The Building and Operation of Newport Terminal
During early 1967, ships were anchored up to 45 days or longer waiting to be assigned berths (Command History, 1967, Vol. II). Demurrage costs ranged from $3,000 to $7,000 per day. By the end of 1967, ten ports
would be handling cargo thus reducing ship berth time from 20.4 days to 2.4 days (Heiser, 1974). There was also a shortage of tugboats to handle vessels, barges and miscellaneous duties, but with the building of
Newport, the Saigon command port crisis would be essentially over by late spring of 1967.
During early 1967, ships were anchored up to 45 days or longer waiting to be assigned berths (Command History, 1967, Vol. II). Demurrage costs ranged from $3,000 to $7,000 per day. By the end of 1967, ten ports
would be handling cargo thus reducing ship berth time from 20.4 days to 2.4 days (Heiser, 1974). There was also a shortage of tugboats to handle vessels, barges and miscellaneous duties, but with the building of
Newport, the Saigon command port crisis would be essentially over by late spring of 1967.
| Photo Courtesy of U.S Army Transportation Museum at Fort Eustis, VA. |
| Newport is located on the Saigon River three or four miles north of the Saigon port and just south of the main bridge for highway 1A which had direct route to Bien Hoa air base and Long Binh field depot and the main ammunition depot. The primary purpose of Newport was to take over the handling of all U.S. military cargo that was presently being handled at the Saigon port. Newport would become part of the Saigon area port complex. The components of this complex included Saigon port, Vung Tau where ships lined up and waited for pilots to take them up the river to Newport, Camp Davis which was up river for military housing and the Cat Lai complex located seven miles south east of Saigon. The complex handled over sixty percent of ammunition entering Vietnam (Biggs, King, Criner, 1994). That included several different barge locations for the loading and unloading of ammunition from ships in stream, but of these several barge locations, only two were used exclusively for ammunition and they were located at Buu Long and Cogido. Therefore, the above mentioned would all be handled and operated as a single command. |
| Photo Courtesy of U.S Army Transportation Museum at Fort Eustis, VA. |
| Construction of Newport started in 1966 and took fifteen months to complete, costing the United States at least $50 million dollars (Forken 1967). The facility was constructed by RMK - BRJ (Raymond International, Morrison - Knudson International, Brown & Root and J. A. Jones) on an area of approximately one hundred acres of land that had once been part rice-paddy and a swampy, mangrove-covered area, which at high tide was covered by water (Diary of A Contract 1967). Therefore, great quantities of rock and sand were brought in by barge and truck for fill (Dunn 1972). According to Richard Tregaskis, author of Southeast Asia: Building the Bases, to form the shallow-draft section of the port, 1,144 piles were driven. Some 500 of these piles averaged 135 feet deep. Newport is constructed from two million cubic yards of fill, of which about 3,000 cubic meters of this was delivered by sampans. 18,000 cubic yards of concrete was required for the staging deck, 4,050 steel piles, for a combined length of 107 miles and 35 miles of structural steel. There would be four deep draft berths with a combined length of 2,400 feet, the eight transit sheds have a total floor space of 192,000 square feet (Tregaskis, 1975). One of these berths would be able to handle roll-on and roll-off ships. Another draft would be able to handle container ships plus facilities to include two ramps for landing LST's, a wharf to handle up to seven barges, and a landing craft ramp. There would be warehouses and open storage behind each pier. The port also featured a 100-ton floating crane anchored on a barge. A large parking space for containers would also be available. In April of 1967 the first deep draft vessel would be discharged at Newport. The first container ship to unload at Newport would not be until October, 1967 (Fuson 1994). |
| Photo Courtesy of U.S Army Transportation Museum at Fort Eustis, VA. |
| Newport would be commanded by the 71st Transportation Terminal Service Battalion. According to the written history on the 71st Transportation Battalion, which was normally known as the "EXPEDITERS", arrived in Vietnam from Fort Story, Virginia during August, 1966. The battalion had attached the 154th, 368th, 551st, 561st and 567th Terminal Service Companies; 372nd Terminal Transfer Company; and the U.S. Army Harborcraft Company (Provisional). The base headquarters and company camp was located at Long Binh known as 'CAMELOT' which was about 23 miles to the north from Newport. Camelot base camp was originally built as a tent encampment, but by 1967, aluminum prefab 20' by 60' Adam huts were built to house troops. As a matter of note, regarding the immensity of Long Binh complex, the Long Binh post included depot facilities that provided 1,869,000 square feet of black-topped hardstand and 1,458,000 square feet of covered storage. By comparison, the depot facilities at the Fishmarket in Saigon had a total of only 670,000 square feet of covered storage space as late