Ships of the Republic of Vietnam Navy

Hull numbers

All VNN ship hull numbers began with the letters HQ (Hải quân, "Navy") followed by a number. Note that six patrol craft were designated HQ-01 to HQ-06, while two destroyer escorts and four high endurance cutters were designated HQ-1 to HQ-6. Also the designation HQ-225 was used twice, first for the LSSL Nguyen Van Tru from 1954 until 1957, and after it was broken up for spare parts was given to the LSSL Nỏ Thần, later renamed Nguyen Van Tru in 1970.

Patrol craft

These PC-461-class submarine chasers were 280 ton, 174-foot (53 m) vessels, with a crew of 65. They had a top speed of 20.2 knots (37.4 km/h; 23.2 mph). The main armament was one 3"/50 caliber gun, along with 40 mm and 20 mm guns.

Destroyer escort

The Edsall-class destroyer escort was a 1,253-ton, 306-foot (93 m) vessel, with a crew of 186. It had a top speed of 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) and a range of 10,800 nmi (20,000 km; 12,400 mi). The main armament was three 3"/50 caliber guns, along with torpedo tubes, depth charges, and 40 mm and 20 mm guns.

Frigate

Originally built as Barnegat-class seaplane tenders for the U.S. Navy, these 2,040 ton, 310-foot (94 m) vessels were transferred to the Coast Guard after World War II, and reclassified as Casco-class cutters. With a crew of 151, they had a top speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) and a range of 20,000 nmi (37,000 km; 23,000 mi). The main armament was a single 5"/38 caliber gun. In Vietnamese service they were classified as frigates.

Patrol craft escort

The Patrol Craft Escorts were 903 ton, 184-foot (56 m) vessels. With a crew of 99, they had a top speed of 15.7 knots (29.1 km/h; 18.1 mph). The main armament was a single 3"/50 caliber gun, along with 40 mm guns, and depth charges.

Fleet minesweeper

The Admirable-class minesweepers were 625 ton, 184-foot (56 m) ships. With a crew of 104, they had a top speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). The main armament was a single 3"/50 caliber gun, along with 40 mm guns, and depth charges.

Harbor minesweeper

The YMS-1-class auxiliary motor minesweepers were 270 ton, 136-foot (41 m) vessels. With a crew of 32, they had a top speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). The main armament was a single 3"/50 caliber gun, along with 20 mm guns, and depth charges.

Coastal minesweeper

These vessels were built for South Vietnam by Stephens Brothers, Inc., Stockton, California, and were assigned hull numbers, but not commissioned into the United States Navy. They were 370 ton, 152-foot (46 m) vessels. With a crew of 38, they had a top speed of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph). Their only armament was two 20 mm guns.

Motor Launch Minesweeper

The motor launch minesweeper (MLMS) was a 40 to 60 foot motor launch fitted with basic minesweeping equipment suitable for clearing river channels and harbours.

Landing Ship Support Large

The Landing Ship Support (Large) (LSSL) were 250 ton, 158-foot (48 m) amphibious assault ships primarily used to provide close fire support for troops. With a crew of 71, they had a top speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph). The main armament was a single 3"/50 caliber gun, along with 40 mm and 20 mm guns, and .50 caliber machine guns.

USS LSIL-710 was also transferred to South Vietnam in 1956, but its name and number are not recorded.

Landing Ship Infantry (Large)

Landing Ship Infantry (Large) (LSIL) were 234 ton, 158-foot (48 m) amphibious assault ships, designed to land large numbers of troops directly onto beaches. It could transport 188 men and 65 tons of cargo. With a crew of 28, they had a top speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph), and a range of 4,000 nmi (7,400 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h). Armament consisted of five single 20 mm guns, with additional .50 caliber machine guns.

Landing Ship Medium - Hospital

The LSM-1-class Landing Ship Medium (LSM-H) were amphibious assault ships designed to carry men and vehicles onto a hostile shore. They were 530-ton, 203-foot (62 m) vessels, with a crew of 58, and a top speed of 13.3 knots (24.6 km/h; 15.3 mph). In this case they were modified to act as hospital ships.

Landing Ship Medium

The LSM-1-class Landing Ship Medium (LSM) were amphibious assault ships designed to carry men and vehicles onto a hostile shore. They were 530 ton, 203-foot (62 m) vessels, with a crew of 58, and a top speed of 13.3 knots (24.6 km/h; 15.3 mph). They were capable of carrying between three and five tanks, and 54 troops. Their armament consisted of two 40 mm guns, and four 20 mm guns.

Two further ships - USS LSM-355 and USS LSM-58 - were also transferred to the VVN, though their names and numbers are unknown.

Gasoline barge

The YOG-5-class self-propelled gasoline barge was a 1,235-ton, 174-foot (53 m) vessel, with a crew of 23.

Refrigerated Covered Lighter

This 300 ton, 310-foot (94 m) vessel was used to transport food supplies to floating barracks and bases. They had a crew of 17 and were unarmed.

