Since the unnumbered train was established and put into operation, Ship 41 participated in the first transport mission, opening the Ho Chi Minh Trail at sea to support the Southern battlefield in October 1962 and many other trips. Specifically, on October 19, 1962, Ship 41 (nicknamed Phuong Dong 1), commanded by Captain Le Van Mot and Political Commissar Bong Van Dia, carried 30 tons of weapons from the North to the Vam Lung port (Ca Mau). This success was extremely important, being the first trip to open the strategic sea transport route named after President Ho Chi Minh, connecting the great rear of the North with the farthest battlefield on the great front line of the South, creating a historical turning point of strategic significance in the work of supporting the South to fight the enemy. Then, on October 3, 1963, Ship 41 successfully made a breakthrough to transport goods to the new port of Loc An, directly supporting the battlefield in Ba Ria, making an important contribution to building forces and strengthening the combat strength of the Armed Forces of the Southeast region...

Veterans who worked on ship HQ-671 with the younger generation. Photo: VU HUONG

In particular, on November 22, 1964, Ship 41, commanded by Captain Ho Dac Thanh and Political Commissar Tran Hoang Chieu, boldly raided and transported 45 tons of weapons to Vung Ro port (Phu Yen) safely, successfully implementing the Central's directive on opening a new port in the South Central Coast, contributing to increasing the strength, confidence and fighting spirit of the army and people here.

Besides the successful transport trips, Ship 41 encountered the enemy many times, had to fight, and even had to destroy the ship. However, when the officers and soldiers of Ship 41 returned to the North, they received new ships. From the wooden-hulled Ship 41 that successfully transported 30 tons of weapons on the first pioneering trip to the later iron-hulled ships, the name Ship 41 was still retained, then changed to Ship C41, Ship 641 and finally Ship HQ-671. This is the only remaining ship of the unnumbered fleet, a testament to the legendary feats of the Ho Chi Minh Trail at sea and the glorious feats of the Vietnam People's Navy in the resistance war against the US to save the country.

During the 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising, Ship HQ-671 was tasked with transporting people, weapons, and goods to support the offensive forces to liberate the coastal provinces of South Central Vietnam. In particular, Ship HQ-671 was also assigned with Ship HQ-673 to transport forces of the 126th Naval Special Forces Group to liberate the islands of the Truong Sa archipelago, contributing to the Great Victory of Spring 1975, liberating the South and unifying the country.

In early 1988, officers and soldiers of Ship HQ-671 participated in protecting Da Lon Island in Truong Sa archipelago; when the events occurred at Gac Ma, Co Lin, Len Dao, the collective of Ship HQ-671 overcame the enemy's obstruction and intimidation to complete the mission of searching and rescuing our officers and soldiers who were sunk by foreign warships. After that, Ship HQ-671 continued to carry out the mission of protecting Truong Sa archipelago... In 2011, Ship HQ-671 was brought to the Navy Museum (Hai Phong City) on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Ho Chi Minh Trail at sea.

According to the archives at the Navy Museum, Ship HQ-671 is 31m long, 5.8m wide, has a displacement of 165 tons, and has two cargo holds for transporting goods. With its outstanding achievements, Ship HQ-671 was twice honored by the Party and State with the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces (in 1973 and 1989); was awarded 4 Military Exploit Medals, 8 Military Exploit Medals and many other noble awards. There are 8 officers and sailors of the ship through the periods who were honored as Heroes of the People's Armed Forces, including: Bong Van Dia, Le Van Mot, Dang Van Thanh, Duong Van Loc, Huynh Van Sao, Phan Nhan, Nguyen Son, Ho Dac Thanh. On December 25, 2017, the Prime Minister signed a decision to recognize military transport ship numbered HQ-671 as a national treasure.

CHU ANH

*Please visit the National Defense and Security section to see related news and articles.

Source: https://baodaknong.vn/con-tau-2-lan-duoc-tuyen-duong-anh-hung-251120.html