Produced during the Vietnam War, “The Navy Ashore in Vietnam” shows the U.S. Navy’s role in logistics, supply, and construction as well as providing medical care during the conflict. The CBs construct a hospital in Da Nang, and it is used to treat both civilians and military participants. Blue Eagle One, a flying television broadcast aircraft, is shown conducting “friendship” missions over South Vietnam as part of Project Jenny. Also shown are activities of inland waterway patrol vessels including PBRs and the River Rats, the so-called “brown water Navy”. Navy Corpsman and the Navy hospital ships are also seen in action.
The start of the film also shows the more conventional Navy involvement in the war, with warships pounding enemy positions with naval gunfire, air strikes by Navy and Marine aircraft, and more. Some of this material is reminiscent of or may come from a re-enactment of the Gulf of Tonkin incident created by the Navy in this era. USS Higbee, DD-806, is seen at the 14 minute mark.
Patrol Boat, River or PBR, is the United States Navy designation for a small rigid-hulled patrol boat used in the Vietnam War from March 1966 until the end of 1971. They were deployed in a force that grew to 250 boats, the most common craft in the River Patrol Force, Task Force 116, and were used to stop and search river traffic in areas such as the Mekong Delta, the Rung Sat Special Zone, the Saigon River and in I Corps, in the area assigned to Task Force Clearwater, in an attempt to disrupt weapons shipments. In this role they frequently became involved in firefights with enemy soldiers on boats and on the shore, were used to insert and extract Navy SEAL teams, and were employed by the United States Army’s 458th Transportation Company, known as the 458th Seatigers.
Project Jenny was the world’s first military provider of airborne broadcast radio and TV services flown by U.S. Navy Squadron VXN-8, providing both psychological warfare / PSYOPS content and entertainment to the people of Vietnam and U.S. troops. The missions were flown in a specially modified Lockheed NC-121J Super Constellation based at Tan Son Nhut Airbase outside Saigon and DaNang Airbase. Project Jenny existed for five years, at which time enough ground stations had been built to make it no longer necessary. Read more at: http://www.blueeaglesofvietnam.com
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