The “Brown-Water" Navy combined Coastal and Riverine Operations to stop the enemy's re-supply of arms from Cambodia by sea and river. It involved destroyers, escorts and minesweepers along with Cost Guard cutters and low draft boats and PBR's patrolling the Mekong Delta. They averaged 85 firefights per month and almost one third of the sailors were killed or wounded. The Riverene Operations were Vietnamized in 1970. |
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The River Assault Flotilla
One (RivFlotOne) operated
ships for
providing
command
facilities and
communications, resupply,
repairs, housing and food
for both Army and Navy
personnel of
the Joint
Mobile Riverine Force.
This
1967 Zippo has also been
engraved with a US Navy logo
and the name
of J. O'Brien
on
the reverse. |
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1962 Zippo engraved "United
States Navy Viet Nam - River
Assault Squadron 13". It
has a map of Vietnam on the
back. |
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1967 Zippo. The lid is engraved
with "HA(L)-3" (Helicopter Attack
(Light) Squadron - 3) with
responsibility for providing Task
Force 116 with aerial fire support,
observation , and medical
evacuation). The reverse is
engraved "Seawolves" and
"John R. Weil ADJ-3 999-27-82". |
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A 1968 River Section
512
factory-engraved
Zippo. |
This 1968 River
Division 535 Zippo
has had the boat
number, 731
engraved. |
This 1968 Zippo
is for Coastal Division 12 which
operated "Swift" boats, or PCF's,
from DaNang. |
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This factory
engraved 1968 Zippo
is for
River Section 542
based in Nha
Be. |
Another factory
engraved 1968
Zippo is for River Section
543
also
based in Nha
Be. |
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Here is a two-sided
factory-engraved
1968 Zippo for River
Section 535. |
1968 high-polish
Zippo with
a factory engraved
logo for Swift 1
Coastal Squadron.
The reverse
read
"Cam Ranh Bay
Viet-Nam 67-68" and
has
a map of Vietnam. |
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1968 Zippo with the
engravings "P.
Dawson Ens. U.S.N.R.
River Division 554"
and a PBR on the
front and one on the
reverse that reads
"River Section 511
PBR Force Vietnam". |
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1968 Zippo with the
lid reading
&q"C.
Valentino Ens.
Dallas, Tx" and the
case engraved with
the logo of
YRBM16, a
Repair, Berthing and
Messing Barge,
or tender for the
PBR's. The back
reads "Viet-Nam
1969-1970". |
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1968 Zippo for
Coastal Division 11
with Snoopy the "Numbah
One Watchdog". The
reverse has an image
of a Swift boat. |
1969 Zippo for the
USS Askari which
provided repair and
other support
services for the
Riverine forces in
the Mekong Delta. |
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SeSea Float was a floating
naval support base which
supported PBR's and other
sea as well as aircraft. It
was turned over to the South
Vietnamese Navy and renamed
Tran Hung
Dao III. The Zippo is from
1969. |
1969 Zippo with the emblem
of the US Navy Delta
Dragons "The Best". The
reverse is engraved with
a PBR and "River Div 531
Vietnam." |
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1969 Zippo for
River
Division
531. |
USS Hunterdon was
an LST
(Landing
Ship Tank) that
supported the PBRs in "Game
Warden", the name given to
the operation to stop
the
flow
of
communist supplies along
the coast of South Vietnam.
Its history can be found
HERE.
The Zippo is dated 1969. |
Vulcan brand lighter marked
"Cambodia" and an attached
badge for USS Hunterdon
County Game Warden. The
back reads "Vietnam - AGP
838 USS Hunterdon County
Game Warden" and has a
line drawing of the ship. |
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1970 Zippo with
factory-engraved
image of a
PBR
and logo of the
River Patrol
Group 54, the command
of
which was turned over to the
Vietnamese Navy in 1970.
The reverse reads "Naval
Advisory Group - River
Patrol Group 54
Viet-Nam 1970". |
This 1970 Zippo has a PBR
for
River Division 554 on
one side
and for Section 511
on the other.
The
authenticity of the
engraving
is questionable. |
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This two-sided 1969 Zippo on Three,
a
squadron of Gun Boats
established
at Cam Ranh
Bay in 1968. The Zippo
is
dated 1970, a year after the
squadron was moved to
San Diego. |
The "Checkmate" logo is for
Coastal Squadron Three, a
squadron of Gun
Boats
established at Cam Ranh
Bay in 1968. The Zippo is
dated 1970. |
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Helatkltron-3, or
"Helicopter Attack (Light)
Squadron r>
ThThree" were known as
the"Seawolves" which
supported PBR's by Air.
The Zippo is dated 1970.font> |
Here is a 1970 River
Section 594
two-sided
factory-engraved
Zippo
with the words "Last
in Vietnam". |
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