Vinh Long Airfield : History, Current use, Accidents and incidents Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vinh Long Airfield

10°15′04″N 105°56′49″E / 10.251°N 105.947°E / 10.251; 105.947 (Vĩnh Long Airfield)Site historyBuilt1963In use1963-75Battles/wars

Vietnam War

Airport

Vĩnh Long Airfield

IATA: XVL
ICAO: none

Summary

Elevation AMSL

10 ft / 3 m

Runways

Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
	3,000	914	asphalt

Vĩnh Long Airfield (also known as Vĩnh Long Army Airfield, Gauvin-Upton Airfield or Shannon-Wright Compound) is a former United States Army base west of Vĩnh Long in Vĩnh Long Province, Mekong Delta, Vietnam.

History

The base was originally established in 1963 approximately 3 km west of Vĩnh Long and 48 km southwest of Mỹ Tho. The base was named after Captain Roger Gauvin and SP5 Carleton Upton of the 114th Aviation Company who were killed in action on 15 March 1964.^[1]

The base was attacked by Vietcong forces as part of the Tet Offensive on 31 January 1968 resulting in seven U.S. killed and three Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopters destroyed.

The 2nd Brigade, 9th Infantry Division comprising:

3rd Battalion, 47th Infantry^[2]^: 150
4th Battalion, 47th Infantry^[2]^: 150

was based here from April–May 1968.

Other units stationed at Vĩnh Long at various times included:

7th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment (June 1968-April 1972)^[2]^: 125
62nd Aviation Company (October–December 1964)^[2]^: 121
114th Assault Helicopter Company (May 1963-February 1972)^[2]^: 121
175th Assault Helicopter Company (September 1966-February 1972)^[2]^: 122
199th Assault Helicopter Company (July 1967-October 1970)^[2]^: 122
502nd Aviation Battalion (December 1964-September 1966)^[2]^: 123
HA(L)-3 Detachment 3 (January 1968)^[3]
28th and 96th Avionics Signal Detachment^[4]
A Company, 501st Aviation Battalion arrived during December 1964^[5]

Current use

The base is abandoned but still clearly visible on satellite images.

Accidents and incidents

On 18 December 1970 two OH-6 Cayuse light observation helicopters collided shortly after takeoff and crashed destroying both and killing all four crewmen^[6]

References

^ Kelley, Michael (2002). Where we were in Vietnam. Hellgate Press. p. 539. ISBN 978-1555716257.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Stanton, Shelby (2003). Vietnam Order of Battle. Stackpole Books. ISBN 9780811700719.
^ Sherwood, John (2015). War in the Shallows: U.S. Navy and Coastal and Riverine Warfare in Vietnam 1965-8. Naval History and Heritage Command. p. 302. ISBN 9780945274773.
^ "96th and 28th Avionics Signal Detachment Vinh Long Vietnam". testequipland.com. May 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
^ Dunstan, S (1988). Vietnam Choppers. Osprey Publishing Ltd. p. 33. ISBN 0-85045-572-3.
^ "Headquarters MACV Monthly Summary December 1970" (PDF). Headquarters United States Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. p. 14. Retrieved 26 March 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.