jul-2013 23:07
The merchant ship in the background is possibly "thunderbird"
Guest 26-Jul-2013 23:05
Looking for photos of ships near Nah Be 1966
H.Churchbourne 30-Jun-2013 13:08
In 1965/1966, I remember that being assigned to river patrol meant that you could wear fatigues instead of Class A uniform. My cousin was in the Merchant Marine and his ship , the President Buchanan, anchored in Saigon and I would raid his kitchen for fresh milk.
Robert Parisi 02-Nov-2011 18:46
I am almost positive that is me on the deck in front of the windshield. Taken sometime in 1966 or 1967.
Tom Briggs08-Jul-2011 19:25
From Sergeant Tom Daines:
This is a 32 foot, once sea-going, patrol vessel. Fast and light, marine grey deisel six, 4 hand pumps. Leaked constantly, Marine plywood, no armor, sand-bags around the M-60 main armament. This is a photograph of one of my boats and her crewmen in Nha Be Harbor, from around the time I was reassigned as NCOIC at Cat Lai.
These boats lost a lot of speed, along with agility because of the failure of supply parts for the engine. Age was the main cause, deisel injectors for the engine became very rare, and eventually size #60 was all we could get. Reduced speed down to about 8 knots. Sturdy, but no protection against incoming.
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