North Vienamese motor launches sighted at Haiphing probably based at Cac Ba according to the Australia Station Intelligence Summary dated 1 February 1956

An item reported that the 14 North Vietnamese motor launches (M.L.’s) sighted at Haiphong up to August 1955 seemed to be based in an naval command area probably with as headquarters Cac Ba.

Source

Website Royal Australian Navy, Sea Power Centre.

North Vietnamese shipyard at Haiphong launched 3 lighters according to the Australia Station Intelligence Summary dated 8 June 1957

An item reported that shortly after 18 March a North Vietnamese shipyard at Haiphong which employed Polish advisers and technicians launched 3 steel made lighters out of a series of 20 with a cargo capacity of 125 tons.

Source

Website Royal Australian Navy, Sea Power Centre.

French naval air strength in South Vietnam decreased according to the Australia Station Intelligence Summary dated 1 February 1956

An item reported that the French naval air strength in South Vietnam was already limited to 6 Privateers, 1 Dakota, 4 Moranes and 12 Grumman Goose since the carrier Bois Bellau with a full complement of planes went back home.

Source

Website Royal Australian Navy, Sea Power Centre.

The North Vietnamese coastal defence according to the Australia Station Intelligence Summary dated 1 February 1956

An item reported that the North Vietnamese coastline north of the 17th parallel between 21.11 North-107.32 East Port Wallut and 17.29 North-106.36 East Doing Hoi was divided in 5 command areas with headquarters as Port Wallut, Hongay, Cac Ba (on Ile de la Cac Ba), Sam Son and Dong Hai. It was strongely believed that Cac Ba would become the major naval base. Naval training school directed by Chinese naval officers were to be established at Campha (21.01 North-107.21 East) and Vinh (18.40 North-105.38 East).

Source

Website Royal Australian Navy, Sea Power Centre.

North Vietnam self responsible for maintenance of harbour of Haiphong according to the Australia Station Intelligence Summary dated 1 March 1957

An item reported that the Soviet dredger Zemlesos 20 was to return to Odessa, Ukraine in March. Probably the reason was that the North Vietnamese owned the needed equipment themselves for maintenance of the harbour of Haiphong.

Source

Website Royal Australian Navy, Sea Power Centre.

Soviet dredgers were deepening Ben Thuy, North Vietnam according to the Australia Station Intelligence Summary dated 1 March 1957

An item reported that Soviet dredgers were deepening Ben Thuy which was the harbour of Vinh, North Vietnam located 160 miles south of Haiphong. The intention was to easy any overload at the harbour of Haiphong.

Source

Website Royal Australian Navy, Sea Power Centre.

North Vietnamese naval strength according to the Australia Station Intelligence Summary dated 1 September 1956

An item reported that the North Vietnamese or Vietminh navy possessed around 30 motor launches and a strength of 2,000 men, part of them trained in the past by the French. The navy patrolled in the Red River delta and along the coast as far as the 17th parallel.

Source

Website Royal Australian Navy, Sea Power Centre

North Vietnam building lighters by herself according to the Australia Station Intelligence Summary dated 8 June 1957

An item reported that the shipyard Haiphong Co. Khi Cong Ty, North Vietnam launched on 18 March the first two steel made lighters solely built by Vietnamese with a length of around 98 feet and around 100 tons cago capacity.

Source

Website Royal Australian Navy, Sea Power Centre.

Patrol service of North Vietnamese navy according to the Australia Station Intelligence Summary dated 8 May 1957

An item reported that the North Vietnamese navy possessed 4 patrol units each consisting of 1 patrol vessel and 10 armed motor launches with the main intercepting refugees who wanted to escape to South Vietnam. Patrol areas were Mon Cay-Hongay, Hongay-Do Son, Do Son-Sam Son and Sam Son-Ben Thuy.

Source

Website Royal Australian Navy, Sea Power Centre.

The projected mobile defence of Tonkin in 1905 according to the magazine Mitteilungen aus dem Gebiete des Seewesens dated 1904 no. 6

An item reported that for the year 1905 the mobile defence of Tonkin (1) was to consist of 1 destroyer for just 3 month, 3 non-active torpedo boats 1st class and submarines Oursin and Méduse.

Note
1. French protectorate encompassing what became after 1954 with northern Annam the state North Vietnam. 

American cruiser USS Newport News (CA-148) 1945-1993

USS Newport News visiting Amsterdam, Netherlands

Bert Verhoeff/ANefo 1971. Beeldbank Nationaal Archief. CC Attribution-ShareAlike. Original

Of the Des Moines class-heavy cruisers. Described during her visit to Amsterdam, Netherlands as the largest cruiser of the world.  Laid down at the shipyard of Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia, USA on 1 November, launched on 6 March 1948, sponsored by Mrs. Homer L. Ferguson, commissioned on 29 January 1949, decommissioned on 27 June 1975, stricken on 31 July 1968 and finally sold to be broken up to the Southern Scrap material Co. Ltd,m New Orleans, USA on 25 February 1993. Between September and October 1971 she visited harbours in England, Netherlands, Denmark, Finland and Germany.

The newspaper Nederlands dagblad dated 18 September 1971 reported that she would visit Amsterdam between 17 and 20 September berthed alongside the Passenger Terminal Amsterdam. On Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th was it possible to visit her between 13.00-16.00 o’clock.

With a displacement of 20.980 tons were her dimensions 218,69 x 23,32 x 8,2 metres or 717’6” x 27’x 27’1. The General Electric turbines and four boilers supplied 120.000 shp allowing a speed of 31,5 knots. Her crew numbered 31,5 knots. The armament consisted of 3x3-20,3cm/8” guns, 6x2-12,7cm/5” guns and 12-3” guns.

Naval strength of North Vietnam according to the Dutch newspaper Vrije Stem dated 4 April 1975

An item reported that the navy of North Vietnam consisted of 3 coastal escort vessels, 28 motor gunboats. 18 motor torpedo boats, around thirty small patrol vessels, twenty landing craft,  some armed junks and 10 helicopters. Personnel strength 3.000 men.

The North Vietnamese navy according to the Dutch newspaper Amigoe di Curacao dated 6 August 1964

An item reported that American aircraft succeeded in destroying around 25 patrol boats of the North Vietnamese navy. This navy numbered according to the latest tidings just 49 patrol vessels including 16 motor torpedo boats and 30 gunboats. All vessels were Russian manufactured and just of a small tonnage.

USA using British hovercrafts in South Vietnam according to the Dutch newspaper Amigoe di Curacao dated 11 May 1966

An item reported that according to well informed sources in Saigon the US navy a week later would commissioned three British hovercrafts in Vietnam to be used in the Mekong delta. The armament consisted of machineguns and a crew of just four men. With a speed of more as 120 kilometres their purpose was to pursue Vietcong junks in shallow waters.