Seeking history of US Army Tugboat LT 529

Question

I am looking for information on the US Army Tug Boat LT 529.&#160; The LT 529 was stationed in Okinawa from 1967-1969, but took frequent trips to Vietnam.&#160; I am looking for anything that places the LT 529 in Vietnamese waters.

Judy Sousa · Answer

Were you able to find out any info on the Lt529?&#160;&#160; I am looking for the same info. The veterans administration&#160; keeps telling me that there is no records of my husband ever being in Vietnam . He was also in Okinawa and did TDY to Vietnam.&#160; I would appreciate anything&#160; you could share with me. How To: Contact Another User &#160; Judy Sousa

Rebecca Collier · Answer

Dear Mr. Bracey, &#160; Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! &#160; According to the History of the 73rd Transportation Company, 10th Transportation Battalion , LT-529 was assigned to this unit (LT-529 mentioned on pages 11, 12 & 15). &#160; We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the Transportation Unit Records, ca. 1965 - ca. 1973 in the Records of the U.S. Forces in Southeast Asia (Record Group 472) that includes records of the 10th Transportation Battalion (Boxes 273 - 284) for 1957-1971. We also located Modification Tables of Organization and Equipment (MTOEs), 1968 - 1972 in Record Group 472 that includes the file MTOE 55-116EP501 10th Transportation Battalion and may list LT-529. Plus, the Operational Reports - Lessons Learned (ORLL), 1965 - 1972 in Record Group 472 that includes 21 files pertaining to the 10th Transportation Battalion during the Vietnam War which may mention LT-529. Next, we located the Organization Histories, 1962 - 1980 in the Records of the Army Staff (Record Group 319) includes the files 73rd Transportation Company (Floating Craft), Ft. Eustis, Virginia - 1968-1973 and 10th Transportation Battalion (Terminal), Ft. Eustis, Virginia - 1971, 1973 . For more information about these non-digitized records, please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RDT2) at archives2reference@nara.gov . &#160; You may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT2. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience as we balance mission-critical work and the safety of our staff during the pandemic.&#160; Please check NARA&#8217;s web page about COVID-19 updates for the latest information. &#160; Lastly, records concerning Army watercraft are in the custody of the U.S. Army Transportation Museum , ATTN: Research Library, 300 Washington Boulevard, Besson Hall, Fort Eustis, VA 23604-5260. The telephone number is (757) 878-1115. WWI TroopShips &#160; We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research! &#160;

kertams · Answer

My name is James Cooper. I was on the LT 529 from June 1967 to Oct 1968. as Leading seamn) Station at Naha, Okinawa assisting in docking large cargo ships, 
 most were carrying wartime cargo and armament that was transported to Kadena AFB for the B52's. The tug alternated these duties with the LT 579. Moving the BD (large floating crane) to various vessels to do the unloading. When the 579 returned from RVN we were released from 2nd Log command and reassigned on TDY to RVN under orders from MAG V. On route we were diverted to Taiwan to assist in repairs to undersea pipeline that carried fuel for the VN effort. We were released near mid January1968 and hooked up to 1 floating crane and 3 LCU's and sailed to VN and arrived at Qui Nhon(south of Da Nang. We were greeted with an early Tet greeting on the 29th of Jan. We were at a dock not far from the 
 airport where most of the air power was based. They took a lot of artillery fire and a few found their mark in the water not far from us. After that we were ordered up to Saigon (above the Newport bridge) until our tows were readied for us. We made up tow ( reefer barge and 3 LCU's.) 
 Arrived at Ilo Ilo in the Philippines mid Feb and after the tows were clear we sailed for Singapore to pick up tows for RVN. We arrived in Singapore and ordered to drop anchor and await instructions. Spent around 10 days on the hook before we could go in and make up the tow 
 which consisted of a reefer barge(loaded with beef and produce) and 1 cargo barge and 2 LCU's and headed back to Saigon. We did not go all the way into Saigon so we broke up the tows and headed back to Okinawa arriving sometime in Mar and back to the old docking ships and moving the Large floating crane around. My tour in Okinawa was up in October so I went back stateside to Ft Eustis, VA. I applied for the HCDOC(harbor craft deck officers course) and once the course was completed I applied for a reserve Warrant Officer on active duty. 
 Returned to VN one year later for a full tour as Master on LCU 1546 running the Mekong delta with loads of munitions and PX supplies to various ports in the delta. 
 The events noted here are from my 83 year old memory so please forgive me if there are errors in my narrative.

Seeking history of US Army Tugboat LT 529

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