Action of 1 March 1968
Part of the Vietnam War
USCGC Androscoggin, "Weather decks secure" by Don Van Liew.
Date March 1, 1968 Location South Vietnam Result United States/South Vietnamese victory
Belligerents
United States  South Vietnam	North Vietnam
Commanders and leaders
William H. Stewart	unknown
Strength
Sea: 1 minesweeper, 5 cutters, 7 swift boats, 2 junks, 1 patrol boat Air: 3 aircraft	Land: unknown militia Sea: 2 naval trawlers
Casualties and losses
none, 4 cutters damaged	~14 killed, unknown wounded, 1 naval trawler sunk, 1 naval trawler scuttled

The Action of 1 March 1968 refers to three naval engagements fought during the Vietnam War on the same morning. A large force of American and South Vietnamese warships assigned to Operation Market Time engaged four North Vietnamese ships at three different locations along the South Vietnamese coast. In the action, three North Vietnamese vessels were destroyed while the Americans and South Vietnamese sustained only light casualties. Though the battles took place several miles from each other, they were all part of the same operation to defeat a North Vietnamese attempt to resupply the Viet Cong.

Background

On February 28, 1968, American SP-2H Neptune aircraft detected a North Vietnamese SL class naval trawler heading towards the South Vietnamese coast from north of the DMZ. By the next morning, three more trawlers were discovered so the units of Operation Market Time were deployed for interception. The trawlers did not fly flags so it was not until the start of the engagement that the Americans and South Vietnamese discovered their origin. The trawlers were steel hulled vessels, 100 feet long and armed with 57-milimeter recoiless rifles and machine guns. All four were loaded with weapons and ammunition intended to be delivered to the Viet Cong. The United States Navy, South Vietnamese Navy and the United States Coast Guard established a blockade of South Vietnam beforehand to prevent infiltrations of this type. A twelve mile no go zone existed along the entire South Vietnamese coast and the blockading ships had the authority to sieze any vessel within it. American and South Vietnamese forces that engaged in action included the minesweeper USS Persistent, the coast guard cutters Androscoggin, Point Grey, Point Welcome, Winona, the swift boats PCF-18, PCF-20, PCF-42, PCF-43, PCF-46, PCF-47 and PCF-48, two Yabuta junks and one patrol boat. Two American helicopter gunships also participated in combat and one other aircraft was used to fire flares.

Action

Action off Bo De River
USCGC Winona encountered the first trawler designated T-A at approximately 010200 on March 1, eight miles off the coast at the mouth of the Bo De River. Winona first fired a warning shot which was ignored so she opened up with with her 5-inch guns while the minesweeper USS Conflict, Point Hudson, Point Grace, Point Marone, PCF-69 and PCF-103 proceded to the area but arrived to late. The trawler was struck by several of Winona's shells and exploded at 0220 before sinking fifty yards off the river's mouth in twenty-five feet of water. The American cutter was hit by small arms fire and debris from the T-A but there were no casualties sustained.

Action off Nha Trang:

Ten miles north of Nha Trang at 010038, a South Vietnamese Navy patrol boat encountered the second enemy ship within the twelve mile zone. The patrol boat opened fire on the trawler T-B and it quickly changed course towards the shore and returned fire. PCF-42, PCF-43, PCF-46, PCF-47, PCF-48 and two Yabuta junks sortied to help and the eight patrol craft chased the North Vietnamese trawler to a cove where it ran aground. Only PCF-47 and PCF-48 were capable of engaging before the trawler was destroyed. At 0231, five 81-milimeter mortar rounds from 'PCF-47 were direct hits and the trawler exploded with a massive boom due to the munitions aboard. Fourteen dead North Vietnamese sailors were recovered the following morning.

Action off Song Tha Cau River: Forty miles from Chu Lai and six miles off the coast, USCGC Androscoggin under Commander William H. Stewart, intercepted a third trawler identified as T-D. Commander Stewart ordered the North Vietnamese to identify themselves at 0112 but there was no response so the Americans shot 5-inch star shells into the air to illuminate the trawler. It was then that the ship was identified as enemy so the Androscoggin opened fire at 0120 with naval and .50 caliber machine gun fire. T-D returned fire, laid a smoke screen and turned into the American's direction but one of the Androscoggin's shells hit T-D's after starboard side so it turned around and headed for the shore. Two United States Army helicopters engaged at this point with the Point Grey, Point Welcome, USS Persistent, PCF-18 and PCF-20. Point Welcome hit the trawler with two 81-milimeter rounds. T-D then grounded and exploded off the mouth of the Song Tha Cau River at 0210. At 0220, the North Vietnamese tried to scuttle their ship and failed but a second attempt at 0235 succeeded in destroying the vessel. The American cutters recieved several small arms hits but they were only slightly damaged, debris from near misses and from the T-D' scuttling also caused additional minor damage. No American or South Vietnamese casualties were reported.

Aftermath

USCGC Minnetonka shadowed the trawler T-C forty-two miles north of Qui Nhon but soon after being detected, the trawler turned around and headed back out to sea without being engaged. The three battles are considered to be the greatest American and South Vietnamese naval victory during the Vietnam War.