Ocean View (Vietnam)

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Ocean View
Coordinates16°57′05″N 107°08′49″E / 16.9514°N 107.147°E / 16.9514; 107.147 (Ocean View)
TypeMarines
Site information
Conditionabandoned
Site history
Built1967
In use1967-9
Battles/warsVietnam Service Medal ribbon.svg
Vietnam War
Garrison information
Occupants3rd Marine Division

Oceanview was a U.S. Marine Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO) observation post located on the coast some 10 km north of the in Quang Tri Province and just south of the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).[1]: 386–7  It was a very isolated spot and could be reached only by Amtrac or helicopter.

The primary reasons for its existence were to prevent infiltration of troops through the DMZ into I Corps and to direct counterbattery fire against People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) artillery. Navy ships would unload supplies at the Cửa Việt Base and these would be taken up the Cua Viet River to Đông Hà Combat Base. Typically ships would begin to unload and PAVN guns would open fire either from North Vietnam or the DMZ. The observers would calculate the PAVN artillery positions and call in the coordinates to Navy ships and then adjust the rounds onto the target.

Oceanview was defended by 32 Marines from the 1st Amphibian Tractor Battalion,[1]: 391  plus 11 Army crewmen manning two M42 Dusters from 1st Battalion 44th Artillery, 108th Artillery Group at Đông Hà, assigned to the 3rd Marine Division.

The PAVN attempted to overrun the position at least twice. On 2 August 1968, several squads of PAVN infantry attacked Oceanview, but were driven off by fire from the Amtracs, Dusters and naval gunfire killing 8 PAVN. Later that day a platoon of PAVN was seen moving nearby and naval gunfire was again called in, resulting in a further 2 PAVN killed.[1]: 387  On the night of 22 February 1969, an estimated 500 PAVN troops attacked Oceanview. The battleship USS New Jersey was on station nearby and it fired 16 inch and 5 inch rounds over a period of 6 hours to break up the attack.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Shulimson, Jack (1997). U.S. Marines in Vietnam: 1968 The Defining Year. History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. ISBN 0-16-049125-8.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ "1969 Narrative History of USS New Jersey (BB-62)". USS New Jersey Veteran's, INC. Retrieved 2005-05-31.

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

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