Ready for Battle: Supporting the War
The U.S. Navy was the backbone of the logistics effort in Vietnam. The United States transported 99% of ammunition and 95% of supplies (including vehicles) by sea. By mid-1967, the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) ran a fleet of 527 ships to keep the ammunition and equipment moving. The MSTS also transported tens of thousands of U.S. and allied troops to South Vietnam. The Seabees (Navy Construction Battalions) built, repaired, and maintained base and port facilities, hangars, helicopter pads, runways, piers, and offshore fuel lines. The Navy established Headquarters Support Activity, Saigon on July 1, 1962. Naval Support Activity, Da Nang later served as the Navy's largest overseas logistics command. Naval personnel provided spiritual and physical support as well. Navy doctors and nurses treated the wounded on hospital ships and in-country while chaplains and corpsmen served with Marines fighting on the front lines.
