Declassified per Executive Order 13526, Section 3.3
NND Project Number: NND 63316. By: NWD Date: 2011
14 November 1961
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Paragraph 2(c). Appendix 1
Provide the GVN with small craft.
Status: PCE (Patrol craft Escort) and PGM (patrol Gunboat) for Coastal patrol.
Forces: PGM (100') - Normal complement 3 officers, 24 enlisted. PCE (180') - Normal complement 9 officers, 90 enlisted. Vietnamese Navy now operating seven (7) patrol craft in coastal operations.
Equipment: PCE and PGM tailored to requirement for coastal patrol. Advantages are cheaper operating costs, smaller personnel requirements and simplified training programs in comparison to larger patrol ships. They will add increased firepower, mobility and communications to the overall patrol effort.
Costs: PCE - $825,000 plus $45,000 for concurrent spare parts to activate and convert from MSF (removing minesweep gear and installing guns on steel-hulled fleet minesweepers).
PGM - $400,000 plus $20,000 for concurrent spare parts. New construction only - delivery lead time 12 months. None in U.S. active or reserve fleets.
Schedule of execution:
PCE - Three (3) now scheduled for delivery with first of these on 29 November 1961 and another in April 1962. Last delivery date scheduled for January 1963. Only two (2) MSF are currently uncommitted out of 41 MSF in the U.S. Reserve Fleet. These possibly could be made available to SVN and converted to PCEs.
PGM - 10 now funded with delivery dates of 3 in October 1962, 3 in November, 3 in December and 1 in January 1963. Delivery times for both PCE and PGM could be expedited about two months at a cost premium of approximately 20%.
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