The attack on USNS Card was a Viet Cong (VC) operation during the Vietnam War. It took place in the port of Saigon in the early hours of 2 May 1964, and was mounted by commandos from the 65th Special Operations Group ().
Card was first commissioned into the United States Navy during World War II. Decommissioned in 1946, Card was reactivated in 1958 and reentered service with the Military Sea Transport Service, transporting military equipment to South Vietnam as part of the United States military commitment to that country.
As a regular visitor to the port, Card became a target for local VC commando units. Shortly after midnight on 2 May 1964, two Viet Cong commandos climbed out of the sewer tunnel near the area where Card was anchored, and they attached two loads of explosives to the ship's hull. The attack was a success and Card sank , and five civilian crew members were killed by the explosions. The ship was refloated 17 days later, and was towed to the Philippines for repairs.
Background
USNS Card was a that had served in the United States Navy. In 1946 Card was decommissioned and was transferred to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. On 16 May 1958, Card re-entered service with the Military Sea Transport Service, under the control of the United States Navy. The ship was manned by a civilian crew and was prefixed "USNS" (United States Naval Ship) instead of "USS" (United States Ship) as it was in service but not commissioned.
With the escalation of the Vietnam War, the United States government stepped up military support for South Vietnam's fight against the Viet Cong. On 15 December 1961, USNS Card left Quonset Point, Rhode Island, with a cargo of H-21 Shawnee helicopters and U.S. soldiers from Fort Devens, Massachusetts, bound for Vietnam. At Subic Bay in the Philippines, the cargo and troops were transferred to , which arrived and unloaded off the coast of Đà Nẵng the following month.
From 1961 onwards, Card and USNS Core regularly docked in Saigon to unload heavy artillery, M113 armored personnel carriers, aircraft, helicopters and ammunition for the South Vietnamese government. The Port of Saigon was situated between the Tẻ and Bến Nghé Canals, and was about wide from one side to the other. To facilitate the arrival of Card and other American ships which pulled into Saigon, the South Vietnamese military often deployed navy vessels to conduct patrols around the port, while the surrounding shores were protected by an elite Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) Airborne battalion.
The port itself was guarded round the clock by Republic of Vietnam National Police, as undercover South Vietnamese agents operated across the river in the Thủ Thiêm area to disrupt VC activities there. Undeterred by the level of protection which the South Vietnamese government normally afforded to American ships, Trần Hải Phụng—commander of the Viet Cong's —ordered the 65th Special Operations Group to attack USNS Card.
Sinking of USNS Card
Failed attempt on USNS Core
Despite their best efforts to control VC activities across the river in the Thủ Thiêm area, the South Vietnamese military and police could not stop VC agents from operating there. So VC members of the 65th Special Operations Group were able to watch US and South Vietnamese military activities at the port, while they were preparing to attack American targets. Lâm Sơn Náo, a commando of the 65th Special Operations Group, was also an electrician at the port facility.
As his unit was assigned with the mission to attack the carrier, Náo took advantage of his position as an employee at the port facility, to reconnoitre Card to design the best strategy to sabotage the ship and all the military hardware on board. Náo's father had previously worked at the port facility as a tradesman, so he memorized all the tunnels and sewage systems at the facility. He advised Náo that the best way to enter the area where American ships normally anchored was through the sewer tunnel opposite Thủ Thiêm.
While bathing in the Saigon River, Náo inspected the sewer tunnel, which his father had advised him to use. Náo concluded that the tunnel would provide the best access to the American area, but it also presented challenges. The sewage tunnel contained waste and toxic oils which could cause blindness, so Náo and his men would have to close their eyes as they moved through it to avoid blindness.