United States Ship Tutuila ARG-4 Vietnam 1966-67 Swift Boat US Navy Unit History

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United States Ship Tutuila (ARG-4) 
Viet Nam 1966-1967

 

Hardcover. 4to. Unknown publisher. 1967. 64 unnumbered pages. Illustrated with some color plates and, map, with portraits, Two laid in photos present.

Bound in cloth boards with titles present to the spine and front board. Boards have light shelf-wear present to the extremities. No ownership marks present.  Text is clean and free of marks. Binding tight and solid.

FROM WIKIPEDIA:

USS Tutuila (ARG-4) was a Luzon-class internal combustion engine repair ship that saw service in the United States Navy during World War II, The Korean War, and The Vietnam War as well as several smaller actions. Named for the Island of Tutuila, the largest and main island of American Samoa, it was the second US Naval vessel to bear the name. After serving for nearly 30 years Tutuila was sold to the Republic of China in 1972.

The repair ship sailed from Norfolk on 9 May 1966, and transited the Panama Canal on 18 May. After brief stops at Pearl Harbor and at Subic Bay in the Philippines, the repair ship arrived at An Thoi, Phu Quoc Island, in the Gulf of Siam, to support Operation Market Time off the coast of South Vietnam.

Relieving USS Krishna on 19 July, Tutuila commenced servicing the nimble and hard-hitting PCFs, or "Swift" boats, attached to Division 11. WPBs of the Coast Guard's Division 11 were based on Tutuila as well. The following month found Tutuila's LCMs and their crews participating in Operation Sea-mount, an Army-directed landing operation to clear the southern Phu Quoc Island of enemy forces. Landing Army of the Republic of Vietnam troops at four locations, Tutuila's boats also carried supplies and ammunition to the Allied ground forces while helicopters evacuated casualties to the repair ship for medical attention.

Krishna returned to An Thoi on 8 October, to relieve Tutuila, which then steamed to Bangkok, Thailand, for rest and relaxation for her crew. The repair ship then arrived back off the Vietnamese coast, reaching Vung Tau, off Cape St. Jacques, on 18 October. Here she supported Operations Market Time, Game Warden, and Stable Door through the end of 1966.

The opening days of the new year, 1967, saw the repair ship taking up support duties for the Mobile Riverine Force established at Vung Tau for operations in the Mekong Delta. Here, she assisted in the preparation of Assault Support Patrol Boats and other small patrol craft until USS Askari arrived and took over the major repair and maintenance work.

Tutuila's repair crews finished another difficult job in just five days— the overhauling and repairing of the troublesome diesel generators of USS Benewah.

Turned over to the operational control of Commander, Naval Support Activity Saigon, in April 1967, the ship commenced services to LSTs engaged in operations off the mouth of the Mekong River. During this period, the repair ship continued to provide support and maintenance facilities for craft of the Mobile Riverine Assault Force and supported Coastal Division 13 as well. Further, Tutuila's 3-inch (76 mm)/50 caliber guns spoke in anger for the first time in the Vietnam War, as the ship undertook a shore bombardment in the Rung Sat Special Zone, providing harassment and interdiction fire into an area of suspected Viet Cong activity north of Vung Tau.

Returning to An Thoi in October 1967, Tutuila relieved Krishna and provided support for coastal divisions of Navy and Coast Guard before proceeding to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, for five days of upkeep in late November. She returned to Vung Tau on 7 December, to continue supporting coastal interdiction operations.

The repair ship remained at Vung Tau, until taking over duties at An Thoi, in April 1968, from Krishna. While remaining on station through the summer, Tutuila also trained South Vietnamese sailors in the operation of PCFs, four of which had been transferred to South Vietnam in August. Tutuila's hard work earned the Navy Unit Commendation as a result of the labors conducted at both Vung Tau and An Thoi.

Extensive improvements in habitability highlighted the yard work conducted at Yokosuka in January 1969, while the main engine, auxiliary pumps, and the three main generators were all subjected to thorough overhauling. On 21 March, the ship departed from Yokosuka for sea trials and refresher training—a virtually new ship both inside and out. The final week of training completed by 22 April, Tutuila cleared the Japanese isles on 27 April; bound, once more, for Vietnam.

After a five-day visit to Hong Kong en route, the ship dropped anchor at Vung Tau on 14 May. She commenced work almost immediately, conducting a temporary availability on USS Brule before 1 June, and filling 36 work requests from USS Mark as well as repair work and availability requirements for local YFR craft and the Republic of Korea Girin (LSM 610).

On 12 June, Tutuila got underway for An Thoi, where she supported the continuation of Market Time, as well as "Seafloat" and Sealords, while maintaining PCFs, YFUs, APL-21, and several LSTs.

For the months of June and July, the ship also undertook further training operations—repairing 17 Vietnamese Navy PCFs and training 39 Vietnamese sailors in diesel engine overhaul. USS St. Francis River underwent two weeks of restricted availability, adding to the repair ship's already busy and round-the-clock schedule. Fulfilling these and other requests for South Vietnamese, Korean, Thai and United States Navy units, Tutuila remained busy for the remainder of her active career off Vietnam—receiving three Navy Unit Commendations in the process. Late in 1971, she was selected for transfer to the Republic of China Navy.

On New Year's Day 1972, Tutuila departed Vung Tau after six years of combat support duties. Many times she had hoisted PCFs or other patrol craft onto pontoons alongside for complete overhauls; her crew had taught their Vietnamese counterparts the intricacies of diesel power plants and generators. Her guns had even conducted one offensive shore bombardment. Vietnam lay behind her as she headed for Hong Kong on 1 January 1972. Six days of bad weather jostled her before she finally made port at the British Crown Colony on 7 January.