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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

Patches, center and right contributed by Tommy Trampp

IX-311
ex
 USS Benewah (APB-35) (1946 - 1971)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Uniform - India - Xray
 NUIX
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons




Precedence of awards is from top to bottom,left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (5) - Presidential Unit Citation (2)
Second Row - Navy Unit Commendation (4) - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation - American Campaign Medal
Third Row - World War II Victory Medal - National Defense Service Medal - Vietnam Service Medal (11)
Fourth Row - Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (4) - Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
Personnel Awards

Purple Hearts: (4 KIA SN Sandy Rivers, 19JUL67; FN Lonnie Parker, 25SEP69; RD1 Michael Lynn Ferguson, 28NOV69; SN John E. Hollis, 11NOV70)
Benewah Class Self-propelled Barracks Ship:
  • Authorized, 17 December 1943, as Barracks Ship (non-self propelled) (APL-35)
  • Reclassified Barracks Ship (self-propelled) (APB-35), 8 August 1944
  • Laid down, 2 January 1945, at Boston Naval Shipyard, Boston, MA.
  • Launched, 6 May 1945
  • Commissioned USS Benewah (APB-35), 9 March 1946, LCDR. James M. Kilcullen, Jr., USNR, in command
  • Decommissioned, 30 August 1946, at Boston Naval Shipyard
  • Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Boston Group
  • Moved to Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Florida Group, Green Cove Springs in February 1947
  • Recommissioned, 9 November 1951, LCDR. Clifford E. Baxter, USN in command
  • Decommissioned, 3 October 1956, at Green Cove Springs. FL.
  • Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Florida Group, Green Cove Springs
  • Recommissioned, 28 January 1967, LCDR. Gerald (Jeffy) Saucier, USN in command
  • During the Vietnam War USS Benewah participated in the following campaigns

    Vietnam War Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II
    21 April to 31 May 1967     		Tet 69/Counteroffensive
    23 February to 4 March 1969
    7 May to 8 June 1969
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase III
    1 June 1967 to 29 January 1968     		Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969
    9 June to 31 October 1969
    Tet Counteroffensive
    30 January to 1 April 1968     		Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970
    1 November 1969 to 30 April 1970
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV
    2 April to 30 June 1968     		Sanctuary Counteroffensive
    1 May to 30 June 1970
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V
    1 July to 1 November 1968     		Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VII
    1 July to 26 November 1970
    Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VI
    2 November 1968 to 22 February 1969     		 

