The following is a rather thorough Bibliography that has many good Vietnam Books and Articles relating to Mobile Riverine Force operations in the vast Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. The Brown Water Navy was made up of Task Forces 115, 116 and 117, which worked in conjunction with the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) to coordinate all combat operations.  Operations Game Warden, Giant Slingshot, Barrier Reef and SEALORDS were a few of the more notable major campaigns during the Vietnam War. Various military medals and ribbons, whether personal or for the entire unit, were bestowed upon these proud fighting sailors. I hope this Bibliography helps you learn more about their heroic efforts to thwart communism in Southeast Asia at a critical time in history.

 

Bibliography

Books and Articles

 

Bartholomew, C. A. [Mud, Muscle, and Miracles: Marine Salvage in the United States Navy]. Washington: Naval Historical Center/Naval Sea Systems Command, 1990. 

BDM Corporation. [A Study of Strategic Lessons Learned in Vietnam]. Vol. 6, [Conduct of the War]. Washington: BDM, 1981. 

Bond, Ray, ed. [The Vietnam War: The Illustrated History of the Conflict in Southeast Asia]. New York: Crown Publishers, 1979. 

Bosiljevac, T. L. [SEALS: UDT/SEAL Operations in Vietnam]. Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, 1990. 

Bowman, John S., ed. [The Vietnam War, An Almanac]. New York: World Almanac Publishing, 1985. 

Casey, Michael, Clark Dougan, Samuel Lipsman, Jack Sweetman, Stephen Weiss. [Flags Into Battle]. The Vietnam Experience. Boston: Boston Publishing Co., 1987. 

Chief of Information. [The Navy in Vietnam]. Washington: GPO, 1968. 

Clark, Paul W. [Riverine Operations in the Delta]. CHECO Report 67, U.S. Air Force, 1968. 

Coletta, Paolo E., ed. [United States Navy and Marine Corps Bases, Overseas]. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1985.

Croizat, Victor. [The Brown Water Navy: The River and Coastal War in Indo-China and Vietnam, 1948-1972]. Poole, UK: Blandford Press, 1984. 

Cutler, Thomas J. [Brown Water, Black Berets: Coastal and Riverine Warfare in Vietnam]. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1988. 

Doyle, Edward and Samuel Lipsman. [America Takes Over, 1965- 1967]. The Vietnam Experience. Boston: Boston Publishing Co., 1982. 

Edelman, Bernard, ed. [Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam]. New York: Pocket Books, 1985. 

Forbes, John and Robert Williams. [The Illustrated History of the Vietnam War]. Vol. 8, [Riverine War]. New York: Bantam Books, 1987. 

Friedman, Norman. [U.S. Small Combatants: Including PT-Boats, Subchasers, and the Brown-Water Navy: An Illustrated Design History]. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1987. 

Fulton, William B. [Riverine Operations 1966-1969], a Vietnam Studies Monograph. Washington: Department of the Army/GPO, 1973. 

Gregory, Barry. [Vietnam Coastal and Riverine Forces Handbook]. Northamptonshire, UK: 1988. 

Hagan, Kenneth J. [This People's Navy: The Making of American Sea Power]. New York: The Free Press, 1991. 

Hanks, Dorrell T. [Riverine Operations in the Delta: May 1968-June 1969]. CHECO Report 121, U.S. Air Force, 1969. 

Hooper, Edwin B., Dean C. Allard, and Oscar P. Fitzgerald. [The United States Navy and the Vietnam Conflict]. Vol. 1, [The Setting of the Stage to 1959]. Washington: Naval History Division/GPO, 1976. 

Hooper, Edwin B. [United States Naval Power in a Changing World]. New York: Praeger, 1988. 

Johnson, Raymond W. [Postmark: Mekong Delta]. Westwood, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1968. 

Kreh, William R. [Citizen Sailors: The U.S. Naval Reserve in War and Peace]. New York: David McKay, 1969. 

Kobee, E.F., S. Erickson, L. Lange, L. Sockard, and B. Vajakos. [Small Craft Counterinsurgency Blockade]. White Oak, MD: Naval Ordnance Laboratory, 1972. 

Lawson, Robert L., ed. [The History of US Naval Air Power]. New York: The Military Press, 1985. 

