Article

2003-11-19 Southeast Asia

Ho Chi Minh City B-Girls Welcome Sailors

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Posted by Steve 2003-11-19 8:51:49 AM|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#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|| [http://blog.simmins.org] 2003-11-19 9:15:29 AM|| Front Page Top

#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|| 2003-11-19 10:50:41 AM|| Front Page Top

#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|| 2003-11-19 11:05:05 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 It's nice to read a story with a happy ending.

Posted by sid 2003-11-19 11:43:10 AM|| 2003-11-19 11:43:10 AM|| Front Page Top

#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|| 2003-11-19 3:37:37 PM|| Front Page Top

#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|| 2003-11-19 7:41:32 PM|| Front Page Top

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