Playing With the Sea Wolves at Muc Hoa
During my second tour in Vietnam there were only a few units in the area called Three-Corps Vietnam that had Cobra gun ships so we were sent out to do unusual missions quite often. Our unit had the capability to do gun missions and scout missions. One of these special missions came to me and turned out to be pretty good. It was to work with the Navy riverboats.
This special mission called for a gun ship and a scout ship to go to a place called Muc Hoa, which was south of our normal area. We were to report at Muc Hoa at six thirty in the morning for a briefing and that required us to depart at about five thirty in the morning. Preparations were made the night before and we launched and made our report time. Upon arrival we refueled and reported ready to go. A Marine major did the briefing and when he finished he gave a “time hack”. He stood in pilots in our group quietly said under his breath what time his watch read. We all chuckled a bit.
Before we were to report on station we had quite a bit of time to kill. One of the Navy guys told us that we could go over to their mess hall and have breakfast. We found breakfast to be more than we were used to. In the Army our chow was not the best, however the Navy knows how to eat. When we went through the mess hall there was all kinds of things available for breakfast and a person could take all he wanted. We were thrilled to have breakfast and decided to try to stay for lunch.
Soon our launch time came and we flew to the place on the river where the riverboats were in contact with the enemy. The riverboats had been working their way up the river and had been fired upon. They were shooting back with their fifty caliber machine guns. The Navy had helicopters overhead and they were trying to support them.
The Navy used B model Huey helicopters that had guns on them. They only carried fourteen rockets and some 7.62 millimeter machine guns. Because of the limitations of the aircraft and their tactics, they dove at a very shallow angle and when they fired their rockets they scattered them up the shoreline and did not put many directly on the target. Their rockets were about one hundred meters apart, which is okay for some things but not for knocking out the guys shooting from one spot.
My team orbited overhead while we waited for our assignment. We had been sent there to use the scout to look ahead of the riverboats to find the enemy as they went up stream. They had the enemy located so they really didn’t need us to scout. What they needed was fire support.
Very quickly the Sea Wolves, the name of Navy helicopter gun ships, were out of their limited number of rockets and reported that they would be returning to base to rearm. At that point the riverboats said they would break contact with the enemy because they didn’t have gun ship support. So I called the riverboats and told that I was only one gun ship but I had over fifty rockets on board and could support them. They called me back and asked if I could fire on the spot where they were taking fire. I told them to just fire where they wanted me to hit and I would fire there too.
I climbed to about four thousand feet and made a steep dive at the target. By doing a steep dive I could place all of the rockets I fired into a small area. Fourteen rockets pounded the small area from where they were taking fire, which was less than one third of my rocket load. The riverboat sailors were not used to seeing Cobras shoot. That was much more firepower than they were used to seeing. It would have taken several dives for the Sea Wolves to put out that much fire and they would have only been able to do it once when their firepower would have been expended. But the biggest difference was the concentration of firepower on the target. The enemy fire stopped and the riverboats started working their way further up the river.
Soon the Sea Wolves returned and were ready to take over the support role. The riverboat guys asked me to standby and make sure that I was there if they needed me. Later in the day we returned to Muc Hoa and had a great lunch. For about the next few days the riverboats requested we return and support them.
Normally we rotated through missions so everyone shared in the long and short days. I volunteered to return day after day even though the days were long. I did enjoy working with the riverboats but the greatest thing about the mission was the Navy chow! I was eating well for the first time in months! After a couple of days a new copilot was assigned to me and then a day or two later another one. When they were no longer on the mission with me they started complaining because they were missing out on the good food. Then I had to share and let other pilots fly the mission to Muc Hoa but it had been fun.
Many times we fail to focus our efforts on the spot that will bring the results we seek. We scatter our efforts around and don’t stay on target. Results come from hitting the spot with all of our efforts! Throwing things to the wind won’t ever do it. Stay focused and simply hit it with all you have!
This special mission called for a gun ship and a scout ship to go to a place called Muc Hoa, which was south of our normal area. We were to report at Muc Hoa at six thirty in the morning for a briefing and that required us to depart at about five thirty in the morning. Preparations were made the night before and we launched and made our report time. Upon arrival we refueled and reported ready to go. A Marine major did the briefing and when he finished he gave a “time hack”. He stood in pilots in our group quietly said under his breath what time his watch read. We all chuckled a bit.
Before we were to report on station we had quite a bit of time to kill. One of the Navy guys told us that we could go over to their mess hall and have breakfast. We found breakfast to be more than we were used to. In the Army our chow was not the best, however the Navy knows how to eat. When we went through the mess hall there was all kinds of things available for breakfast and a person could take all he wanted. We were thrilled to have breakfast and decided to try to stay for lunch.
Soon our launch time came and we flew to the place on the river where the riverboats were in contact with the enemy. The riverboats had been working their way up the river and had been fired upon. They were shooting back with their fifty caliber machine guns. The Navy had helicopters overhead and they were trying to support them.
The Navy used B model Huey helicopters that had guns on them. They only carried fourteen rockets and some 7.62 millimeter machine guns. Because of the limitations of the aircraft and their tactics, they dove at a very shallow angle and when they fired their rockets they scattered them up the shoreline and did not put many directly on the target. Their rockets were about one hundred meters apart, which is okay for some things but not for knocking out the guys shooting from one spot.
My team orbited overhead while we waited for our assignment. We had been sent there to use the scout to look ahead of the riverboats to find the enemy as they went up stream. They had the enemy located so they really didn’t need us to scout. What they needed was fire support.
Very quickly the Sea Wolves, the name of Navy helicopter gun ships, were out of their limited number of rockets and reported that they would be returning to base to rearm. At that point the riverboats said they would break contact with the enemy because they didn’t have gun ship support. So I called the riverboats and told that I was only one gun ship but I had over fifty rockets on board and could support them. They called me back and asked if I could fire on the spot where they were taking fire. I told them to just fire where they wanted me to hit and I would fire there too.
I climbed to about four thousand feet and made a steep dive at the target. By doing a steep dive I could place all of the rockets I fired into a small area. Fourteen rockets pounded the small area from where they were taking fire, which was less than one third of my rocket load. The riverboat sailors were not used to seeing Cobras shoot. That was much more firepower than they were used to seeing. It would have taken several dives for the Sea Wolves to put out that much fire and they would have only been able to do it once when their firepower would have been expended. But the biggest difference was the concentration of firepower on the target. The enemy fire stopped and the riverboats started working their way further up the river.
Soon the Sea Wolves returned and were ready to take over the support role. The riverboat guys asked me to standby and make sure that I was there if they needed me. Later in the day we returned to Muc Hoa and had a great lunch. For about the next few days the riverboats requested we return and support them.
Normally we rotated through missions so everyone shared in the long and short days. I volunteered to return day after day even though the days were long. I did enjoy working with the riverboats but the greatest thing about the mission was the Navy chow! I was eating well for the first time in months! After a couple of days a new copilot was assigned to me and then a day or two later another one. When they were no longer on the mission with me they started complaining because they were missing out on the good food. Then I had to share and let other pilots fly the mission to Muc Hoa but it had been fun.
Many times we fail to focus our efforts on the spot that will bring the results we seek. We scatter our efforts around and don’t stay on target. Results come from hitting the spot with all of our efforts! Throwing things to the wind won’t ever do it. Stay focused and simply hit it with all you have!
posted by Bruce | 3:04 PM
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