Marolda, Edward J. [By Sea, Air, and Land: An Illustrated History of the U.S. Navy and the War in Southeast Asia]. Washington: Naval Historical Center, 1992. 

Marolda, Edward J. and Fitzgerald, Oscar P. [The United States Navy and the Vietnam Conflict]. Vol. 2, [From Military Assistance to Combat, 1959-1965]. Washington: Naval Historical Center, 1986. 

Marolda, Edward J. and G. Wesley Pryce III. [A Short History of the United States Navy and the Southeast Asian Conflict, 1950-1975]. Washington: Naval Historical Center, 1984. 

Mesko, Jim. [Riverine: A Pictorial History of the Brown Water War in Vietnam]. Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal, 1985. 

Moeser, Robert D. [U.S. Navy: Vietnam]. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1969. 

Moore, Withers M., Herbert L. Bergsma, and Timothy J. Demy. [Chaplains With U.S. Naval Units in- Vietnam, 1954-1975]. Washington: History Branch, Office of the Chief of Chaplains, 1985. 

Myer, Charles R. [Division-Level Communications, 1962-1973], a Vietnam Studies Monograph. Washington: Department of the Army/GPO, 1982. [Riverine Warfare, the U.S Navy's Operations on Inland Waterways]. Washington: GPO, 1968 

Rozier, William B. [To Battle a Dragon]. New York: Vantage Press, 1971. 

Stanton, Shelby L. [Green Berets at War: U.S. Army Special Forces in Southeast Asia, 1956-1975]. Novato, CA: Presidio, 1985. 

Summers, Harry G., Jr. [Vietnam War Almanac]. New York: Facts on File Publications, 1985. 

Tidman, Keith R. [The Operations Evaluation Group: A History of Naval Operations Analysis]. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1984. 

Uhlig, Frank, Jr., ed. [Vietnam: The Naval Story]. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. 1986. 

U.S. Naval History Division. [Riverine Warfare, The U.S. Navy's Operations on Inland Waterways]. Washington: GPO, 1968. 

U.S. Naval History Division. [Riverine Warfare: Vietnam]. Washington: GPO, 1972. 

Young, Darryl. [The Element of Surprise: Navy SEALs in Vietnam]. New York: Ivy Books, 1990. 

Zumwalt, Elmo R., Jr. [On Watch: A Memoir]. New York: Quadrangle/ The New York Times Book Co., 1976. 

Zumwalt, Elmo, Jr., Elmo Zumwalt III, and John Pekkanen. [My Father, My Son]. Macmillan Publishing Co., 1986. 

Abel, Christopher A. "Forgotten Lessons of Riverine Warfare." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] 108 (January 1982): 64ff. 

Ashworth, George W. "South Vietnamese Navy Wins Its Spurs in Cambodia." [Navy] 13 (July-August 1970): 33f. 

Baker, John W., and Lee C. Dickson. "Army Forces in Riverine Operations." [Military Review] 47 (August 1967): 64ff. 

Baldwin, Hanson W. "'Spitkits' in Tropic Seas." [Shipmate] 29 (August-September 1966): 8ff. 

Batten, Loring. "A Navy and National Need: Greater River Warfare Capability." [Navy] 9 (February 1966): 8ff. 

Beebe, Robert P. "Operations in Restricted Waters." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] 88 (June 1962): 22ff. 

Carrison, Daniel J. "Riverine Warfare: A Forgotten Capability Redeveloped." [Data] (December 1968): 29ff. 

Chapelle, Dickey. "Water War in Viet Nam." [The National Geographic Magazine] (February 1966): 272ff. 

Colwell, John B. "Naval Action Vietnam." [Ordnance] (November- December 1966): 262ff. 

Cowan, William V. "Killer Forrest." [Marine Corps Gazette] 54 (August 1970): 31ff. 

Cracknell, William H., Jr. "The Role of the U.S. Navy in Inshore Waters." [Naval War College Review] 21 (November 1968): 65ff. 

Croizat, Victor J. "Naval Forces in River War." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] 92 (October 1966): 52ff. 

_______. "Vietnamese Naval Forces: Origin of the Species." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] 99 (February 1973): 48ff. 

Cutler, Thomas J. "God Be Here." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] 114 (April 1988): 80ff. 

