Date: September 23, 2014

Below are major highlights of the extensive research that have en!"re! over the past
#ear to reb"$e the port of Da%ang, So"th &ietnam as a !eep Bl"e 'ater %av# (ort, an!
fin! it worth# of consi!eration of Brown 'ater %av# stat"s)
*argo of Draft Ships offloa!e! in S"bic Ba# an! loa!e! on +S,s for transport to Da
%ang an! *h" +ai thro"gh 31 -arch 1.// -0*& -onthl# S"mmar# 1"l# 1.// pg 21
n a speech before the *haplains School *lass in %ovember 1.// *haplain 3arrett
!isc"sse! the wor$ of the %S0 *haplains ) +ogistic problems, he recalle!, were
excee!ingl# grave in *orps !"ring late 1./4 an! earl# 1.//) ,he most obvio"s reason
for the problems was to be fo"n! in the nat"re of Da%ang as a seaport) t was
pict"res5"e an! bea"tif"l, b"t it was shallow) Deep water stoppe! two miles o"t from
the coastline) *argo ships were force! to remain at anchor an! "nloa! their cargoes
onto lighters which in t"rn move! the cargo ashore ) ,he labor for "nloa!ing the ships
an! the lighters was provi!e! b# %S0 personnel organi6e! into hatch gangs) pg 71
8ivers in Da %ang *it# originate from the west an! so"thwest of the cit#) Da %ang has
two main river s#stems, the *" De an! the 9an :which originates from the lower section
of &" 3ia ; ,h" Bon river<, an! two smaller rivers, the (h" +oc an! the *o *o) 0ll of the
rivers flow to the 3"lf of Da %ang) ,he &" 3ia river originates from the so"thwest of the
cit#, with a total basin area :from =on ,"m to >"ang %am< of 4,170 $m2 incl"!ing the
basin in Da %ang) ,he *o *o river lin$s the ,h" Bon river mo"th an! the 9an river
mo"th) (g 2
(resi!ent 1ohnson signe! ?xec"tive @r!er 1121/22Designation of &ietnam an! waters
a!jacent thereto as a combat 6one for the p"rposes of section 112 of the nternal
8even"e *o!e of 1.44
,he -ilitar# Ase of 9erbici!es *hapter 2 2 0lvin Bo"ng Cig"re 1.) Sli!e 1D) ,he A)S)
0rm#Es A921 helicopter was i!eal for base perimeter spra#ing of herbici!es)
.
3,000 barrel water tan$ an! treatment plant complete! in Da %ang 1"l# 1.// pg 22 b.
Co"r large water camels man"fact"re! in S"bic Ba# arrive in Da %ang for visiting ships
:'ater contaminate! b# 0@ in open reservoir at -arble -o"ntain provi!e! to ships
inport< pg 2/ :4<
'ater Clow from -arble -o"ntain to Da %ang !ecrease! from /000 galFhr to 3000
galFhr pg 2/ !):4<
-obile *onstr"ction Battalion 2133 Begins on 'ater ,reatment (lant at *amp ,ien Sha
at Da %ang Ceb 1./D pg 4.
7 nch 'ater +ine Crom a Dam on -on$e# -o"ntain to *amp ,ien Sha in Da %ang
water treatment plant -ar 1./D pg 47
Da %ang visite! 74 times b# Seventh Cleet shipsG Da %ang provi!e! 4//,4/0 gals
!iesel f"el, an! 1,0/3,4D7 gals of potable water :contaminate! with 0@ H emphasis
mine< -ar 1./D pg 4.
I,he (ort of Danang was visite! 134 times b# S?&?%,9 Cleet ships !"ring 1"l#) ,he
ships were provi!e! with almost one an! one2half million gallons of !iesel f"el an! over
Ithree million gallons of potable waterI, in a!!ition to mail, freight, co"rier, transient
billeting an! !isb"rsing)J 1"l 1./D) (g 4/
De +ong Cloating (ier operations in &ietnam 2 t"rns shallow water ports into !eep water
piers
Note: ***
:e< ,he 32! %*8 Storage area locate! in Da %ang ?ast, consisting of 7,000 s5"are
feet of covere! storage, a .0 foot pier an! 34 acres of open storage area was ta$en
over on 23 1"ne 1.D0)
:g< @n 1 1"l# 1.D0, AS0SA(*@-2D%3 ac5"ire! the !eep water pier facilities, locate!