as March, 1967 (according to Joseph M. Heiser, Jr. who stated in his writing Logistic Support, Vietnam Studies on The Logistics Environment in Vietnam). Newport operated with two twelve hour shifts. Stevedoers and administrative troop personnel were transported by truck from Camp Camelot at Long Binh to Newport. During the second night of the Tet Offensive of 1968, the 71st engaged the Vietcong (third battalion of the 273 VC Regiment) as they were trying to take control of the Newport Bridge (Bien Hoa highway bridge), but with assistance of the infantry, helicopter gun ships and armored vehicles, the Vietcong were repelled and unsuccessful in their mission. The 71st earned two Meritorious Unit Commendations while serving in Vietnam. They were for periods 1968-1969 and the year 1972 (Lineage and Honors). The 71st Transportation Battalion departed Vietnam on August 20, 1972. The 71st supported variou s operations, including Operation Oregon and the retrograde program and was also involved with civic action at Hamlet An Hoa Houng. |
| As defined by the U.S. Army Transportation School in 1966, the mission of a terminal service battalion such as the 71st Transportation Battalion is to provide command and administrative supervision to terminal service companies who handle the load of cargo on vessels, discharge cargo from vessels and clear it from shipside, transfer cargo from one mode of transport to another and prepare the necessary documentation to account for and record movement of this cargo. Each terminal service company, also known as stevedore companies, would number from 250 to 325 men. By 1967, the total strength of the 71st stood as follows: 39 officers, 3 warrant officers and 1,661 enlisted men, but by October of 1969, the 71st headquarters attachment and its three terminal service companies had an authorized strength of 1,045 men but actual assignment totaled 644. The 71st Transportation Terminal Service Battalion reported to the 4th Transportation Command, Saigon. The 4th TC arrived in South Vietnam on August 12, 1965. It was given the mission of assisting Headquarters Support Activity Saigon in U.S. port operations. In early 1966, the 4th's new mission was to operate the Saigon Port Complex, a sub-port at Vung Tau and various ammunition distribution sites. In 1967 the command was officially assigned to the U.S. Army Support Command, Saigon which included overseeing the operation at Newport. |
| Photo Courtesy of U.S Army Transportation Museum at Fort Eustis, VA. |
| Photo Courtesy of U.S Army Transportation Museum at Fort Eustis, VA. |
Tonnage figures were kept on a daily basis, recapping statistical information on ships, barges, landing ship tanks, etc. Nightly, these reports were driven to Saigon port and presented to the 4th Transportation
Command for compilation with the rest of the Saigon Port Complex figures. Although it is difficult to know total tonnage of cargo handled by Newport involving unloading of ships, barges, landing ship tanks,
landing craft and roll on/off during its term of operation in Vietnam, some statistics can be offered with this writing. For instance, between October, 1968 to June, 1969, 1,034,340 tons of cargo was unloaded
(Commanders Monthly Review, 4th T.C., June 1969).
If this figure would be annualized, it would come to an average of 1,379,124 tons of cargo handled for that twelve month period. According to Richard Tregaskis who wrote Southeast Asia: Building the Bases, the port
had the capability to handle 150,000 tons per month which, annualized, would come to 1,800,000 tons for a twelve month period.
Primarily, United States military cargo was unloaded and loaded at Newport which included military vehicles, general military cargo, repair parts, food products, etc. Except for vehicles, the mentioned cargo was
packed in conex containers and later ocean containers.
Command for compilation with the rest of the Saigon Port Complex figures. Although it is difficult to know total tonnage of cargo handled by Newport involving unloading of ships, barges, landing ship tanks,
landing craft and roll on/off during its term of operation in Vietnam, some statistics can be offered with this writing. For instance, between October, 1968 to June, 1969, 1,034,340 tons of cargo was unloaded
(Commanders Monthly Review, 4th T.C., June 1969).
If this figure would be annualized, it would come to an average of 1,379,124 tons of cargo handled for that twelve month period. According to Richard Tregaskis who wrote Southeast Asia: Building the Bases, the port
had the capability to handle 150,000 tons per month which, annualized, would come to 1,800,000 tons for a twelve month period.
Primarily, United States military cargo was unloaded and loaded at Newport which included military vehicles, general military cargo, repair parts, food products, etc. Except for vehicles, the mentioned cargo was
packed in conex containers and later ocean containers.
| Photo Courtesy of U.S Army Transportation Museum at Fort Eustis, VA. |
| This information was submitted by Thomas F. Le Moine, (Hq. Det. 71st Trans. Bn. 67-68) from his research paper, Newport Terminal A Historical Overview Of A U.S. Army Port Facility Operated By The 71ST Transportation Battalion. (Terminal Services) |
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