Dagle, Dan. "The Mobile Riverine Force, Vietnam."" U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] 95 (January 1969): 126ff. 

Doherty, Dan. "Ben Luc PBR Base, Vietnam." [Military Engineer]. (November-December 1969): 412ff. 

Dutcher, William E. "Naval and Maritime Events, January 1970- June 1971." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] (Naval Review Issue) 97 (May 1971): 55ff. 

Ebersole, J.F. "Skimmer Ops." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] 100 (July 1974): 40ff. 

Emory, Thomas R. M. "River Power." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] 96 (August 1970): 117ff. Finklestein, J.B. "Naval and Maritime Events, January 1971-June 1971." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings]. (Naval Review Issue) 98 (May 1972): 43ff. 

_______. "Naval and Maritime Events, July 1971-December 1971." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] (Naval Review Issue) 98 (May 1972): 339ff. 

Fitzgerald, Oscar P. "U.S. Naval Forces in the Vietnam War: The Advisory Mission, 1961-1965." In [Changing Interpretations and New Sources in Naval History], edited by Robert William Love, Jr. New York: Garland Publishing, 1980: 450ff. 

Fulton, William B. "Mobile Riverine Forces in Combat." [Field Artilleryman] (April 1969): 15ff. 

Gammell, Clark M. "Naval and Maritime Events, 1 July 1966-30 June 1967." In [Naval Review 1968], 240ff. Annapolis: U.S. Naval Institute, 1967. 

Gleasner, D.C. "The Air Cushion Vehicle: A Giant Step for the Navy." [Our Navy] 65 (February 1970): 2ff. 

Gravatt, Brent L. "Command and Control in Joint Riverine Operations." [Military Review] 64 (May 1984): 54ff. 

Green, William J., Jr. "River Gunfire Support Ship." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] 93 (October 1967): 135ff. 

Harrigan, Anthony. "Inshore and River Warfare." [Orbis] 10 (Fall 1966): 940ff. 

Howard, James M., III. "Operation Deep Channel." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] 97 (August 1971): 39ff. 

Johnson, Roy L. "2 Years After the Gulf of Tonkin." [Navy] 9 (August 1966): 8ff. 

Kolbenschlag, George R. "Naval and Maritime Chronology, 1 July 1965-30 June 1966." In [Naval Review 1967], 232ff. Annapolis: U.S. Naval Institute, 1966. 36 

MacDonald, Scot. "Riverine Warfare: How Services Are Meeting The Delta Test." [Armed Forces Management] 14 (May 1968): 42ff. 

Marolda, Edward J. "Passage to Laos: Journey of the U.S. Navy Mekong River Flotilla, 1960." [Sea Classics] (January 1980): 74ff. 

_______. "The War in Vietnam's Shallows." [Naval History] 1 (April 1987): 12ff. 

Marques, Toby, and J.B. Finkelstein. "Naval and Maritime Events, July 1970-December 1970." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] (Naval Review Issue) 97 (May 1971): 333ff. 

Meyer, Richard M. "The Ground-Sea Team in River Warfare." [Military Review] 46 (September 1966): 54ff. 

Mumford, Robert E., Jr. "Jackstay; New Dimensions in Amphibious Warfare." In [Naval Review 1968], 68ff. Annapolis: U.S. Naval Institute, 1967. 

Murphy, R.P.W., Edwin J. Black. "The South Vietnamese Navy." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] 90 (January 1964): 53ff. 

Mustin, Thomas M. "The River War." [Ordnance] 53 (September- October 1968): 176ff. "Navy Gunship Helicopters in the Mekong." U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings 94 (May 1968): 91ff. 

Nelson, Andrew G., Norman G. Mosher. "Proposed: A Counter- insurgency Task Force." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] 92 (June 1966): 36ff. 

Powers, Robert C. "Beans and Bullets for Sea Lords." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] 96 (December 1970): 95ff. 

Riggs, Jerry. "U.S. Minesweeping Boats Keep Clear the River Path to Saigon." [Navy] 10 (May 1967): 15ff. 

Robinette, Hillary M. "Guerrilla Warfare and Waterway Control." [Military Review] 50 (February 1970): 17ff. 

Rodwell, Robert R. "In Action In Anger: ACV Evaluation in Vietnam Reviewed." [Flight International] (19 January 1967): 5ff. 

