May - 1969 May - 1970
These Photos are of my time on 132-13 Assault Troop Carrier of the Brown Water Navy. When the US began turning over the boats to the SV Navy our boat was renamed the T-27. We had a seven man crew that lived on the boat all the time. With temperatures around 120 degrees, having no running water or air conditioning was one of the conditions we had to endure. We would sometimes stay out in the boonies 30 to 40 days at a time, away from base camps or the ship in the main river. During this time our daily fare consisted of mostly C-rations, LRPS or anything sent from home. Needless to say you didn't see any fat sailors. The boats had about 70% casualty rate caused by shrapnel from rockets. The top speed of our boat was 8.5 knots or about 10 mph. Some of the currents on the canals and rivers ran 5 knots. We had to shoot our way out of trouble. We could not run. Some of the canals we traveled were only 90 feet wide. Our boat was 56ft. long and 16ft. wide. So we did not have a lot of room to maneuver in.
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