Guadalupe is not mentioned here as Oilers are often forgotten by the history books.
Guadalupe anchored in Haiphong Harbor for a
period of time during this operation and refueled the MSO's.
North Vietnamese Gun Boats were always around
us and we had to keep the 3" guns covered at all times.
On 28 January, 1973 following months of extensive
preparation and training, the
Seventh Fleet's Mine Countermeasures Force
(Task Force 78), led by Rear Admiral Brian McCauley, sailed from Subic
Bay and shaped course for a staging area off Haiphong. On 6 February, one
day after Commander Task Force 78 met in the city to coordinate actions
with his North Vietnamese opposite, Colonel Hoang Huu Thai, Operation End
Sweep got underway. Ocean minesweepers Engage (MSO 433), Force (MSO) 445),
Fortify (MSO 446), and Impervious (MSO 449) swept areas off the coast near
Haiphong while being escorted by guided missile frigate Worden (DLG 18)
and destroyer Epperson (DD 719). By the end
of the month, amphibious ships New Orleans (LPH 11), Dubuque (LPD 8), Ogdon
(LPD 5), Cleveland (LPD 7), and Inchon (LPH 12) had joined the force off
North Vietnam. These ships carried 31 CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters from
the Navy's Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 12 and from Marine
helicopter squadrons HMM-165 and HMH-463. These aircraft towed minesweeping
sleds and other devices to carry out aerial mine countermeasures along
the inland waterways and the shallow port areas. A total of 10 ocean minesweepers,
9 amphibious ships, 6 fleet tugs, 3 salvage ships, and 19 destroyer types
served with
Task Force 78 during the six months of Operation
End Sweep.