V. Ships operating on Vietnam’s close coastal waters for extended periods with evidence that smaller craft from the ship delivered supplies or troops ashore
The VA Says: “This category includes large ocean-going ships of the Blue Water Navy that conducted supply missions to Vietnam or transported troops into and out of the country through use of smaller landing craft housed within the mother ship. Examples of such vessels include attack cargo ships, amphibious attack transports, and landing ship docks. The smaller landing vessels within these ships required a crew of from 3 to 14, depending on size, as they ferried supplies or troops to and from shore. Although official documents show that some crew members went ashore with the landing craft, they do not generally provide the names of these crew members. Additionally, many of these ships are listed for extended time frames because they routinely travelled back and forth between the US and Vietnam, and between Vietnam and other Asian Pacific ports, as they delivered supplies and troops to Vietnam. Therefore, military records should be checked to ensure that the Veteran was aboard when the ship was in Vietnamese waters (as shown by a PIES O34 request). Any Veteran aboard the mother ship during the time frame of offshore Vietnam landing craft activity will be eligible for the presumption of exposure if that Veteran provides a lay statement of personally going ashore with the landing craft.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs places a ship on this list when “documentary evidence shows that it fits into a particular category.” The required evidence can come from an official ship history, deck logs, cruise books, Captain’s letters, or similar documents. A ship can be listed in more than one category, based on its activities.
For a presumptive service connection for exposure to Agent Orange or other toxic herbicides, evidence requirements may vary depending on the dates the Veteran was aboard and what ship activity occurred on those dates.
Below is the current list of ships with smaller craft going ashore in Vietnam. What if a ship I served on is not on this VA Agent Orange ship list?
• USS Zelima (AF-49) [Auxiliary Stores Ship] conducted numerous on shore supply replenishments at Da Nang, Cam Ranh Bay, Vung Tau, and An Thoi from July-October 1965, January-August 1966, October-December 1968, and May-June 1969
• USS Mars (AFS-1) [Combat Stores Ship] conducted numerous on shore supply replenishments at Da Nang, Cam Ranh Bay, Vung Tau, and An Thoi from May 1965 to November 1972 with evidence of crewmembers going ashore
• USS Niagara Falls (AFS-3) conducted on shore supply replenishments with helicopters and small boats at Da Nang, Cam Ranh Bay, Vung Tau, and An Thoi from April 1968 to March 1973
• USS White Plains (AFS-4) conducted on shore supply replenishments with helicopters and small boats at Da Nang, Cam Ranh Bay, Vung Tau, and An Thoi from January 1969 to March 1973
• USS San Jose (AFS-7) conducted on shore supply replenishments with helicopters and small boats at Da Nang, Cam Ranh Bay, and Vung Tau from October 1971 to February 1972 and September 1972 to March 1973
• USS Mount McKinley (AGC-7) [Amphibious Force Flagship] conducted troop and supply beach landings at Da Nang and elsewhere during March-May 1965, June-July 1966, and July-November 1967
• USS Estes (AGC-12) conducted troop and supply beach landings at Chu Lai and Da Nang during March-October 1965
• USS Winston (AKA-94) [Attack Cargo Ship] conducted troop and supply beach landings during July 1965; April-August 1966; September-October 1967; and November 1968-May 1969
• USS Mathews (AKA-96) on-loaded supplies at Da Nang and delivered them up the Cua Viet River to Dong Ha with “mike boats” from August through December 1967
• USS Merrick (AKA-97) conducted troop and cargo beach landing with small boats at Hue, Chu Lai, and Da Nang from July 1965 through November 1968
• USS Seminole (AKA/LKA-104) [Attack/Amphibious Cargo Ship] conducted troop landings with small boats at Da Nang, Hoi An, and Quang Tri from March through August 1967, September 1968 through February 1969, and during January 1970
