Operations in Kien Hoa Province

On 23 July MRG ALFA commenced a three-day riverine operation in the Giong Trom and Ben Tre districts about 10 miles southeast of Ben Tre. As in previous operations Task Force SIX GUN got underway the previous night under the cover of darkness and proceeded to fire support bases
along the Ham Luong River. The assault craft of MG ALFA proceeded to the operating area on the morning of 23 July. RAD 91 riverine units with the 3/60th Inf. Bn. embarked were enroute to beaching areas on Giong Trom Canal 8 miles southeast of Ben Tre, when they were ambushed on the Ben Tre Stream about 6 miles southeast op, Ben Tre. The boats immediately turned toward the ambush positions, saturated the area with machine-gun and cannon fire, and landed the infantrymen to counter-attack the enemy and search the area. The minesweeping ASPB's, the lead monitor and an ATC at the lead of the formation bore the brunt of the attack which -consisted of a barrage of recoilless-rifle, rocket and heavy automatic-weapons fire. ASPB-91-4 received several severe hits from the well-entrenched enemy rocketeers who were firing from both banks of the narrow waterway.

During the battle, the boat captain of ASPB-91-4, Boatswain's Mate First Class John F. BOBB, USN, was killed when a rocket hit the coxswain's flat of his boat. In his last heroic act before he died, ROBB beached his boat to prevent it from hitting the other boats in the formation. The gradient where the boat was grounded was very steep, and the boat swamped and subsequently sunk. The ASPB was recovered the following day and returned to the MRB for repairs. The 20-mm gunner, Fireman David A. PEARSON, USN, was also killed when a 75-m recoilless-rifle round severely damaged his gunmount.

As a direct result of the ferocious attack, two other crewmen aboard ASPB-91-4 and two men from ASPB-91-2 were seriously wounded, and were "medevaced" from the battle area. Five of the seven sailors aboard ATC-91-12 and one aboard a monitor also received wounds of a less serious nature. ASPB-91-2 received moderate damage in the fierce firefight. Although this was the most serious incident of the day with two Navymen killed and 10 wounded, the Viet Cong initiated five more attacks in the same general area to emphasize their determination to deny the riverine craft the use of the Ben Tre/Ong Huong/Giong Trom waterways. These narrow and confining streams and canals were referred to as "Rocket Alley" by the men of the Mobile Riverine Force.

Bobb, John Franklin, BM1