188th

Nha Be Detachment ~ 188th MP Company
III Corps Tactical Zone ~ Vietnam
~ 720th Military Police Battalion Reunion Association Vietnam History Project ~

This Page Last Updated 28 June 2011

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Nha Be Located seven miles of south of Saigon at the junction of the Long Tau and Soi Rap Rivers, III Corps Tactical Zone.

WANTED: Interviews, information, stories, photographs from the members of the 188th MP Company that worked the Cat Lai Detachment. Use the Email Link at the top of this page to contact the History Project Manager.

March A detachment of Mine Squadron 11, employing fifty-seven foot minesweeping boats (MSB’s) and converted landing craft, became the first U.S. naval unit to deploy at Nha Be.

The U.S. Naval establishment at Nha Be became a major combat and logistic base during the war. As naval leaders concluded early, the site was strategically located between the port of Saigon and the South China Sea. In addition Nha Be lay astride waterways traversing the Viet Cong – infiltrated Rung Sat special zone and the eastern Mekong Delta region. To support river patrol and minesweeping operations, Nha Be was ideally located, in addition, the Vietnamese Navy’s River Assault Group compound initially located there was suitable for a small U.S. Navy force.

July The troop buildup was in progress and the supplies and munitions needed to support it were coming in so fast that the ships were backed up in the river awaiting unloading. The 188th & 300th MP Company's were tasked with port security at the Saigon Docks. The 188th MP Company was further tasked with providing detachments of MPs to perform harbor and ship security at Vung Tau and Nah Be. The detachment at Nah Be was commanded by 1LT Norman Haber.

The MPs utilized twenty foot long plywood cabin cruiser type boats operated by a two man ARVN crew. They patrolled the entire bay and around the anchored cargo ships. The patrols also inspected local Vietnamese boats for contraband and enemy infiltrators. Their armament consisted of M-16 rifles, M-60 machine gun, M-79 grenade launcher, and concussion grenades for use against Viet Cong divers.

26 May, 0150 hours The ability of the Viet Cong to infiltrate a secure port and inflict serious damage on shipping was confirmed during the early morning hours when a loud explosion resounded through the Nha Be anchorage followed by a series of distress signals from a ship's fog horn. The "Game Warden" base at Nha Be immediately went to general quarters, and PBRs and units of VNN RAG 22 were sent to investigate.

The PBRs reported that the ship Eastern Mariner, of Panamanian registry and carrying a cargo of 4,000 tons of bagged cement, was settling by the stern with a slight starboard list. Twelve feet of freeboard was remaining and the crew was abandoning ship. The PBRs and RAG 22 units rescued the crew and brought them to Nha Be. There were no casualties.

Divers discovered a twelve foot by ten foot hole in the starboard quarter and recovered remnants of nylon cord, indicating that a mine had been attached to the ship.

On the same morning a tugboat reported to the MSTS Office, Nha Be, that a second explosion had occurred near another ship anchored about 350 yards from Eastern Mariner. Investigation revealed no damage, but examination of her anchor chain showed an attached nylon cord, evaluated as having been used to affix a mine.

On another ship a mine attached to the anchor chain was discovered and removed in time. It contained about 130 pounds of TNT rigged to be electrically detonated by a double timing device attached to the mine. EOD personnel reported it was attached to the anchor chain by metal hooks and nylon parachute cord which allowed the mine to drift back under the ship with the current.

The one successful mining and two attempted mining's prompted a quick reevaluation of the anchorage security requirements for Nha Be, and all ships were advised not to heave around on their chains or turn their screws until they had received an underwater inspection.

In 1968 Eighty-four craft and the headquarters of Naval Support Activity Saigon were based there. The facility continued to serve the Navy’s needs until it’s turnover to Vietnamese Navy and the disestablishment of Naval Support Activity, Saigon, Detachment Nha Be in April 1972.