Vietnam Crisis Operations
Newell got underway 17 May for Vietnam via Guam, Subic Bay and Hong Kong. On her first Operation Market Time patrol, just north of the Mekong Delta, she searched many junks and several steel hulled vessels to help stop infiltration of arms, ammunition, and supplies into South Vietnam to support Viet Cong forces. After upkeep at Subic Bay, her second patrol took her between Da Nang and Nha Trong. She worked closely with Vietnamese junk forces, Vietnamese Navy Sea Forces, U. S. Coast Guard cutters and other American Navy sea and air forces. On her third patrol, she operated between Vũng Tàu and An Thoi; and her guns destroyed a Viet Cong shelter on the Island of Phu Quoc. Her fourth and fifth patrols took her to the coast between Nha Trang and Da Nang. While on patrol off Viet Nam, she spent 155 days on station, detected 6,905 wooden hulls, inspected 2,472, and boarded 631. She detected 384 steel-hulled ships, inspected 67, and boarded 6.
On New Year's Day, 1966 Newell departed the "Market Time" area and sailed via Subic Bay and Japan, for home, arriving Pearl Harbor 3 February. After operations in Hawaiian waters, she headed back to the western Pacific 6 June. In addition to "Market Time" duty she supported smaller Coast Guard and Navy ships. On her third patrol she guarded the 17th parallel to stop infiltration from the North. She departed Vũng Tàu on the last day of 1966 and sailed via Japan for Hawaii, arriving Pearl Harbor 19 January 1967.
Underway 6 July for her third WestPac deployment. Newell spent much of July and August on Taiwan patrol before turning toward Vietnam on the 27th. She arrived "Market Time" Area 11 on 30 August and departed on 19 September for Kaohsiung, to resume Taiwan patrol. She headed back toward the Vietnamese coast on the last day of October and relieved USS Lowe on Market Time Area II, 2 November. Newell departed Vietnam for the last time on the 28th, and steamed for Hawaii via Hong Kong; Subic Bay; Sydney, Australia; and Suva, Fiji Islands arriving Pearl Harbor 29 February 1968.
Read more about this topic: USS Newell (DE-322)
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