Vietnam Operations
On 17 May 1965, Savage sailed for South Vietnam where she spent more time on station in Operation Market Time than any other DER. She guarded against sea infiltration by North Vietnamese and assisted land forces by providing naval gunfire support. She had no periods out of Vietnam service until October when she made a five day visit to Hong Kong.
From October 1965 through December 1968 the ship made five more tours off Vietnam on Operation Market Time, operating 50 - 100 yards offshore, searching junks and small fishing boats for Viet Cong weapons and infrequently providing naval gunfire support with her two 3 inch guns: 01 to 15 January and 12 June to 16 September 1966. 24 August to 8 September 1967. 16 September to 12 October and 02 to 18 December 1968. During her 1967 and 1968 Market Time patrols, she also served as "mother ship" to 5 - 6 U.S. Navy PCF's (swift boats). All of Savage's officers (except for the Executive Officer and Commanding Officer) functioned as additional officers to the two crews per Swift Boat (daytime and nighttime) covering the Mekong River Delta and the Mekong River in the "brown water navy". She made Taiwan Strait patrols in June, September, and December 1967; and in July and October 1968.
On 1 February 1969 she arrived back in Pearl Harbor and entered the naval shipyard for restricted availability and upkeep. On 7 July 1969 she departed for San Francisco and deactivation at San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California. On 17 October 1969, she was decommissioned for the last time and joined the inactive reserve fleet.
Read more about this topic: USS Savage (DE-386)
Famous quotes containing the words vietnam and/or operations:
“I told them I’m not going to let Vietnam go the way of China. I told them to go back and tell those generals in Saigon that Lyndon Johnson intends to stand by our word, but by God, I want something for my money. I want ‘em to get off their butts and get out in those jungles and whip hell out of some Communists. And then I want ‘em to leave me alone, because I’ve got some bigger things to do right here at home.”
—Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908–1973)
“There is a patent office at the seat of government of the universe, whose managers are as much interested in the dispersion of seeds as anybody at Washington can be, and their operations are infinitely more extensive and regular.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)