In November, Endurance, the Coast Guard cutters Rush and Sherman, and the patrol combatant USS Tacoma (PC 92) were involved in action involving an enemy type SL-3 steel-hulled trawler trying to infiltrate the waters of South Vietnam.

Detecting the vessel approaching the coast, Endurance maneuvered to intercept and shadow it, and after it entered the Republic of Vietnam waters, she immediately closed and challenged. The ensuing engagement with guns at close range delayed movements of the trawler until the more heavily-armed Rush and Sherman could close and assist, with Sherman ultimately sinking the vessel after hitting her repeatedly with 5-inch 38-caliber rounds from the cutter’s forward gun mount. As each point-detonating round struck the trawler, there was an accompanying explosion and bright illumination of the enemy vessel until it stopped, exploded, and sank.

For their key roles in the destruction of the trawler, Sherman’s commanding officer and executive officer received the Bronze Star medal, and other crew members received awards of lower precedence. John Wisinski, a well known Coast Guard artist, depicted the destruction of the trawler by Sherman in a 1972 painting, which her commanding officer donated to the Coast Guard Academy. The preceding gun battle between Endurance (MSO 435) and the infiltration trawler is shown on the cover of this book, a copy of a painting by the renowned maritime artist Richard DeRosset. Mr. DeRosset was kind enough to volunteer to capture the “story within the story” of the destruction of an enemy vessel, laden with enough arms and ammunition to arm a North Vietnamese army division.

Endurance’s commanding officer, Lt.Cdr. Charles R. Schlegelmilch, U.S. Navy, recalls that his ship had followed the trawler from international waters into South Vietnamese territorial waters, upon which he requested permission from the commanding officer of Rush, the officer in tactical command, to proceed and challenge the suspect vessel. Receiving permission, he approached the trawler from her port quarter, with his ship at “darken ship” condition, and challenged the trawler with “alpha-alpha” via flashing light to identify itself. Receiving no response and in accordance with the rules of engagement, he fired a warning shot from Endurance’s 20mm gun mount across the port bow of the vessel. When the vessel did not respond or slow, the MSO illuminated it with her 24-inch search light and fired 20mm rounds into its port bow. The trawler turned to starboard, came about on a course towards Endurance, and a battle ensued with gun flashes from the two vessels visible to crewmen aboard Sherman. Uncloaked from darkness, the trawler directed an 85mm round at Endurance’s searchlight in an attempt to extinguish it, causing, undoubtedly, some consternation to the MSO’s signalman.

The trawler was firing 85mm recoilless rifle and .60-caliber machine gun fire at the minesweeper, visible by their respective red and brilliant green tracer. Endurance was engaging the enemy with her 20mm gun mount (located on the foc’sle forward of the sonar winch) and her 50- and .30-caliber machine guns, mounted on her port and starboard bridge wings and the port and starboard sides of her fantail. Continuing her turn to starboard, the trawler exposed more of her port bow to fire from Endurance’s forward guns, and then turned to port and tried to ram the minesweeper.

Endurance’s commanding officer had not wanted to allow the trawler an opportunity to close his ship, as it was a practice of the Viet Cong arms carriers, if they thought they would be captured, to try to blow up not only their cargo and themselves but also their tormentor, if they could maneuver to within close proximity. This may have been the trawler’s intention when it suddenly made a sharp turn to port and tried to ram the MSO’s starboard side, or she may have been trying to disable and disengage from Endurance, in an effort to make it to shallow waters off the Mekong River mouth, before the more heavily-armed cutters and patrol combatant could close her. The commanding officer of Endurance had to maneuver quickly to avoid collision while keeping his gun batteries unmasked and firing rounds into the trawler. He also elected to turn to port, because Endurance’s 20mm gun had jammed and by this maneuver the MSO could continue to engage the enemy vessel with her starboard .50-caliber and .30-caliber machine guns as she came about. However, the turn to port exposed Endurance’s stern and an 85mm fired by the trawler round struck the transom, exploding after penetrating the outer wooden hull.

Leading seaman Michael Wark, the battle phone talker relaying orders to the 20mm gun, recalls walking aft around the port side of the deck house to see where the trawler was so that he could inform the gunner when it was going to clear the pilot house and he could fire on it. He was knocked off his feet by the detonation of the round, which was fortuitous as shrapnel from it hit the deckhouse near where he had been standing. During all this, GMG3 Cotton had come up on the foc’sle and swabbed out the gun barrel (jammed by a “short round”) wearing heavy gloves, because the barrels were glowing red, even though there was a chance the round might “cook off” before he could get it over the side. By the time Cotton had replaced the gun barrel the trawler had broken away, but Endurance still got off a few more rounds.

The trawler was on a course north-northwest for shallow water. Rush fired 5-inch rounds at her, but scored no hits, and then directed Sherman to engage the enemy, who sunk it with repeated hits on the vessel’s starboard side. Before Sherman commenced firing point-detonating rounds, she fired three star shells to illuminate the target and to ensure identification. Michael Wark recalls then being able to view the battle scene, choppy water with four to five-foot swells and a short beach and jungle ahead.

