This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Tommy Burgdorf (Birddog), FC2
to remember
Sparenberg, Benard John, SFC.
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Contact Info
Home Town Baltimore, MD
Last Address Baltimore, MD
MIA Date Feb 05, 1966
Cause Non Hostile- Body Not Recovered
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Sea
Location South China Sea
Conflict Vietnam War
Memorial Coordinates 05E 005
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
This Sailor has an (IMO) In Memory Of Headstone in Baltimore National Cemetery, Baltimore, Maryland.
Lost at sea during one of those south seas Monsoons on Feb. 6, 1966. Two destroyers had run together and one was taking a lot of water, and a call went out for help. They needed someone who knew how to weld under water, The men had that experience and volunteered, eleven men made the trip of a mile or so in a helicopter.
The storm was so bad that the chopper had to hover and take the men in one at a time. They plugged up the hole and were returning when suddenly the chopper went out of control and plunged into the high waves then turned up-side down. All were rescued but three.
Other Comments:
While the SH-3 helicopter was designed and equipped for anti-submarine warfare, it was commonly used for intership transportation among the 7th Fleet ships operating in the Gulf of Tonkin and South China Sea areas.
The USS NAVASOTA (AO-106) was a fleet oiler which replenished the warships with fuel oil, aviation gasoline, and jet fuel. During operations offshore Vietnam, three NAVASOTA crewmen were lost at sea when the SH-3A (BuNo 149926) they were aboard enroute it went down. As with most at-sea losses, their remains could not be recovered.
They had been returning from a collision of 2 destroyers the USS Brinkley Bass and the USS Waddell.
Description This campaign was from 25 December 1965 to 30 June 1966. As the war continued, the Navy continued to patrol the coasts and rivers in brown water operations. Minesweeping craft begin patrolling the Long Tau River leading to Saigon to keep that vital waterway open to merging traffic.
Navy patrol craft worked to keep Vietnamese's harbors open and safe in operation stable door. Navy helicopters called Seawolves began supporting the newly arrived Navy PBR in Game Warden missions.
On 1 January 1966, the Sea Force was renamed the Fleet Command and reorganized along functional lines. Flotilla I, comprised the submarine chasers (PC) and escorts in Squadron 11, the motor gunboats in Squadron 13, and the large support landing ships (LSSL) in Squadron 15. The minesweepers in Squadron 17 were responsible for sea patrol, inshore patrol, river patrol, and minesweeping duties, respectively. Flotilla II controlled Squadrons 22 and 24, which consisted of the Vietnamese Navy's landing ships and craft, coastal oilers, and other vessels providing logistic support.
Throughout this period, the Vietnamese Navy continued to suffer from serious deficiencies. Perhaps the greatest was the careerism and interservice political activity of many naval officers, which hamstrung coordination and cooperation in operations and lowered the morale and motivation of naval personnel. The emphasis on politics disrupted the training of sailors, many already educationally unprepared in the technical skills essential for the operation of complex vessels, weapons, and equipment.
Aside from the political factor, training in gunnery, seamanship, and communications skills was hurt by the Vietnamese stress on instruction at shore-based schools, rather than on board ships. Unfortunately, few Vietnamese sailors were released from operational duty to receive training ashore.
At the same time, the Recruit Training Center at Cam Ranh Bay, the Advanced Training Center in Saigon, and the Naval Training Center at Nha Trang, which included the Naval Academy, were hard-pressed to handle the great number of men entering the service during this period. Some relief was afforded by the training of Vietnamese officers and men on board U.S. naval vessels and in the United States. The quality of training improved somewhat as a result of these measures and the hard work of many Vietnamese sailors and American advisors.
The material condition of the navy raised even more serious concerns. Officers and men in the operational units often showed little regard for the maintenance of their ships and craft. Compounding the problem was the inability of the ship and boat repair facilities to cope with the growing backlog of work orders generated by the increased tempo of the war and the doubling in size of the navy.
The lack of skilled workmen severely hampered operations at the Eastern Repair Facility at Cuu Long near Saigon and the Western Repair Facility at Can Tho, which handled River Force and Coastal Force work. The same condition existed at the smaller establishments at Danang, Cat Lo, Qui Nhon, An Thoi, and Rach Gia, which supported the Coastal Force exclusively. A number of these repair operations barely functioned.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
December / 1965
To Month/Year
June / 1966
Last Updated: Oct 15, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories After upkeep and training, Navasota steamed 20 August 1965 on her sixteenth Western Pacific deployment, arriving at Subic Bay on 11 September 1965 and returning to Long Beach on 6 June 1966.