  • Decommissioned, 26 February 1971, at Subic Bay, P.I.
  • Placed in service and reclassified Miscellaneous Auxiliary (IX-311), 28 February 1971
  • Placed out of service, 1 September 1973
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 1 September 1973
  • USS Benewah earned eleven campaign stars for Vietnam War service in addition to five Combat Action Ribbons, two Presidential Unit Citations, four Navy Unit Commendations and one Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation
  • Transferred to the Philippines, 1 May 1974, for conversion to a hospital ship
  • Caught fire, 8 August 1975, during her conversion, towed to the southern Philippines to serve as a barracks ship.
  • Final Disposition, fate unknown
    APB Specifications:
    Displacement 4,000 t.
    Length 328'
    Beam 50'
    Draft 11' 2"
    Speed 12 kts.
    Complement
    Officers 12
    Enlisted 129
    Troop Accommodation
    Officers 26
    Enlisted 1200
    Armament
    two 3"50 MK22 single gun mounts aft of flight deck (Vietnam)
    two quad 40mm AA gun mounts
    eight 50 cal. machine guns (4 fwd, 4 aft)
    ten 30 cal. machine guns
    Fuel Capacity
    Diesel 2,975 Bbls
    Propulsion
    two General Motors 12-567A Diesel engines
    double Falk Main Reduction Gears
    five Diesel-drive 100Kw 120V/240V Ship's Service Generators
    twin rudders
    two propellers, 1,600shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    USS Benewah (APB-35)
    Benewah 90k USS Benewah (APB-35) moored at Naval Station Argentia, Newfoundland, 11 October 1952.
    US Navy photo # NH 448126 from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command , courtesy Shipscribe.com.    		 Robert Hurst
    Benewah
    10133517    		 205k USS Benewah (APB-35) moored, probably, at Naval Station Argentia, Newfoundland, circa 1950s or 1960s David Wright
    Benewah 159k USS Benewah (APB-35) quad 40mm stern gun mount. Tommy Trampp
    Benewah 54k USS Benewah (APB-35) moored probably at Naples Italy, while servicing as Flagship for Commander, Fleet Air, Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, circa 1953-55.
    US Navy photo    		 Robert Hurst
    Benewah
    10133514    		 13k USS Benewah (APB-35) at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Corp, circa 1960-61, alongside an APL. They are providing precommissioning berthing services for the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65) on the opposite side of the pier Photo - David Wright
    Caption - Bill Slover
    Benewah
    10133518    		 102k USS Benewah (APB-35) at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Corp, circa 1960-61, alongside an APL. They are providing precommissioning berthing services for the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65). In this photo Benewah and the APL are turned around (masts of both ships are in the same direction) and Enterprise is port-side-to, so there must have been a berth shift some time between the taking of this photo and photo # 10133514.
    Photo #22 by Albert Moore from the USS Benewah website.    		 Bill Slover
    Benewah 22k USS Benewah (APB-35) at NAB Little Creek, February 1967 MRFA
    Benewah 48k USS Benewah (APB-35) circa 1967, Vietnam Bruce Schulze
    MRFA
    Benewah 158k USS Benewah (APB-35) circa 1967, Vietnam Robert Hurst
    Montrose 107k USS Benewah (APB-35) anchored at Vung Tau, South Vietnam, with USS Montrose (APA-212)alongside in May 1967. Among the craft alongside the pontoon are an LCM(6) and a riverine troop carrier adopted from an LCM(6).
    US Navy photo from "US Amphibious Ships and Craft", by Norman Friedman.    		 Robert Hurst
    Benewah 126k USS Benewah (APB-35) in the Soi Rap River of the Rung Sat Special Zone, south of Saigon, South Vietnam, circa October 1967. She is serving as a part of a Mobile Riverine Base, supporting riverine craft including monitors, assault troop transports, and command-communication boats. She is flagship of a river assault flotilla and of an Army brigade, for which she provided office space, and has air conditioned accommodation for over 1,100 soldiers and storage for a 30-day food supply. Note the helicopter deck amidships and the augmented armament.
    US Navy photo from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command     		Robert Hurst
    Benewah 73k USS Benewah (APB-35) as Mobile Riverine Force Flagship TF117
    Vietnam    		 MRFA
    Benewah 80k USS Benewah (APB-35) circa January 1968
    Mobile Riverine Force Flagship TF117
    Mekong Delta, Vietnam    		 MRFA
    Benewah 32k USS Benewah (APB-35) circa January 1968
    Tet, Vietnam    		 Bruce Schulze
    MRFA
    Benewah 508k USS Benewah (APB-35) South Vietnam, April 1968.
    Photo by Danna Martin, American Red Cross "Donut Dollie."    		 Steve Martin
    Benewah 89k USS Benewah (APB-35) at anchor in the Mekong Delta, South Vietnam in 1969. Ron Reeves
    RPS Tulungan (AH-3)
    Benewah
    10133515    		 528k RPS Tulungan (AH-3) (ex-USS Benewah (APB-35) during conversion to a hospital ship, 9 February 1975.
    Clipping courtesy of Captain JG Pizarro, found at the Philippine National Library by Raymond Banaga, MD.    		 Tommy Trampp
    Benewah
    10133516    		 435k RPS Tulungan (AH-3) moored in a Philippines shipyard after the fire of 8 August 1975 in which three laborers well killed and forcing the evacuation of crew and medical staff.
    Clipping courtesy of Captain JG Pizarro, found at the Philippine National Library by Raymond Banaga, MD.    		 Tommy Trampp
    Benewah 283k Ex-Philippines RPS Tulungan (AH-3)] at anchor off Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines, 18 February 1990. Edison Sy
    USS Benewah (APB-35)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Vietnam War history of USS Benewah (APB-35)
    Mobile Riverine Force Association History of USS Benewah (APB-35)
    Commanding Officers
    01LCDR. Kilcullen Jr., James Michael, USNR19 March 1946 - 30 August 1946
     Decommissioned30 August 1946 - 9 November 1951
    02LCDR. Baxter, Clifford Edker, USN.9 November 1951 -
    03LT. Nash, Willie Iden, USN.1955 - 3 October 1956
     Decommissioned3 October 1956 - 28 January 1967
    04LCDR. Saucier, Gerald (Jerry), USN28 January 1967 - 27 January 1968
    05LCDR. Stowell, Marshall Alfred, USN27 January 1968 - 19 February 1969
    06LCDR. Solomon, Donald Lee USN19 February 1969 - 10 March 1970
    07LCDR. Tilger, Billy Ralph, USN10 March 1970 - 26 February 1971
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    Mobile Riverine Force Association
    Brownwater Navy in Vietnam Web Book
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Service Ship Photo Index Back To The Non-Self-propelled Barracks Ship (APL) Photo Index Back To The Self-propelled Barracks Ship (APB) Photo Index Back To The Miscellaneous Unclassified (IX) Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 24 February 2023