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Opinions on Vietnam Era Japanese Made 1st Seabees Battalion Pocket Hanger ID: US ARMY 1st Transportation Battalion (Seaborne) Not USN Seabees


TheMariner
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Hello all, still working on my knowledge of Vietnam era patches! One of my side collections is seabee items and when I saw this I could not pass it up! I believe it is a 1st Battalion Seabees Vietnam era pocket patch, the seller identified it as Japanese made and from the collection of Nicholas Pennachio?? Anyone ever heard of him, seller himself has rather dicey feed back but all of his negatives are from Gold transactions and Lionel trains, there are no negatives on his military sales! it is also named on the reverse, also curious an exact ID on this patch as I couldn't find another though I have seen them before! Looking forward to your feedback before I pay! Thanks post-160496-0-00335600-1510442287_thumb.jpg

 

 

 

 

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i dont think this a SEABEE unit I dont recall where I pulled this from but here is what I have this patch ID'ed as. If it's incorrect I hope someone chimes in with a correction.

 

1st Transportation Battalion

(Aircraft Maintenance Depot, Seaborne)

 

(Mobile Helicopter Maintenance Facility aboard the USNS Corpus Christi Bay)Activated October 1 1964 at Corpus Christi, Texas: arrived off Vietnam April 1 1966;

Departed RVN October 31 1972; DeActivated March 31 1975 at Corpus Christi, TX

 

1st Transportation Battalion - History 1st TRANSPORTATION BATTALION Constituted in the Regular Army as the 1st Transportation Battalion (Aircraft Maintenance Depot, Seaborne) and activated 1 October 1964 at Corpus Christi, Texas. (Arrived in Vietnam 1 April 1966 and functioned as a mobile helicopter maintenance facility aboard the USNS Corpus Christi Bay. Departed Vietnam 31 October 1972 for return to the United States). Inactivated 31 March 1975 at Corpus Christi. CAMPAIGN STREAMERS Vietnam Counteroffensive Counteroffensive, Phase II Counteroffensive, Phase III Tet Counteroffensive Counteroffensive, Phase IV Counteroffensive, Phase V Counteroffensive, Phase VI Tet 69/Counteroffensive Summer-Fall 1969 Winter-Spring 1970 Sanctuary Counteroffensive Counteroffensive, Phase VII Consolidation I Consolidation II Cease-Fire DECORATIONS Meritorious Unit Commendation, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1966-1967 (1st Trans Bn cited for period 1 Nov 1966-31 Oct 1967; DAGO 48, 1968 as amended by DAGO 32, 1973) Meritorious Unit Commendation, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1967-1968 (HHC and Co A 1st Trans Bn cited for period 1 Nov 1967-31 Oct 1968; DAGO 39,1970) Meritorious Unit Commendation, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1968-1970 (HHC and Co A, 1st Trans Bn cited for period 1 Nov 1968-31 Jan 1970; DAGO 51, 1971) Meritorious Unit Commendation, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1970-1971 (HHC and Co A, 1st Trans Bn cited for period 1 Feb 1970-31 Jul 1971; DAGO 5,1973) Meritorious Unit Commendation, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1971-1972 (HHC and Co A, 1st Trans Bn cited for period 1 Aug 1971-15 Sep 1972; DAGO 32,1973) Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class, Streamer embroidered VIET-NAM 1971 (HHC and Co A, 1st Trans Bn cited for period 1 Jan-31 Dec 1971; DAGO 32, 1973) Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class, Streamer embroidered VIET-NAM 1966-1972 (1st Trans Bn cited for period 1 Apr 1966-31 Oct 1972; DAGO 6, 1974)

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Patch looks good,although I would say it is US made,

the rest could have been manufactured somewhere in Asia.

 

I could agree with Patch Rat as I never thought this patch as being a SEABEE patch,

the Bee isn't right nor are the tools. No Navy rank on the Bees sleeves either.

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Hmm so possibly not a seabees patch thats interesting, how would a US made example being put on a hanger affect the value of a piece like this ? Thanks everyone for getting back so quick to help me on this!

