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| Southeast Asia |
| Ho Chi Minh City B-Girls Welcome Sailors |
| 2003-11-19 |
| EFL: A US Navy frigate dropped anchor at Vietnam’s biggest city yesterday, the first American warship to visit the country since the end of their bloody conflict nearly 30 years ago. The USS Vandegrift had sailed up the Saigon River from Vung Tau watched by a small crowd of curious onlookers — including Vietnamese veterans of a war they say they want to forget. The frigate was escorted from Vung Tau, about 120 kilometres south-east of Ho Chi Minh City, by two Vietnamese navy vessels. Ho Chi Minh City, formally Saigon received the ship, a vessel of the Oliver Hazard Perry class, quietly. Spectator Duong Tam, 62, said he had fought on the side of the losing, US-backed South Vietnam army but still considered Americans his friends. "Now there is no problem between the American and Vietnamese people," he said. Few of Ho Chi Minh City’s 8 million residents seemed to be aware of the ship’s visit. The 200 American sailors on board are expected to be granted shore leave before the ship departs on Saturday. But with no welcome banners or posters in sight, hotels that were popular with US troops during the 10-year war that ended in 1975 - the Rex, Caravelle and Continental - seemed to display little awareness of the visit. However, some things never change.... Several women beckoning tourists into bars on Dong Koi Street on Tuesday night said they had heard of the ship’s arrival. "Really, really good," said one of the bar women. "Hello, GI. You buy me drink? Me love you long time." |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #6 Usually what would stop an Ocean going ship from going up a river would be the draft. River going vessels don't need much of a keel for stability in wind and swells. The river must be regularly dredged. Navy ships don't always displace a whole lot but the sonar dome on the front tends to make their navigational draft rather deep. Fresh water alos does some odd things to the process of distilling freshwater using evaporators. It also screws with the cathodic system that protects the hull from corrosion. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-11-19 7:41:32 PM |
| #5 I'll bet there was at least one ancient Chief who was having all kinds of interesting thoughts on the way up river. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2003-11-19 3:37:37 PM |
| #4 It's nice to read a story with a happy ending. |
| Posted by: sid 2003-11-19 11:43:10 AM |
| #3 Spectator Duong Tam, 62, said he had fought on the side of the losing, US-backed South Vietnam army but still considered Americans his friends. "Now there is no problem between the American and Vietnamese people," he said. Re-education camps, anyone? |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-11-19 11:05:05 AM |
| #2 From the Vietnam Tourism Bureau's website: The Port of Saigon, established in 1862, is accessible to ships weighing up to 30,000 tons, a rare advantage for an inland river port. Vendegrift is a Perry-class frigate that only displaces 4100 tons, so it's got *lots* of room to maneuver. Not a happy place to drive an LHD, of course (42,000 tons)... |
| Posted by: snellenr 2003-11-19 10:50:41 AM |
| #1 Didn't realize Saigon could take ships of this size. Thought the river was too shallow. |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2003-11-19 9:15:29 AM |