Vietnam River Operations Saw Rise of the 'Seawoives'

摘要

Market Time operations in Vietnam disrupted the Communist effort to supply its forces in South Vietnam from the sea, forcing Hanoi to rely heavily on what became known as the Ho Chi Minh trail. The southern end of that trail fed into the Mekong Delta, a complex network of waterways — some 2,500 miles in length when manmade canals were added — that covered the southern quarter of South Vietnam. As Vietnam's rice basket, and home to nearly half of the south's population, the region was targeted as a base of operations for Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops. To disrupt enemy actions, the Navy began deploying armed LCPL-4 landing craft to patrol some of the waterways in late 1965. Lacking speed and maneuverability, these craft were replaced by 32-foot-long PBRs (Patrol Boats, Riverine) and an assortment of other craft.