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vintageproductions

It is the Trans unit, and was stationed on the USS Corpus Christi as part or repair unit.

 

Patch is based on the WWII Beechcraft Aircraft Co Busy Bee patch

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vintageproductions

There was also a great article on this exact patch in one of the old issues of the VICN ( Vietnam Insignia Collectors Newsletter)

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Thanks folks appreciate the help! So it is defiantly the navy trans unit! Tough item to price, would it still be worth the $40 I will be paying for it? Still a neat patch! Anybody know anything about the name? I thought I saw something somewhere before from that era with that name, possibly on the forum ?

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Thanks folks appreciate the help! So it is defiantly the navy trans unit! Tough item to price, would it still be worth the $40 I will be paying for it? Still a neat patch! Anybody know anything about the name? I thought I saw something somewhere before from that era with that name, possibly on the forum ?

 

I have one (not mounted on a hanger) I'd sell for $20.

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Yes sorry about that army, I just found the last one that sold on ebay went for $10 that looked nice and original, so I'm not sure if $40 is right considering the item was completely misidentified!

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I contacted the seller last night and gave him all of the info we uncovered about the ID, he just canceled the transaction and I have heard nothing from him, I was still hoping to buy it but I guess he isn't the chatty sort, I will be interested to see if he relists it correctly!

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BEWARE!!! This guy lives up to his negative feedback !

 

Check out this listing, he is still trying to sell the above patch as a Seabees patch! Beware he is selling a lot of patches, he will scam you!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Vietnam-War-U-S-Navy-Seabees-Seaborne-Patch-Japanese-Made-named-soldier/253255461313?hash=item3af733a9c1:g:qpsAAOSw4PxZ~6C2

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  • 4 years later...

Here’s a OG 107 I found at a thrift store in the Atlanta GA area a few years back. The landing instructions came from a former Huey pilot who sadly passed. 

73A669DD-5668-4A9E-971E-F48FA16B2F28.jpeg

EDDF86CA-9BB4-4BB2-81D5-15FE8F2238A6.jpeg

E283CFAB-3DF5-4F44-AA73-BB2AD4113275.jpeg

4E436B95-3146-4E16-9EBE-AF03AE1A1173.jpeg

4DD62FA0-B43E-4235-815C-48ED0566D5AA.jpeg

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Salvage Sailor

Excellent period uniform example posted for reference by the membership.

 

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U.S. ARMY 1ST TRANSPORTATION BATTALION UNIT


Assigned to the 34th General Support Group during the Vietnam War, the 1st Transportation Battalion (Seaborne) performed helicopter maintenance and repairs aboard the U.S. Army’s sole Floating Aircraft Maintenance Facility, the converted Navy seaplane tender that was rechristened the USNS Corpus Christi Bay for its new mission. The fact that the Army was able to convince the Navy to give up a vessel to another service branch was highly unusual, particularly when you consider the brouhaha that arose with the Air Force when the Army wanted organic fixed-wing aviation assets.

 

Operating out of Cam Ranh Bay, the USNS Corpus Christi Bay and the 1st Transportation Battalion made it possible for damaged helicopters to be repaired in-theater instead of being shipped all the way back to the U.S. In all, the Battalion comprised about 370 maintenance technicians and supporting personnel, with the ship itself manned by 130 civilian maritime crewmen. According a special operational report on the 34th Support Group published in November 1969, the efforts of the 1st Transportation Battalion made it possible for the U.S. Army to “maintain helicopters in numbers sufficient to meet the full range of combat operations.”

 

The 1st Transportation Battalion (Seaborne) Distinctive Unit Insignia was approved on 3 November 1965. Its missions as an seaborne aviation-maintenance unit are celebrated in the insignia’s design, which features a sea horse using a fin/hand to hold up a pair of insignia-style wings. And the motto, “First And Finest,” could not be more true, as the battalion was the only one that performed this role.

The USNS Corpus Christ was removed from the Naval Vessel Register on 31 December 1974.
 

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