Re: NG: China-Vietnam Meter Gauge

In 1964 there were (i think) 2 US ARMY Boat units at the port. One for sure was a Tugboat outfit, not sure about the other. there were other small watercraft, barges, even a 100 Ton floating crane. Two GE U8Bs came in as a deck load on a freighter. they were offloaded onto a barge. A tug pushed the barge to shore then we laid temporary track onto the barge and dragged them off with an M88 Tank retriever. I almost sure the tug Skippers were all Warrant Officers. As an infantry captain, I had lots of responsibility for security on the train en route to Phu Cat, but the soldiers riding security on the train were all Vietnamese. I loved working in the port, it was quite a mix of Merchant Marine, Army, Navy, Vietnamese longshoremen. Koreans working for Hanjin Trucking Company which was contracted to do port clearance were also in the mix. I lived in a tent compound which was miserable, and ate really crappy food. But the Navy and Merchant Marine ships which visited the port were generous in giving us some really fresh chow from time to time. There were freighters, tankers, roll on roll off vessels, and ammunition ships with their red flags sitting out in the harbor, it was quite a sight. We brought the 4th Infantry Division into the port and sent them off to Pleiku on the Cambodian border, and after that we sent them everything they needed. I am still humbled at the joint effort that made everything come together.

Bill