MSO-minesweeper ocean Wood hull construction On Station Compliment — 80 men Length — 172 ft. Speed 14 kts YAKEE TEAM & MARKET TIME Twin 20 mm mounts. USS Mattaponi, AO-41—1942-1972 SS Kalkay - Mattie - Mad Mattie - Mad Poni - USS Marine Serpent - Angel of Market Time Crew from USS Loyalty MSO-457* board and search a junk and sampan while on a Market Time Patrol . USS Albatross MSC-289 on Market Time Patrol MSC-minesweeper coastal USS Advance MSO-510* Non-metallic construction: wood MSO’s involved in Operation Market Time Patrols hull, stainless steel, aluminum, USS Conflict MSO-426 USS Implicit MSO-455 bronze fittings, and a bronze engine. USS Constant MSO-427* USS Inflict MSO-456 Complement 50 USS Dynamic MSO-432 USS Loyalty MSO-457* USS Engage MSO-433 USS Pivot MSO-463 Length 144 ft. USS Embattle MSO-434 USS Pluck MSO-464 Speed 13 kts. USS Endurance MSO-435 USS Prime MSO-466 Two 50 cal. Machine guns, and one USS Energy MSO-436* USS Reeper MSO-467 81 mm mortar. USS Ehance MSO-437 USS Conquest MSO-488 USS Esteem MSO-438 USS Gallant MSO-489 If you check Mattaponi and Albatross’s USS Excel MSO-439 USS Leader MSO-490 refueling location on the maps on the USS Firm MSO-444 USS Persistent MSO-491 next two pages, you’ll see that we are USS Force MSO-445 USS Pledge MSO-492 USS Fortify MSO-446 USS Acme MSO-508 on station near the outer boundary of USS Impervious MSO-449 USS Advance MSO-510* Market Time Area 9. *MSO’s refueled by Mattaponi AO-41 on first run 1966 legal paper (8.5” X 14”) landscape mode CHINA HAOI HAIPHOG Ship’s avigator deter- YAKEE TEAM mines ship’s location US Air force-US avy three times a day. 107 108 After breakfast, at Secret Air War 20 noon, and at 2000 be- C In LAOS O fore retiring for the M B Jan 68 night. I A PLA S T R JA NORTH Hon OF 0000 estimated S Me GULF OF E VIETNAM A 0800 R TOKI Hainan Island C 19 1200 H RB CHINA 2000 LAOS Hon 2 Oct Matt Repel Boarders Tet 68 VIH & 0002 109 R M E YULI SC 4 Ships Refeuled e UE k H o Sub base 110 n O 1) Franklin D. Roosevelt g CVA-42, aircraft carrier. R 2000 3 18 iv C 1200 1 Oct 66 2) Chandler DD-717, destroyer. e H 2 r I DO HOI S 0800 3) Dale DLG-19 , destroyer w/ E M A 1 D AO 4 helicopter landing pad, and THAILAND I R 1 A guided missiles. Later classi- H G 5 O T fied as a cruizer, CG-19. R A DMZ 4) un-named . I k 17 USS Mattaponi AO-41 L 8 Start 5) ewell DER-322, destroyer 6 9 escort, radar. 10 7 here 196667 Deployment –1st run KHE SAH 6) Advance MSO-510, mine- 2000 1) Fresh from a long yard period with much HUE 3 Oct sweeper, ocean. H 0800 0000 0800, 1200 & 0000 7) Saint Paul CA-73, heavy O 1200 refitting and numerous upgrades, Capt. Nor- were all within 15 cruizer. C DA AG 11 miles of each other. man K. McInnus, officers and crew (including H 16 8) Larson DD-830, destroyer. I 100 E-2’s) left San Francisco for the combat 9) Walke DD-723, destroyer. zone after only two weeks of underway train- M 10) Repose AH-16, hospital ship. I 11) Hanson DD-832, destroyer. ing with destroyers near San Diego and with LAOS H 12) Uhlmann DD-687, destroyer. little or no previous experience on a ship like 13) Constant MSO-427 mine- AO-41. TRAIL QUAG GAI sweeper, ocean. 12 15 14) Hull DD-945, destroyer . 2) Deck log - 29 Sept 66 “Underway from 0800 15) Energy MSO-436, mine- berths 9 & 10, Rivera Pt. Subic Bay to provide SA HUYH sweeper ocean. Salt Evaporation 16) Loyalty MSO-457 mine- services for Yankee Team and Market Time Ponds 13 units.” AO-41 was not a Dixie Station oiler. sweeper, ocean. 14 17) Hissen DER-400, destroyer 3) An untested JP5 port side rig will be used 14 escort, radar. for the first time for a slightly vertical replen- 1200 18) un-named. 19) Camp DER-351, destroyer ishment of the Franklin D. Roosevelt CVA-42, River Mekong an aircraft carrier.. Aircraft carrier refuelings escort, radar. 20) Buckley DD-808, destroyer. SOUTH , are further complicated because they must go 27 Subic Bay 21) Epping Forrest MCS 7, mine into the wind to launch and retrieve aircraft. RPI countermeasure support 13 ship, Ex LSD-4, mine- 4) Our luck won’t last long. On 17 Oct 66 an VIETNAM unrep with Intrepid CVS-11, an aircraft carrier, sweeper “mother ship.” 22) Wilhoite DER 397, destroyer ends with 2 helicopter MEDIVACs. Twelve 15 escort, radar. 