OPERATION GAMEWARDEN

 

During the Vietnam War, Commander U.S. Naval Forces, Vietnam (COMNAVFORV) was responsible for securing the many rivers and canals that wound their way through the lush, tropical landscape of South Vietnam. In Operation Game Warden, Navy river patrol boats (PBR) organized as Task Force 116 (known as the "brown water navy") moved along the major rivers of the Mekong Delta and further north near Hue. The mission of these units was to deny the enemy use of the waterways for transporting guerrillas and supplies.

 

Operation Game Warden, Task force 116, was an operation to deny Viet Cong access to the resources in the Mekong Delta which was conceived of in December 1965.

River Patrol Force Dispositions

* River Division 51 Can Tho / Binh Thuy
* River Division 52 Sa Dec (later Vinh Long)
* River Division 53 My Tho
* River Division 54 Nha Be River
* River Division 55 Danang

Support Ships 1966

* USS Belle Grove (LSD-2)
* USS Comstock (LSD-19)
* USS Tortuga (LSD-26)
* USS Floyd County (LST-762)
* USS Jennings County (LST-846)

Support Ships 1967-1968

* USS Garrett County (LST-786)
* USS Harnett County (LST-821)
* USS Hunterdon County (LST-838)
* USS Jennings County (LST-846)

 

River Patrol Boat (PBR)

The PBR was the workhorse of the River Ptrol Force.  They were manned by a crew of Four bluejackets, equipped with a pathfinder surface radar, two radios, and comminoly armed with two twin mounted .50 Caliber machine guns forward, an M-60 machine guns with a grenade launcher port and stbd.  and a .50 caliber aft.  The Mark 1's, the initail version of the PBR, performed well in the rivers but were plagued with continual fouling of the water jet engines by weeds and other debris.   

When going alongside a sampan for inspection, the fragil fiberglass hulls of the PBR were often damaged.  The new Mark 2's, first deployed to the delta in Dec. 1966, and they brought improved Jacussi jet pumps, which reduced fouling and increased speed from 25 to 29 knots, they were eqiped with more durable aluminum  gunwales.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sea Wolf Helicopters

A key component of the Gamewarden operations was it's air support element.  Initially the ARMY deployed detachments of two Bell UH-1B Iroquis helos and their crews to various PBR bases and river-based LSD's and LST's.  But beginning in April 1966, aircrews from the Navy's Helo Suppot Squadron 1 Replaced the ARMY.  Then on 1 April 1976, the Navy activated Helocopter Attack Light Squadron (HAL) 3 at Vung Tau with responsibility for providing TASk Force 116 with aerial fire support, observation, and medical evacuation.  BY September 1968, the 421 man "SEa Wolf" Squadron controlled detachments of two helo's each at Nha Be, Binh Thuy, Dong Tam, Rach Gia, Vinh Long, and onboard three LST's located in the larger rivers of the Mekong Delta.   The UH-1B "Hueys" armed variously with 2.75 inch rockets; .50 cal, 60 millimeter, and 7.62 millimeter machine guns; grenades, and small arms, They wre a powerful and mobile compliment to the Game Warden surface units.