Wunder Beach
| Wunder Beach | |
|---|---|
 Wunder Beach, 17 May 1968 | |
| Coordinates | 16°46′48″N 107°20′06″E / 16.78°N 107.335°E |
| Type | Army Base |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1968 |
| In use | 1968-70 |
| Battles/wars |  Vietnam War |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | 159th Transport Battalion |
Wunder Beach (also known as Wonder Beach, Utah Beach and Sunder Beach) is a former U.S. Army logistics and supply base along the coast east of Quảng Trị and northwest of Huế.
History
[edit]The U.S. first established a base known as Utah Beach on 2 March 1968 to support the Tet Counteroffensive. The base was located on the coast at Thon Me Thuy, 16 km east of Quảng Trị and 40 km northwest of Huế.[1]
The base was developed as a ship offloading and logistics facility operated by the 159th Transport Battalion to support the operations of the 1st Cavalry Division and later the 101st Airborne Division.[1]
Other units based here included:
On 24 April 1968 the positions of the 1st Battalion, 26th Marines at Wunder Beach were hit by 11-15 rounds of 5" naval gunfire from USS Mullany killing two Marines.[2]
On 24 May 1972 during the Easter Offensive the Republic of Vietnam Marine Division's 147th Marine Brigade conducted an amphibious assault onto Wunder Beach before returning several days later to the Mỹ Chánh Line 10km to the south.[3]: 60
Current use
[edit]The base has been turned over to housing and farmland. In recent times, a South Korean infrastructure developer has undertaken a deepwater seaport development project on this plot of land, called My Thuy International Port. The Port upon completion will have 10 berths, and will be constructed in 3 phases.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Kelley, Michael (2002). Where we were in Vietnam. Hellgate Press. p. 553. ISBN 978-1555716257.
- ^ "Command Chronology for period 1 April to 30 April 1968" (PDF). Headquarters 1st Battalion, 26th Marines. 11 May 1968. p. 63. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Ngo, Quang Truong (1980). The Easter offensive of 1972 (PDF). U.S. Army Center of Military History. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 13, 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Construction of My Thuy Port begins in Quang Tri. VNA. Thursday, February 27, 2020 https://en.vietnamplus.vn/construction-of-my-thuy-port-begins-in-quang-tri/169299.vnp