at -on$e# -o"ntain, Da %ang ?ast, from %S0) ,hese port facilities are being operate!
b# the 4
th
,ransportation *omman! to han!le incoming an! o"tgoing cargo in s"pport of
the common service s"pport mission in -8) (g /
SS Bienville container ship arrives Da %ang on 1 0"g 1./D mar$s beginning of
containerships in So"th &ietnam 0"g 1./D pg 47
Da %ang monsoons ca"se! strong c"rrents ca"se! b# heav# river r"n offs on the *"a
&iet river preventing craft from entering the channel) Sep 1./D pg 4D
AS%S 3eiger ,20(21.D ; with 1,D00 8@= troops aboar! ran har! agro"n! in 13 feet of
water in Da %ang 9arbor on 4 @ctober 1./D) 8ef -0*& -onthl# S"mmar# @ctober
1./D pg .1
t is not "ncommon for ships an! boats operating in the waters of &ietnam to
ina!vertentl# gro"n!) *ommon ca"ses of s"ch sit"ations are rapi!l# changing bottom
con!itions compo"n!e! b# lac$ of navigational ai!s, or in some cases, operating in
areas which have never been a!e5"atel# s"rve#e!)
t is "ncommon, however, that several ships sho"l! experience gro"n!ings
!"ring a short time frame of little over one wee$) @n 4 1"ne :1.D0<, an amm"nition ship,
the SS 0-?8*0% 90'=, went agro"n! in Danang 9arbor 400 #ar!s from the 9arbor
?ntrance *ontrol (ost :9?*(<) (g 44
@n 14 %ov 1./D %S0 Da%ang Boat S"pport Section ass"me! the responsibilit# for
s"ppl# s"pport for all -ar$et ,ime ; 3ame 'ar!en @perations in *,K) %ov 1./D (g
/1
B# earl# 1./7, more than 2F3 of the AS %av#Es strength in &ietnam was in *orps,
s"pporte! b# Da %ang) ,he port s"pporte! D,000 AS 0ir Corce personnel, 71,000
marines of the 1st an! 3r! -arine Divisions an! D3 0rm# battalions)
'ater s"ppl# in the Danang area became a problem !"ring -a#) 0ltho"gh s"ppl# was
able to $eep "p with the !eman!, L))0 new !am on -on$e# -o"ntain was complete!
an! an effort was beg"n to store as m"ch water as possible in this 1,.00,000 gallon
storage site) -a# 1./7 pg 72
0 program was initiate! whereb# fo"r times wee$l# fresh pro!"ce :tomatoes, green
onions, peppers an! c"c"mbers< is flown from ,aiwan to Da %ang) ,hese items are
s"pplie! to *lass S"ppl# (oints on a I8"sh (ac$ageI basis an! are !istrib"te! to
s"pporting "nits in proportion to their strength) pg 11
L!eposits of silt constantl# change the !epth of the rivers an! ma$e navigation
ha6ar!o"s) 0s constant !re!ging was necessar# to $eep traffic moving an! to $eep
open the ports an! bases s"pplie! b# the river, !re!ges were operate! in &ietnam b#
the Anite! States an! man# other nations) (g 2D2
-0*& -onthl# S"mmaries are fo"n! here
(ost2&ietnam militar# herbicide exposures in UC-123 0gent @range spra# aircraft)
9atfiel! 3ro"p M0ssessment of Dioxin *ontamination in the ?nvironment an! 9"man
(op"lation in the &icinit# of Da%ang 0irbaseJ
%ote: NNN
,his report fin!s the !ioxin levels 3/4 times greater than the acceptable global
stan!ar!s)
AS0D 8eme!iation ?fforts an! (rocess ; refer to bottom of page for a!!itional
information)
AS0D 8eme!iation +ocations in Da%ang 2014)
M@"r ships saile! on water, b"t the# move! on oil, an! the !eman! never cease!)J
22 8ear 0!miral ')8) *arter, A)S)%
,hese ships are capable of !elivering amm"nition, provisions, stores, spare parts,
potable water an! petrole"m pro!"cts to carrier stri$e gro"ps an! other naval forces
worl!wi!e)
%ote: 8efers to -ilitar# Sealift *omman! :-S*< s"pporting the fleet to!a#) conten!
the capabilit# to transfer water between ships is an evol"tion that has been ongoing
since '' !"e to the val"e of s"ch a commo!it# at sea to maintain operational
rea!iness)