• USS Skagit (AKA/LKA-105) conducted troop and cargo beach “mike boat” landings at Da Nang, Chu Lai, and Quang Ngai from November 1965 to November 1967
• USS Union (AKA/LKA-106) conducted numerous troop and cargo “mike boat” beach landings at Da Nang, Cam Ranh Bay, and Chu Lai from March 1965 to November 1969
• USS Washburn (AKA/LKA-108) conducted numerous small boat beach landings at Da Nang, Thon My Thuy, Hue on Perfume River, and Dong Ha on Cua Viet River from 1965 to 1969
• USS Tulare (AKA/LKA-112) conducted troop and cargo “mike boat” beach landings at Da Nang, Chu Lai, Cam Ranh Bay, and Vung Tau from 1966 to 1972
• USS St. Louis (AKA/LKA-116) conducted troop and cargo landings with small boats at Da Nang, Vung Tau, and Quang Nam Province during August-October 1970; January-March 1971; and April-November 1972
• USS General R M Blatchford (AP-153) [Transport Ship] landed elements of 1st Infantry Division at Vung Tau by small boats during October 1965
• USS George Clymer (APA-27) [Amphibious Attack Transport] conducted troop and supply “mike boat” beach landings during July 1965, and March-July 1966, at Da Nang and Chu Lai
• USS Bayfield (APA-33) conducted troop on loading and “mike boat” landings at Da Nang, Chu Lai, Baie de My Han, and Cua Viet River from July through October 1965 and February through May 1967
• USS Cavalier (APA-37) conducted troop landings with mike boats at Chu Lai and Da Nang during March- August 1966 and January-May 1968
• USS Henrico (APA-45) conducted numerous troop landings at Da Nang, Chu Lai, and Hue from March through May 1965 and from August 1966 through March 1967
• USS Lenawee (APA-195) conducted troop and supply landings at Da Nang and Chu Lai from April 1965 to December 1966
• USS Magoffin (APA-199) conducted troop and supply landings at Da Nang and other Vietnam locations from October 1965 through February 1966 and May through November, 1967
• USS Navarro (APA-215) conducted troop on and off loading operations from May 1965 to February 1968 at Da Nang, Chu Lai, and Quang Ngai Province
• USS Okanogan (APA-220) conducted troop and supply landings at various locations during January-July 1962, September 1963-April 1964, July-October 1965, July 1966, November 1966- March 1967, and June-November 1968
• USS Pickaway (APA-222) conducted troop and supply landings at various locations during January 1963, July 1965, March-June 1966, and June-October 1967
• USS Renville (APA-227) conducted troop landings at Da Nang during August-September 1964, May-August 1965, and March-October 1966
• USS Paul Revere (APA-248) conducted small boat troop landings at Quang Ngai Province, Da Nang, and elsewhere from August 1965-April 1966, June- November 1967, March-August 1969, September 1970-March 1971, and August 1972-February 1973
• USS Mobile (LKA-115) [Amphibious Cargo Ship] transported troops and cargo to/from Da Nang and elsewhere July-September 1970, during April 1971, October-November 1971, and January-July 1972
• USS Vancouver (LPD-2) [Amphibious Transport Dock] while anchored offshore, conducted numerous amphibious troop beach landings with smaller “mike boats” in the areas of Da Nang, Cam Ranh Bay, Cua Viet River, and Mekong River Delta from February 1965 to September 1971
• USS Cleveland (LPD-7) while anchored offshore, sent “mike boats” up Cua Viet River and Hue River from November 1967 through 1968 and up Saigon River during September 1969
• USS Dubuque (LPD-8) transported troops, equipment, and supplies ashore with smallervessels and docked at Da Nang and elsewhere from June-November 1968, October-December 1969, January-March 1970, and April-July 1971
• USS Denver (LPD-9) transported troops, equipment, and supplies ashore with smallervessels and docked at Da Nang and elsewhere from February-September 1970; March-June and November 1971; and January-August 1972
• USS Juneau (LPD-10) picked up troops and equipment with smaller vessels and transported them out of Vietnam from August 1970 to March 1971 and June to November 1972
• USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) [Landing Platform, Helicopter] operated as troop transport with helicopters and smaller vessels transporting troops on and off shore for amphibious assaults from May 1965 to August 1972
• USS Okinawa (LPH-3) operated as troop transport with helicopters and smaller vessels transporting troops on and off shore for amphibious assaults, with evidence that crew members went ashore to assist civilians, from April-November 1967, December 1968-May 1969, June- November 1970, and April-November 1972
• USS Princeton (LPH-5) operated as troop transport with helicopters and smaller vessels transporting troops on and off shore during April 1962 and from October 1964 to December 1968
• USS Valley Forge (LPH-8) operated as troop transport with helicopters and smaller vessels transporting troops on and off shore from September 1964 to September 1969
• USS Tripoli (LPH-10) operated as troop transport with helicopters and smaller vessels transporting troops on and off shore intermittently from May 1967 to December 1973
• USS Carter Hall (LSD-3) [Landing Ship Dock] while anchored offshore, conducted troop-landing operations with “mike boats” at Da Nang, Dong Ha, and other locations from July 1965 through November 1968
• USS Gunston Hall (LSD-5) conducted numerous troop, supply, and equipment landings at Da Nang, Chu Lai, etc. during 1966 and from March 1968 to February 1970
• USS Oak Hill (LSD-7) conducted numerous troop and supply landings with evidence of crew members going ashore at Da Nang, Chu Lai, Vung Tau, and Hue, from October 1965-April 1966, March-August 1967, and September 1968-February 1969
• USS Cabildo (LSD-16) conducted numerous troop, supply, and equipment landings at Da Nang, Cam Ranh Bay, and Vung Tau from July 1965 to November 1968
• USS Catamount (LSD-17) conducted numerous troop, supply, and equipment landings at Da Nang, Vung Tau, and Cua Viet River area on piers and with small boats from December 1965 to May 1969
• USS Fort Marion (LSD-22) conducted numerous supply landings at Da Nang, Cam Ranh Bay, and Mekong Delta area, with crew members going ashore, from October 1965-June 1966, September-December 1967, and December 1968-May 1969
• USS Whetstone (LSD-27) conducted numerous troop and supply landings with smaller mike boats at Da Nang, Hue, Phu Bai, and Dong Ha from March 1965 to September 1969
• USS Thomaston (LSD-28) conducted numerous troop and supply landings with small boats at Da Nang, Cam Ranh Bay, Song Co Chien River area, and Cua Viet River area from 1965 to 1972 [Note: no AO exposure for 1975 operations]
• USS Point Defiance (LSD-31) conducted numerous troop and supply landings with small boats at Da Nang, Van Tuong, and Kien Hoa from May 1965 through October 1972
• USS Alamo (LSD-33) conducted numerous troop, supply, and equipment landings with smaller boats at Da Nang, Vung Tau, Song Bo De, An Thoi, and Tan My between August 1964 and October 1972
• USS Hermitage (LSD-34) conducted troop landings in Da Nang area from June through October 1967
• USS Monticello (LSD-35) conducted numerous troop and supply landings at Chu Lai and elsewhere from October 1965-March 1966, February-September 1967, March1968-February 1969, February-September 1970, March 1971, November 1971, October-December 1972, and January 1973
• USS Anchorage (LSD-36) transported troops and supplies to and from shore with smaller craft at Da Nang, Cam Ranh Bay, Vung Tau, and An Thoi from February 1970 through July 1972
• USNS General W. H. Gordon (T-AP-117) [Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) Transport Ship] transported troops and cargo to Vung Tau and elsewhere in Vietnam, with crew members going ashore, during 1965 and from December 1967 to March 1968
• USNS Barrett (T-AP-196) carried US Army 2nd Transportation Company to Qui Nhon during August 1965 and transported additional troops to Vietnam from April to December 1968 and January to May 1969
• USNS Geiger (T-AP-197) transported troops to Qui Nhon and Vung Tau from September to December 1965 and additional troops to Vietnam January to February 1967 and July 1969