Note: YFR-889 is one of two of the type deployed to Vietnam according to Navsource. The other, YFR-888, was struck in 1985, and disposed of in 1987, according to the NVR database.

Landing Ship Tank

The Landing Ship, Tank (LST) was a vessel created to support amphibious operations by landing vehicles, cargo, and troops directly to shore. These 1,625 ton, 327-foot (100 m) vessels had a crew of around 120 men, and a top speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph). It could transport 140 troops and between 1,600 and 1,900 tons of cargo in the form of various vehicles, as well as six LCVPs. The main armament was a single 3"/50 caliber gun, along with a number of 40 mm and 20 mm guns, and .50 and .30 caliber machine guns.

Landing Craft Utility

Landing Craft Utility (LCU) were 314 ton, 119-foot (36 m) amphibious assault ships designed to land tanks on beachheads. They were originally classified as the Mk.6 LCT. With a crew of 13, they had a top speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph), and a range of 700 nmi (1,300 km) at 7 kn (13 km/h). They were capable of carrying three or four medium or heavy tanks, or 150 tons of cargo, while armament consisted of two twin 20 mm guns and two .50 caliber machine guns.

Harbor Salvage Craft

The Salvage Lift Craft, Light (YLLC), was a 400-ton, 119-foot (36 m) salvage craft with a lift capacity of 25 tons, based on the hull of the Mk.6 Tank landing craft. With a crew of 16, it had a top speed of 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph), and was armed with two .50 caliber machine guns.

Patrol Gunboat Medium

The PGM-9-class gunboats were built in the U.S. and transferred on completion to South Vietnam. They were assigned hull numbers, but not commissioned into the United States Navy. They were 122 ton, 100-foot (30 m) vessels, with a top speed of 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph) and armed with one 40 mm gun, two 20 mm guns and an 81 mm mortar.

Patrol boat

The Point-class cutter was a 70-ton, 82-foot (25 m) patrol vessel. It had a crew of 10 men, and a top speed of 16.8 knots (31.1 km/h; 19.3 mph). Armament consisted of five M2 Browning machine guns and an 81 mm mortar.

The ships were transferred to the VNN under the United States Coast Guard's SCATTOR (Smallcraft Assets: Training/Turnover Of Resources) program; numerically they were the largest class of the VNN. By 1972, most were in poor condition and mothballed due to lack of fuel and spares. Ngô Văn Quyền (HQ-718) was still active and in good condition when South Vietnam fell in 1975, she was taken into the Vietnam People's Navy and served for many more years. A few other Point-class ships reportedly participated in a final defense of Saigon, firing at North Vietnamese troops from the Saigon River in April 1975. Some may have been damaged or sunk in action. Huỳnh Văn Đức (HQ-702) rendezvoused with other surviving South Vietnamese warships off Côn Sơn Island and fled to the Philippines, and was scrapped there. The rest of the former South Vietnamese fleet was presumably scrapped by Vietnam in the early 1980s.

Patrol Craft Tender

These ships were built as LST-542-class tank landing ships (LST) and modified to act as tenders for patrol craft flotillas. They were 1,625 ton, 328-foot (100 m) vessels with a top speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph).

Landing Craft Repair Ship

The Achelous class (ARL) was a mobile repair ship based on the same hull as the LST. It was a 4,100-ton, 328-foot (100 m) vessel, with a top speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) and a crew of 255. Armament consisted of two quad and two twin 40 mm guns, and six twin 20 mm guns.

Armored Troop Carrier

The Armored Troop Carrier (ATC), better known as the "Tango boat", were LCM-6 landing craft modified for riverine patrol missions. The front ramps were retained for loading and offloading troops, and an armoured superstructure was added. They were 66 ton, 56.5-foot (17.2 m) vessels, with a crew of 7. They had a top speed of 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph) and were armed with four M1919 Browning machine guns, two or three Mk 16 20 mm guns, and one Mk 19 grenade launcher. Variants included the "Zippo" equipped with flamethrowers, the "Monitor", which as well as the usual armament had a 81 mm (3.2 in) mortar and 105 mm (4.1 in) howitzer mounted in a bow turret, and the "Charlie" a command and communications boat.

Associated with the Tango boats were the Assault Support Patrol Boat (ASPB), known as the "Alpha Boat". This was a 50-foot patrol boat armed with two Mk 16 20 mm guns or one Mk 16 and two .50 Browning machine guns, with eight 3.5-inch rocket launchers (on forward turret), and two Mk 21 7.62mm Brownings aft.

Repair, Berthing and Messing Barge

The YRBM-16-class Repair, Berthing and Messing Barge was a 2,700-ton, 261 foot vessel designed to provide support and accommodation for riverine forces.

Junks & Miscellaneous Craft

In January 1972, there were approximately 250 motorised junks in service with the RVN. By 1972 there were very few, if any, armed sailing junks remaining. In addition, on 25 September 1971, USCGC WLV-523, a lightship, was transferred to South Vietnam in order to supplement the coastal naval radar stations already in use. It was renamed Da Bong (304).