SHALLOWS

War on the Coast, 1967
Class Anthony Chandler went missing and presumably drowned. Quartermaster 2nd Class Frank
Bowman managed to escape the boat but was never rescued and was later presumed dead. 99 The
remaining crew managed somehow to swim free from the sinking craft and cling to a life raft
until Point Dume (WPB-82325) arrived on scene at 0130, approximately 30 minutes after the
attack. One of the survivors, Gunner’s Mate (Guns)/Seaman John Anderegg, would later receive
a Silver Star for risking his life during and immediately after the attack to save his shipmates. 100
As soon as the survivors were on board, Point Dume departed the scene to drop them off at
the Cua Viet Clearwater Dock for a medevac to Danang. In the meantime, the crew of PCF-12,
which had arrived on scene at 0150 to continue the search for survivors, noticed illumination
rounds being fired that were not their own. 101 Opting to investigate, Lieutenant (j.g.) Peter Snyder,
the officer in charge, ordered the boat to speed to the Cua Viet River. When PCF-12 was three
miles from the river mouth, crewmembers observed two sets of aircraft lights off the port and
starboard beam, about 300 yards away and 100 feet above the water. 102 Snyder immediately got
on the radio and requested permission to engage the aircraft. At 0225, PCF-12 received a single
rocket from seaward at a low trajectory. The rocket passed a couple feet over the main cabin and
exploded in the water ten feet from the boat. 103 PCF-12 came about, increased speed, and moved
away from the kill zone while bringing its .50-caliber guns to bear against an aerial target hovering
at 1,000 feet with lights blinking. The aircraft decreased altitude and turned off its lights.
After a short time, PCF-12 stopped to observe the scene. “At first there was nothing to see, but
then the two aircraft appeared off our beams again with lights on,” explained Engineman 3rd
Class James Steffes, one of the crew. Lieutenant (j.g.) Snyder contacted the marine observer
and inquired about their status. The marines told him that they could not identify the aircraft
because they did not have their identification, friend or foe (IFF) transponders turned on. At
0235, the aircraft near the beach fired 40–50 rounds of .50-caliber tracer fire at the PCF. All
rounds landed astern. PCF-12 responded with machine-gun and mortar fire. 104
The next 75 minutes are among the most confusing of the entire set of engagements occurring
during this period. At 0240, Point Dume, now back on scene after evacuating the patients from
PCF-19, was attacked by a fixed-wing aircraft, which made two attack runs against the vessel. Both
Lieutenant (j.g.) Ronald E. Fritz, USCG, the commanding officer of Point Dume, and Snyder on
PCF-12 positively identified the aircraft as a “jet.” 105 The crews of Point Dume and PCF-12 then
observed numerous lighted aircraft that appeared to be helicopters in the northern part of the area.
These aircraft approached the U.S. vessels and made firing runs with their lights off. Point Dume
received heavy caliber automatic weapons fire from these aircraft and returned fire. PCF-12 also
returned fire intermittently for approximately 75 minutes. 106 Neither vessel was damaged in the
engagement; there were no personnel injured. Fritz credits strong suppressive fire from both boats
for keeping the aircraft at a distance and minimizing the effects of their attacks. 107
On the afternoon of 16 June, Task Unit 77.1.0 ordered Edson (DD-946), Theodore E. Chandler
(DD-717), and the Royal Australian Navy guided missile destroyer Hobart (DD-39) to
conduct a surveillance mission in the vicinity of Tiger Island in attempt to flush out any enemy
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