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Casualty Info
Home Town Lake City
Last Address Lake City
Casualty Date Jun 23, 1970
Cause Non Hostile- Died Other Causes
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Land
Location Phong Dinh (Vietnam)
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment Girard Cemetery - Girard, Pennsylvania
Mobile Advanced Tactical Support Base SEA FLOAT (MATSB) Details
Redesignated ATSB SOLID ANCHOR
It was called Operation Sea Float/Solid Anchor by the U.S. Navy and Tran Hung Dao III by the South Vietnamese; a joint US/Vietnamese attempt to inject an allied presence into An Xuyen Province, 175 miles southwest of Siagon. Its purpose was to extend allied control over the strategic Nam Can region of the Ca Mau peninsula. Heavily forested, the area sprawled across miles of mangrove swamp. The site selected was on the Cau Lon river, which connected to the Bo De and Be Hap rivers. These were salt water rivers. Any fresh or drinking water used afloat or ashore had to be brought in by ship. The entire area had been solidly held by the Viet Minh against the French and by the Viet Cong against the Siagon government (and its American ally).
The reality was less grandiose: Commander, Naval Forces Vietnam (COMNAVFORV) begged, borrowed, and shanghaied materials for this operation from various commands in-country. On 25 June 1969, three 7th Fleet dock landing ships (LSD) began the off-load of the 11 ammi barges which became my home between May and November of 1970. There were approximately 700 officers and men on 11 barges; this did not include the crews of a VNN large infantry landing craft (LCIL) or large landing ship support (LSSL) and a USN gas turbine gunboat (PG) which provided protection. SEA FLOAT had a support staff, galley, intelligence section, communications section, supply department, a detachment of HA(L)-3 "Seawolf" UH-1B attack helicopters, a motley collection of VNN-owned and American-advisored river assault group (RAG) boats, two MST detachments with 2 light, 2 medium, 1 heavy SEAL support craft (LSSC, MSSC, HSSC), 3 SEAL platoons, a UDT detachment, 6 to 8 coastal junks, some miscellaneous VNN and USN fast patrol craft (PCF) "Swift" boats. I worked for MST Detachment "Charlie" and we owned the HSSC, an MSSC, and both LSSC.
