Us navy personnel in vietnam war by year10/5/2023 ![]() ![]() They flew combat sorties in their Huey gunships, performing a variety of missions ranging from close-air support and tactical reconnaissance to medical evacuations and special forces team insertions. The Seawolves, organized as a quick reaction force, stood 24-hour shifts on their Navy ship, ready to respond immediately to assistance calls within a fifty-mile radius. In April 1967, Helicopter Attack Squadron (Light) Three (HAL-3) was activated with the mission of flying combat sorties in direct support of the combined naval and military operations along the river. Therefore, the call went out to volunteer naval helicopter crews to fly various missions and form a new gunship squadron. After several months of combat, the concept was validated, and an even more comprehensive range of helicopter support missions was demanded. To improve air support efficacy, the Navy deployed naval flight crews in former Army UH-1 Huey helicopter gunships. ![]() The inefficiencies in Army helicopter and naval boat cooperation only intensified.įormation of the Seawolves HAL-3 Seawolves’ Bell UH-1E Huey Helicopter Lands on USS Harnett County During Mekong Delta Operations, South Vietnam, 1967 9th Infantry Division was committed to the region to counter the insurgency in the delta, requiring more reliance on air support for the riverine units. Initially, Army helicopter gunships provided air support along the river, but there remained an element of inefficiency due to the difference in operating methods and terminology. In this scenario, the Navy deployed the Seawolves, a helicopter attack squadron, to improve air support efficacy.Īs efforts to disrupt communist operations in the Mekong intensified, small boats operating upriver discovered that on-call close air support was vital. ![]() The Mekong River complex was a critical highway for insurgent troops and supplies. The Vietnam War involved fighting communist forces that infiltrated neutral Laos and Cambodia and were sustained by a stream of supplies from North Vietnam transported down the Ho Chi Minh Trail. ![]()
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