Operation Bold Mariner was a

US Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...

operation that took place on the

Batangan Peninsula The Ba Làng An Peninsula ( vi, mũi Ba Làng An, lit=land nose of Three Villages called An) is a peninsula in Quảng Ngãi Province, Vietnam, northeast of Quảng Ngãi and 32 km south of Chu Lai. The name was often mispronounced as "Ba Ta ...

southeast of

Chu Lai Chu Lai is a seaport, urban and industrial area in Núi Thành District, Quảng Nam Province, Vietnam. The city is served by Chu Lai International Airport. It is also the site of the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone (Vietnamese: ''Với Khu Kinh T� ...

, lasting from 12 January to 7 February 1969.

Background

The peninsula was believed to be supporting elements of the

Viet Cong , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...

(VC) 38th Main Force Regiment, the 48th Local Force Battalion, P-31st Local Force Company and C-95th Sapper Company all of which posed a threat to

Quảng Ngãi Quảng Ngãi () is a city in central Vietnam. It serves as the capital city of Quảng Ngãi Province. Quảng Ngãi City borders Tư Nghĩa District to the south and west, Sơn Tịnh District to the northwest and Bình Sơn District to the ...

and allied forces in the area. The operation was planned to be the Marine Corps' largest amphibious assault since the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

with Battalion Landing Team (BLT) 2nd Battalion, 26th Marines and BLT 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines assaulting the north of the peninsula by helicopter and landing craft while the 23rd Infantry Division's ''Task Force Cooksey'', composed of elements of the 46th Infantry Regiment and 1st Cavalry Regiment and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) 2nd Division launching Operation Russell Beach to seal off the southern boundary.

Operation

On 12 January the Marines conducted a feint against Mộ Đức District approximately 20 km south of the operation area. At 07:00 on 13 January the Marines landed on the peninsula meeting negligible resistance. Once ashore the Marines linked up with ''Task Force Cooksey'' and then pushed east forcing the VC towards the sea. While encounters with the VC were minimal, the Marines encountered extensive networks of mines, booby-traps and fortifications. On 19 January 2/26 Marines captured 56 Vietnamese of military age, under interrogation they were found to be members of the C-95th Sapper Company. The Marines evacuated numerous civilians for screening, eventually totaling some 11,900 people. On 24 January 2/26 Marines returned to their amphibious assault ships. Following the conclusion of the assault phase, Operation Russell Beach continued with Marine combined action teams, the 46th Infantry Regiment and the ARVN 6th Regiment operating to cleanse the peninsula of VC/ People's Army of Vietnam forces.

Aftermath

The operation concluded on 7 February. During the operation the population was largely removed from the peninsula during the assault phase and a clear and search operation was followed by the construction of new roads and hamlets. The population was allowed to return in April 1969 together with South Vietnamese government institutions

Gallery

File:Marines on Shore, Batangan Peninsula, 1969 (14731716680).jpg, Marines of the 26th Marines wait for the word to deploy after coming ashore File:Marines Form an Assault Line, Hill 37, Operation Bold Mariner, 1969 (14918022362).jpg, 2/26 Marines prepare to form an assault line on Hill 37 File:Viet Cong Tunnel, 1969 (14918381925).jpg, A Marine explores a Viet Cong tunnel complex found by 2/26 Marines File:Vietnamese Civilians Board UH-34 Sea Horse Helicopters, 1969 (14915303031).jpg, Vietnamese civilians evacuated aboard Marine UH-34 helicopters File:Vietnamese Civilians at Relocation Facility, 1969 (14731783438).jpg, Vietnamese civilians evacuated from the Batangan peninsula sheltered at a relocation facility near Quang Ngai City

Background

Operation

Aftermath

Gallery

Notes

Further reading