Vietnam Area Operations
During the next two years, Gannet continued operations out of Sasebo. Mine warfare exercises and training in mine countermeasures sent her to Korea, Okinawa, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. During July and August 1964 she performed special mine countermeasure operations in the South China Sea while supporting U.S. naval operations along the coast of Vietnam. She returned to the South China Sea in February 1965; participated in a joint amphibious exercise with ships of the Royal Thai Navy; then steamed to the Vietnamese coast in mid-April to resume special duty.
Gannet returned to Sasebo on 24 May 1965 and for more than six months operated along the coast of Japan. Early in December she returned to the coast of Vietnam, where she joined "Operation Market Time" as a coastal surveillance patrol ship. During her patrols she inspected hundreds of Vietnamese fishing boats in an effort to control the infiltration of Viet Cong troops and supplies. In addition, she provided treatment for South Vietnamese fishermen requiring medical aid. She departed Vietnam on 14 January 1966 and returned to Sasebo the 29th.
She served along the Japanese coast until 10 April 1966 when she again sailed for South Vietnam, arriving 10 days later to resume "Market Time" patrols. During the remainder of the year, Gannet made three patrol and surveillance deployments along the Vietnamese coast. In addition she participated in SEATO minesweeping exercises in the Gulf of Thailand.
Mid May 1967 she was relieved from patrol duties and sent up the Mekong river. Tying up at Vinh Long for the night. She crossed the Tien Giang to the Bassac river and operated in the Can Tho area. She was testing the ship's sensitive sweep sonar on swimmers-sappers floating the river. The ship's crew floated and swam the river to test the viability of identifying swimmers from the rest of flotsam. The swim crew drew sniper fire for several days until a gun ship (Puff) was called in to remove the problem. The end of May seen the ship headed up the Bassac, across the Tien Giang and back down the Mekong to Vinh Long and eventually to Vung Tau harbor. Returned to the assigned patrol area. The water in the ship's fresh water tanks was muddy for the next several months from the water the ship took on at Binh Thuy.
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