Michael Wark further remembers about the battle:

SK2 Doug Hunter was our gunner on the 20mm cannon. He and his right-on marksmanship are the main reasons the enemy trawler sits on the bottom today. We were about five hundred yards away from the enemy that night. About 10:45 p.m. we went to General Quarters. As soon as all battle stations reported ready, in only a couple of minutes, the Captain gave the word to the signalman to flash code by light directing the trawler to identify itself. The trawler gave us no answer after repeated tries.

The Captain then gave the order for the number one gun mount to fire one round over their bow. I relayed the order to the gunner and he did as ordered, arching it perfectly over their bow. They still did not respond and continued making a course straight for the coast.

The Captain then gave the order to fire two rounds into her side, forward. In only moments (it seemed longer), they were about a hundred yards (away) and closing. That's when the Captain gave the order for all guns to commence firing and to destroy the contact. The 20mm, two .50-cals, and two 30-cals opened up on them. We hit them with all of our fire power. We also trained the 24-inch searchlight on them so as to blind them. Although the night was very dark, it soon lit up when the action started.  Gunfire seemed to be coming from everywhere and tracers lit up the night.

Of course, they started firing back at us, and they seemed to have us outgunned. I am not sure, but don’t think they could have seen us very well, since they were blinded by our searchlight. We were really tearing them up. EN2 Olley Anderson was on the starboard .50 cal; I’m not sure who was manning the other machine guns.

When they saw they weren’t doing any good, they attempted to ram us. I remember I saw tracers coming from the 20mm, going in the port holes in their pilot house and bouncing out their port and starboard side doors. Anyway, they barely missed colliding with us. You couldn't have got a life boat between us as they passed our stern. As they passed close by, they hit us with some type of rocket. It hit the port transom, just above the waterline. When it hit us, it knocked me off my feet and I hit the deck. As luck would have it, that was a good thing for me.

Getting knocked down just then saved my life, because in that instant I heard what sounded like bb’s hitting the superstructure near me. As I got myself together and got up, I glanced at the superstructure where I had been standing just seconds before. It was shredded with shrapnel. I was very lucky.

The trawler had made its pass and fired its rocket in one last attempt to sink us. We just kept firing our guns. The trawler got clear of us, and a few minutes later as I saw fire consuming its superstructure it exploded into bits. The fire got to some of the ammunition she was carrying.

She went to the bottom. I don’t know how anyone lived through that explosion, but a couple of VC made it to the shore and were greeted by a Seal Team that blew them away.

I know we saved a lot of soldiers’ lives by denying the enemy the ammunition that was put on the bottom. We stayed on station where we sank the trawler for about ten days, assisting the Navy Seal team and UDTs in the recovery of the ammo from that ship. Because it was in very shallow water, not more than 5 to 7 fathoms deep, Charley would have recovered it if we hadn’t.
I picked up a piece of wood from the sunken ship that was floating on the surface and brought it back as a souvenir. It was painted the color of the ocean (aquamarine) and may have been part of the deckhouse. The trawler was a steel-hulled ship that appeared to be approximately 190 feet long.

In early December, Endurance and the salvage ship USS Conserver (ARS 39) conducted salvage operations on the sunken infiltration trawler. Poor weather and unfavorable sea conditions had prevented salvage operations between 28 November and 1 December. Following a conference on 30 November aboard the salvage ship at Vung Tau, Conserver relieved Endurance as on-scene commander. Diving operations began on 2 December, when Endurance arrived at the site of the wreck at first light, and, using her sonar, began vectoring Conserver’s workboat over the trawler. She located the trawler immediately and “buoyed off” the area above it.

The Republic of South Vietnam craft YLLC1, with VNN divers aboard, anchored near the wreck, passed a bowline to the stern of the trawler, and began diving operations. The operations were extremely hazardous due to zero visibility, strong currents, and jagged edges protruding from the vessel’s hull. When the currents were at maximum ebb or flood, the divers could not descend to the wreck, and slack water occurred for only about fifteen minutes, usually once per day.

Although diving efforts were suspended on 2 December due to deteriorating weather, the divers had been able to become familiar with the trawler and associated working conditions and to recover a drum magazine with a carrying case for a type 56 light machine gun as well as a light canvas cover.

Endurance moved two miles seaward of the site for night anchorage, while the VNN YLLC1 proceeded up river to seek shelter from bad weather. Slightly improved weather conditions the following day allowed a more thorough investigation and recovery of the following armaments:

      Four birdcage underwater pressure actuating devices plus carrying case.
      Thirty-one boxes of 82mm mortar rounds (2 per box) with accessories.
      One case (968 rounds) TSPE 53, 7.62mm ammunition.
      Approximately 20,000 rounds of AK-47 ammunition in 16-20 round packages.

Above the Mekong. There were Destroyers and I think a Carrier. They were softing up the beach head. What you are seeing is an actual beach head assault by the Marines. 1970 on Market Time patrol. We were at Air/Sea Rescue Stand By..........Wark BM 2

This was a visit to "The Wall That Heals", for some of us. It did me good to go. I wouldn't go for years. We went as a group of 6 vets in the year 2000. It was good to see old friends names, but the survivor guilt was quite bad. With help from my buddies, we all made it ok. It was bad at first facing the wall with all those names, but as the day went on, my feelings got better. I came to an understanding. For the first time since the war, I felt some calm that I can't explain.

All the guys who went on the trip, and the other guys who didnt, but are in our group, signed this flag and left it as our memorial to our fallen comrades. We truly are all brothers ,,,,, Michael Wark BM 2