Operation Deckhouse Five

Two U.S. Marine Corps amphibious tractors are moving along the beach in the foreground, with a UH-1 helicopter approaching at right. USS Washtenaw County (LST-1166) is in the background during Operation Deckhouse Five.

Operation Deckhouse Five occurred January 6–15, 1967. The operation was conducted by the United States Marine Corps and South Vietnamese Marine Corps forces along the Mekong River Delta, as part of the Vietnam War. The operation was notable in that it was a sizable, combined U.S. Marine and Vietnamese Marine amphibious operation and it was the last Special Landing Force (SLF) amphibious landing to take place beyond the boundaries of I Corps. An SLF was the designation of the Marine battalion and medium helicopter squadron (HMM)) assigned to the Seventh Fleet Amphibious Ready Group. The SLF regularly conducted amphibious operations across Vietnamese beaches into areas of suspected Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese Army (NVA) activity.^[1]

The primary objective of the operation was to secure prisoners. One platoon of 720th MP Battalion MPs from A Company were supporting.

Their mission was to construct a POW cage at Vung Tau, escort and secure POWs from the area of operations to the cage, process POWs, and escort POWs to the Army of The Republic of Vietnam III Corps cage at Bien Hoa.

The POW capture rate was below that anticipated. The operation failed and resulted in the deaths of 21 Vietcong and 7 US Marines.

Participating units

• 1st Battalion 9th Marines
• HMM-362
• VMO-3
• 3rd Battalion, South Vietnamese Marine Corps
• 4th Battalion, South Vietnamese Marine Corps

References

United States Marine Corps portal

1. ^ "Glossary of Terms". USMC/Combat Helicopter Association. http://www.popasmoke.com/glossary.html. 

External links

• Information from www.vietnam-war.info
• E/2/3 memorial page