Brown Water Navy in RVN (Coast Guard and Army MRF too)

[Bearmon]

I have been meaning to get one topic going to include all of these type patches, I know we have quite a few collectors of these type patches on the forum and the patches are scattered all over.

I will get it started with a tray of various River Squadron patches, and a few others for kicks..

 

[Bearmon]

For today some coastal divisions  both SEA and Japanese manufacture. Along with a few beer cans and a couple of other commands thrown in  Enjoy

[Bearmon]

For today coastal squadrons river squadrons a few boats and some others.  SEA and Japanese manufacture.   

[Bearmon]

Here are some River Section and River Division patches.    A mix of Vietnamese and Japanese manufacture. Enjoy 

[digi-shots]

Bearmon… wow, what a great collection!    You’ve got a couple that I’ve been looking for.

 

I only have a few but will take some pics and add them to this thread.

 

Thanks for posting!

[Bearmon]

Thanks I appreciate the kind words.   I will continue with some more River Divisions and River Sections  enjoy 

[digi-shots]

Here are a couple of Brown Water Navy black beret badges and patches that I have.  

[Bearmon]

Nice, lovely River Boat Gamblers Patch 

[FlyNavy02]

Great collection! Here is my one example: a used River Division 535:

 

 

[digi-shots]

Here is a display I made for berets (sorry there’s Army SFG and US Navy NAG mixed in)

[Bearmon]

3 hours ago, digi-shots said:

Here is a display I made for berets (sorry there’s Army SFG and US Navy NAG mixed in)

Clever us of a CD rack.  I like that

[Siamundo]

Great looking collection Bearmon. Very impressive. What is this patch? 

 

[digi-shots]

6 hours ago, Bearmon said:

Clever us of a CD rack.  I like that

Thanks… I only had a limited area for display and the rack was just perfect… I added a few adjustable shelves.  This is just the upper portion of a 2 piece rack.  Still have room for another half dozen or so berets.

[digi-shots]

8 minutes ago, Siamundo said:

Great looking collection Bearmon. Very impressive. What is this patch? 

 

I believe this is a Task Force Clearwater patch

[Bearmon]

5 hours ago, digi-shots said:

I believe this is a Task Force Clearwater patch

That is correct  I tried to locate it near the patches of units which were involved in TF Clearwater 

[Siamundo]

Ah, OK. Thank you digi-shots and Bearmon. I am not familiar with the TF. I shall have to read up on them and their activities.

[Salvage Sailor]

Excerpt Re:  Task Force Clearwater, RVN

 

The United States Navy's involvement in the Vietnam War, especially its role in the region's inland waterways, has long been an overshadowed aspect of the conflict. Most histories ignore or minimize the Navy's contribution, especially its river patrol or 'brown water' role. Through archival and library research as well as interviews with U.S Navy Vietnam War veterans this thesis demonstrates the vital role played by the brown water navy in the northern provinces of South Vietnam. A key but understudied component of this effort was Task Force Clearwater, an improvised brown water fleet that-along with the maritime logistics campaign that it supported-would prove essential for the successful defense of South Vietnam's northernmost provinces and demonstrate the vital importance of inland naval power.

 

Task Force Clearwater and its supported maritime logistics effort form a little explored component of the U.S. Navy's role in South Vietnam. A brown water task force that proved essential for the successful defense of the northern provinces of I Corps, Clearwater repeatedly demonstrated the vital importance of inland naval power and the critical need for reliable and protected routes of supply. The task force revealed many lessons that had been long understood, forgotten, and then relearned by the U.S. Navy, among them that control of inland waterways was perhaps the most advantageous form of logistical supply in war. Created in part to satisfy the ancient maxim of "keeping the supply lines open", the task force's role broadened with time. In the course of its existence the men and boats of Clearwater would provide not only the tools of war in I Corps but also provide key lessons for the future.

 

Source:  Upriver to Hue and Dong Ha: The U.S. Navy's War in I Corps, Vietnam 1967-1970

 

Excerpt Re: River Patrol Force, TF-116, RivSec 521, & Task Force Clearwater

 

While the river clearing and convoy system was a closely coordinated effort employing both air and ground forces, the Navy's "brown water" fleet played an important role. Since the previous year. Task Force 116, the U.S. Navy, Vietnam's River Patrol Force, had kept River Section 521 at Tan My where the section had established its headquarters on a floating barge complex. Thus at the breakout of the Tet offensive and assault upon Hue, the section was in position to support the flow of water-borne supplies up the Perfume River. With its mainstay consisting of four-man crew PBRs (patrol river boats) powered by Jacuzzi jet pumps and capable of maneuvering at speeds of 25 to 29 knots and equipped with surface radar, four machine guns, and a grenade launcher, the Navy unit cleared the waterway to Hue. Smaller boat detachments operating on the Cua Viet also kept that passage open. For its participation in the Tet offensive, River Section 521 received the Presidential Unit Citation.

Given the importance of these riverine operations in the fight for Hue and the Cua Viet, Rear Admiral Kenneth L. Veth, the commander of U.S. Naval Forces, Vietnam, together with General Cushman, decided to establish a separate Navy river task force directly under the operational control of III MAF in northern I Corps.* On 24 February, Veth assigned Navy Captain Gerald W. Smith as commander of the new task force, designated Task Force Clearwater.

 

Smith originally established his headquarters at Tan My, but then on the 29th moved his mobile base to the Cua Viet Port Facility. Through the course of the year. Task Force Clear-water would consist of armored river "monitors," PBRs, PACV (Patrol Air Cushioned Vehicles), minesweeping craft, and other diverse watercraft. Among its attached personnel were Marines from the 3d Marine Division's 1st Searchlight Battery and soldiers from the U.S. Army's 63d Signal Battalion. Organized eventually into two river groups, the Hue River Security Group and the Dong Ha/Cua Viet Security Group, Task Force Clearwater protected and kept open the two major water routes in the north-the Cua Viet and the Perfume Rivers.

 

Source:  page 587 US Marines in Vietnam: 1968 The Defining Year

 

Truly excellent examples of historic Naval patches being posted here, keep 'em coming.

[Bearmon]

For fun tonight some US Army Riverine patches.  Some Japanese and some SEA manufacturer.  Enjoy

[Bearmon]

For a Labor Day Sunday. Here are various support type commands.  Japanese and Vietnamese construction.  

[ocsfollowme]

phenomenal collection, bearmon! 

[Bearmon]

12 hours ago, ocsfollowme said:

phenomenal collection, bearmon! 

Thank you 

[Bearmon]

For today TF117 related patches. River Interdiction, River Assault  and some random others 

[Bearmon]

Inshore Undersea Warfare Group, IUWG and Harbor Clearance Unit one HCU one.  SEA Japanese and a few US made patches 

[Bearmon]

For today some support commands.  Most are SEA manufacture. 

[Bearmon]

Some additional support type commands mostly SEA manufacture. Enjoy