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Korea
During the Korean conflict, MSTS lifted more than 54 million
measurement tons of cargo, 5 million troops and passengers, and
22 million long tons of petroleum products to, from, and within
the Korean theater; this comprised over 85 percent of United
States military cargo shipped to the Far East.
On September 15, 1950 more than a score of MSTS-owned and
chartered ships participated in the triumphant U. N. landing at
Inchon. And, in December 1950, when the tide of war turned, an
entire army was successfully evacuated by sea despite enemy
pressure, bad terrain, and inclement weather.
During the Hungnam evacuations, the U. S. Navy and merchant
marine safely loaded aboard ship 105,000 fighting men, 91,000
civilians, 17,500 vehicles, and 350,000 tons of supplies.
MSTS-owned and chartered ships-some 190 of them-were involved in
this operation.
The chartered Meredity Victory, a cargo ship with normal
accommodations for only 12 passengers, was one of the last
vessels in Hungnam harbor when that beachhead was being
evacuated. Thousands of Korean refugees were crowding the docks
only hours ahead of the Chinese Communists. The captain,
realizing that the Meredith Victory was their last chance of
escape ordered her crew to "Load 'em until she can't take
anymore." She took all 14,000 of them with their personal
belongings-making a world's record for the number of refugees
carried in one ship. After a 3-day trip during freezing weather,
the refugees were put ashore at a refugee camp near Pusan. The
evacuation was equivalent to carrying the entire population of
Emporia, Kansas, for 3 days through the open seas in winter
without a single casualty-in a ship 450 feet long by 57 feet
wide.
Even after hostilities had ceased in Korea MSTS continued to
rotate United Nations troops to and from duty with the
occupation forces, and keep them supplied with the essentials of
living and equipment for defense.
After the Korean fighting was over, "Operation Glory" carried
out the sad task of transporting more than 4000 United Nations
war dead from Korea to their native lands to be buried in
private or national cemeteries. The remains were transported in
specially built compartments and were taken aboard at Pusan and
carried to Kokura, Japan, where the Army notified the next of
kin.
Vietnam
After the defeat of the French at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, 300,000
Vietnamese chose to leave their homeland by a sealift exodus to
avoid living under communism. More than 800,000 people
reportedly fled from North Vietnam before the Communist
conquerors moved into the last free sectors of the Tonkin Delta
area. The remnants of escaping refugees and the evacuating
French were loaded into United States transports.
During the final month of "Passage to Freedom," the name given
this operation, the USNS Marine Fiddler arrived at Saigon with a
record 6289 refugee passengers aboard. Included were the entire
personnel of a Haiphong orphanage, the colorful rem- of a tribe
of aborigine "Mans" from the frontier mountains, and refugees
from all the Vietminh-held provinces of North Vietnam. The
Vietnam Presidential Unit Citation, "The Ribbon of Friendship,"
was awarded by President Eisenhower to Navy and MSTS ships and
units that evacuated Vietnamese refugees from Haiphong to Saigon
in 1954. Nine USNS ships and seven MSTS time-chartered Ships
were granted the yellow and red ribbon bar, enclosed in a gilt
frame, which cited the efficient and humanitarian assistance
which gave men, women, and children the opportunity to start
their lives anew in the free areas of Vietnam.
Again in 1965 MSTS was called upon, this time to support the
buildup of United States combat forces in South Vietnam. MSTS
troopships made 21 lifts, transporting a total of 50,666 troops
to ports in South Vietnam during July, August, and September. In
August alone, the peak month of troop movement, 32,397 troops
were lifted into the combat area. By the end of December 1965,
MSTS transports and TAKKVs had carried 94,000 troops in this
operation, of which 9500 were ROK forces moved from Korea to
Vietnam.
Paradoxically, more than 15,000 troops of the Airmobile (1st
Cavalry) Division went to South Vietnam by sea, In August, six
Atlantic transports (Buckner Darby Upshur, Rose, Geiger, and
Patch) embarked 13,555 men at the east coast ports of Savannah
and Charleston, and deployed to the Pacific via the Panama
Canal. Three USNS TALVs and one LPH (the Boxer also lifted 1827
troops of this division.
Transport support to RVN continued through 1966 with lifts of
about 153,000 troops, including some 58,000 ROK forces. For a
large portion of 1965 and 1966 the entire fleet of 16 transports
was operating in the Pacific solely in support of RVN. The troop
lifts clearly demonstrated the responsiveness of MSTS to provide
required lift capability on short notice in an emergency
situation.
At the beginning of the United States buildup in Vietnam, the
MSTS-controlled dry cargo fleet numbered 75 ships: 57 nucleus,
16 time chartered, and 2 allocated to MSTS under General Agency
Agreement. Cargo movement to Vietnam averaged 86,000 tons a
month and worldwide just under 1,000,000 tons.
With the buildup sealift requirements increased markedly,
reaching an average of over 1,000,000 tons monthly to Southeast
Asia during the latter part of 1966 and first part of 1967, and
approaching 2,000,000 tons worldwide. To meet this increased
workload the MSTS-controlled dry cargo fleet was increased to
426 ships by April 1967. The nucleus fleet grew to 87 ships, and
in addition to 172 privately operated ships under charter, there
were 166 ships from the National Defense Reserve Fleet under
MSTS control.
Suez
Unsettled conditions in the Middle East and the completely
unexpected but temporary closing of the Suez Canal had a marked
effect on MSTS tanker operations in 1956. increased worldwide
market demand for commercial tankers resulted in greater
shipping requirements than anticipated, and MSTS was unable to
obtain sufficient voyage charters to meet commitments. This
caused a drastic increase in the MSTS-controlled tanker fleet;
many Government-owned tankers were activated from the Reserve
Fleet and placed under contract operations for MSTS.
Evacuation of Americans from the danger zones of the Middle East
was carried out on schedule. The USNS Gen. Alexander M. Patch at
that time evacuated many refugees from Crete to Naples.
Source: "Military Sea Transportation Service", U.S. Government
Publication, 1967. Prepared by Bureau of Naval Personnel.
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