COMNAVFORV

• Full Name: COMNAVFORV stands for Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Vietnam, the central command authority for all United States Navy operations in Vietnam from 1966 to 1973. • Establishment: COMNAVFORV was officially established on 1 April 1966 in Saigon, consolidating various earlier naval commands to streamline U.S. naval operations during the Vietnam War. • Operation Market Time: One of the most significant missions under COMNAVFORV was Operation Market Time, a coastal surveillance operation to stop North Vietnamese arms smuggling by sea. • Brown Water Navy: COMNAVFORV commanded the "Brown Water Navy"—riverine forces that patrolled the Mekong Delta using specialized boats like the PBR (Patrol Boat, River) and Monitor. • Mobile Riverine Force: The unit oversaw the innovative Mobile Riverine Force, a joint Army-Navy task force that brought infantry and artillery deep into the delta via the waterways. • Swift Boats: COMNAVFORV managed the deployment of the famed Swift Boats (PCFs), which became legendary for their dangerous patrols and direct combat with Viet Cong forces along the coast and rivers. • Operation Sealords: Launched in 1968, this COMNAVFORV-led campaign aimed to disrupt enemy supply lines in the Mekong Delta, integrating Navy and South Vietnamese forces. • Naval Advisors: COMNAVFORV provided hundreds of U.S. naval advisors to the South Vietnamese Navy, helping modernize and train their forces throughout the conflict. • Logistical Challenges: The command was responsible for massive logistical operations, including maintaining river patrol craft in harsh environments and supplying remote bases via river and sea. • Deactivation: Following the Paris Peace Accords, COMNAVFORV was formally disestablished on 29 March 1973, marking the end of direct U.S. naval involvement in Vietnam.