Rosier, Bill. "Seawolves on the Prowl in Vietnam." [Naval Aviation News] (January 1967): 26ff. 37 

Schreadley, Richard L. "The Naval War in Vietnam, 1950-1970." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] (Naval Review Issue) 97 (May 1971): 180ff. 

_______. "'Nothing to Report.' a Day on the Vam Co Tay." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] 96 (December 1970): 23ff. 

_______. "Sea Lords." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] 96 (August 1970): 22ff. 

_______. "Swift Raiders." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] 110 (June 1984): 53ff. 

Simpson, Thomas H., and David LaBoissiere. "Fire Support in Riverine Operations," Marine Corps Gazette 53 (August 1969): 43ff. 

"Smaller than the 'Small Boys.'" [Cruiser-Destroyerman] 12 (April 1967): 10ff. 

Smith, Albert C., Jr. "Rung Sat Special Zone, Vietnam's Mekong Delta." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] 94 (April 1968): 116ff. 

Smyth, Cecil B., Jr. "United States Coastal and River Forces in Vietnam." [Trading Post] 43 (October-December 1983): 1ff. 

Spore, John B. "Floating Assault Force: Scourge of the Mekong Delta." [Army] 18 (February 1968): 28ff. 

Storck, T.S. "PBRs Thwart Viet Cong on Delta Waterways." [Our Navy] 63 (April 1968): 38ff. 

_______. "The 'Seawolves.'" [Our Navy] 63 (February 1968): 40ff. 

Strole, D.L., W.E. Dutcher. "Naval and Maritime Events, July 1968-December 1969." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] (Naval Review Issue) 96 (May 1970): 14ff. 

Swanson, Leroy V. "Market Time-Game Warden: The Navy in Vietnam." [Naval Engineers Journal] (June 1966): 391ff. 

Swarztrauber, S.A. "River Patrol Relearned." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] (Naval Review Issue) 96 (May 1970): 120ff. 

Todaro, Donald G. "Big Weapons for Small Boats, Firepower for Riverine War." [National Defense] (November-December 1974): 40ff. 

Tompkins, E.T. "The U.S. Navy 'Ashore' in Viet Nam." [Navy] 11 (February 1968): 14ff. 

Torrance, Harold S. "Naval and Maritime Events, 1 July 1967-30 June 1968." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] (Naval Review Issue) 95 (May 1969): 280ff. 

Troelstrup, Glenn C. "How the Navy Helps Fight a Jungle War." [U.S. News and World Report] (12 September 1966): 44ff. 

"U.S. 'Brown Water Navy' Disbanded, Heads Home." [Navy], 12 (October 1969): 26ff. 

"Vietnam: A Unique War." [Cruiser-Destroyerman] 11 (November 1966): 12ff. 

Watt, D.M. "Medical Support of the Mobile Riverine Force, Vietnam." [Military Medicine] (November 1970): 987ff. 

Weeks, Robert H. "Naval Communications in Southeast Asian Operations." [Signal] 22 (April 1968): 12ff. 

Wells, W.C. "The Riverine Force in Action, 1966-1967." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] (Naval Review Issue) 95 (May 1969): 46ff. 

Weseleskey, A.E. "The Seawolf' Helo Pilots of Vietnam." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] 94 (May 1968): 128ff. 

Westmoreland, William. "Interview with Dennis Chamberland." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] 112 (July 1986): 45ff. 

White, Michael E. "Vietnamese Riverine Forces Taking up the Slack." [Marine Corps Gazette] 54 (December 1970): 41ff. 

White, Peter T. "The Mekong, River of Terror and Hope." National Geographic Magazine (December 1968).

Winter, Robert M. "Armor Afloat in Vietnam." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] 94 (November 1968): 132ff. 

Wukovitz, John F. "Enemy Supply Lines Assaulted." Vietnam (April 1991): 26ff. 

Wunderlin, Clarence E., Jr. "Paradox of Power: Infiltration, Coastal Surveillance, and the United States Navy in Vietnam, 1965-1968." [The Journal of Military History], 53 (July 1989): 275ff. 

Yohanan, Robert R. "Joint Training for Inshore Naval Operations." U.S. Naval Institute [Proceedings] 94 (March 1968): 130ff. 39