23) Warbler MSC-206, mine- MEDIVACS can be attributed to Yankee Team A TRAG on our first deployment with no Purple Hearts. Oct 7 0000 2000 sweeper, coastal. 12 24) Savage DER-386, destroyer CAMBODIA escort, radar. 2000 25) Albatross MSC-289, mine- sweeper, coastal. PHOM PEH 26) Vega AF-59, provisions Oct 4 0000 store ship. 27) eches AO-47, fleet oiler, 16 11 BE HOI sister ship to Mat taponi. KOMPOG SOM SAIGO 110 0800 1200 18 Phu Quoc VUG TAU 17 Island M Mekong Delta 10 S 1200 C 2 Ajustment for display 8 0800 9 5) Operation Traffic Cop, predecessor to 1200 purposes only, actual 26 Rice Patties 21 courses follow coast. Operation Sea Dragon begins on 1 Oct 66 Gulf & Canals 21 20 19 after Mattaponi has left port. Operation Sea 24 of Trouble: Full right 2000 & left rudder plus Dragon Ops Area was 3+ miles off the coast of 9 0800 9 a breakaway. North Vietnam from DMZ to Don Hoi. Matta- Saigon shipping lane? poni will join the fray shortly. Sea Dragon ships Oct 6 107 0000 interdict, stop, 80% of arms coming across from 2000 North Vietnam by the end of the year. Its im- 23 0000 22 portant to note that International waters were Oct 5 106 3 miles at this time. International waters were 8 autical miles 104 105 traditionally based on the distance a shore based 0 15 30 60 90 canon could defend. Sea Dragon ships were hit. Market Time patrol ships board and search suspicious By the start of AO-41’s 67-68 deployment, In- vessels for ammunition, and other war materials. ternational waters were extended to 6 miles. By If they run, Market Time units are forced to take them 68-69 deployment they were extended to 12 under fire . ight time curfew rules , if they move, units are miles, thanks to Russian radar guided artillery. forced to take them under fire. Known shore based targets were out of bounds Market Time patrol ships refueled 1st run: until the Russians had moved on to their next MSC’s minesweeper, coastal. site. Sea based targets were always on. Sea MSO’s minesweeper, ocean. Dragon made the Ho Chi Minh Trail famous. DER’s destroyer escort, radar. legal size (8.5”X14”) in portrait mode Coast Guard WPB’s, 82’ patrol cutters, & PCF’s, 50’ patrol craft fast, “Swift boats”, worked out of An Thoi. PHU QUOC Coconut Tree Prison ISLAND x AN THOI CAMBODIA 364 er rd oa b nd la Mobile n ai m 331 Riverine Force Isle’s du An Thoi Outer harbor Tourists come to the 15 325 An Thoi beautiful An Thoi Islands IA that feature coconut tree The “Three Sisters” D are the islands w/ 331, BO covered hills and coral AN THOI beaches that are great for 335 325, & 335 elevations. AM C fishing and snorkeling. 10 A After Mattaponi finished l b r inland replenishments, she a All of Phu Quo Island t 104 r would have to pass thru o has beautiful beaches. 2 s the “Three Sisters’ and risk 9 s . A 5 M rocket attack to get to the k S F t C outer boundary of Market - m 5 - i 2 9 l 315 Time Area 9 for more un- e 8 s 9 * derway replenishments, “unreps”. 5 Oct 66 1200 Skipping ahead Coconut Tree Prison In the next edition of OS the maps will be about our longest First of all I’d like to point out that Viet run. It starts at the outer harbor, An Thoi, and runs north Cong and NVA captured by Market Time to near the 20th parallel, North Vietnam.——The crews of Forces, (POW’s) were turned over to the ships coming along side were allowed to board Mattaponi South Vietnam Junk Force for further and shop at Ship’s Store as usual for inland replenishments. disposition. The Ship’s Store was open to Market Time ships while un- derway. The Coconut Tree Prison (South Vietnam POW Camp) was a hot, nasty, and brutal Command History of USS Mattaponi (AO-41) place. Over 40,000 POW’s were held there. For Calendar Year 1968 This place was like GITMO on steroids. South Vietnam leased the land from Cam- “First line trip 1968 (12 Jan 68) saw her anchoring at An bodia. Cambodia’s claim to the Isle’s du An Thoi, on the Gulf of Siam and calling ships alongside at an- Thoi was based on the area being its only chor for replenishment operations. Seven ship’s were thus foul weather port.