Patriots Point's Vietnam Naval Support Base Camp features many of the various craft used to combat the dangers of patrolling the jungle and rivers throughout the Vietnam War.
This true-to-scale exhibit shows the operational and living areas of a U.S. Naval Advanced Tactical Support Base (ATSB) during the Vietnam War. Visitors are reminded of South Vietnam (1965-71) when the US Navy supported ground troops and counterinsurgency operations throughout a vast network of waterways. The primary mission of the "Brown Water Navy" was to block the movement of insurgents and their supplies into South Vietnam. The exhibit features a rare Mark 1 River Patrol Boat (PBR) dedicated to Medal of Honor recipient James Elliot Williams (see
Medal of Honor Museum for more info).
This exhibit also features a UH-1m Huey gunship dedicated to the "Seawolves" of HAL-3. This elite Navy helicopter squadron helped provide close air support for the PBR's and other Brown Water Navy watercraft. Other helicopters featured in the exhibit include a UH-1H Medevac, UH-34 Seahorse, and AH-1J Sea Cobra.
MARINE AH-1J SEA COBRA
The Marine AH-1J Sea Cobra helicopter on the berm outside the Vietnam Advance Tactical Support Base is on loan from the National Museum of the Marine Corps, Quantico, VA.
