Ships without numbers in the memory of hero Ho Dac Thanh: 12 life-and-death journeys

At the 60th anniversary of Vung Ro Wharf (Hoa Xuan Nam Commune, Dong Hoa Town, Phu Yen) receiving the first shipment of the unnumbered ship (November 28, 1964 - November 28, 2024), witnessing the representative of Phu Yen province receiving the Certificate of ranking the Ho Chi Minh Trail at Sea as a special national monument signed by the Prime Minister on November 26, 2024, hero Ho Dac Thanh was moved to tears. Memories of his comrades and the life-and-death moments during the 12 times he commanded the unnumbered ship to transport weapons to support the southern battlefield flooded back to his mind.

Tàu không số trong ký ức anh hùng Hồ Đắc Thạnh: 12 chuyến tàu sinh tử- Ảnh 1.

On May 16, 1955, in the formation of Division 324, Mr. Thanh was assembled in the North when he was only 21 years old. In December 1958, he was assigned to the Coastal Defense Department (the predecessor of the Vietnam Navy). After being sent to the Naval Officer School to study, Mr. Thanh was assigned to the Strategic Military Transport Group supporting the revolution in the South (called Group 759, under the General Staff). He was assigned as captain of ship 41 of the Ship Without Number Group.

From 1962 to 1966, Mr. Ho Dac Thanh was the captain of ship 41, commanding 11 ships supplying weapons to the southern battlefield. In 1969, he was the captain of ship 54. For 8 years, he and his teammates traveled from the South to the North with 12 unnumbered ships, the 40,000 km journey exceeded one circumnavigation of the earth.

Tàu không số trong ký ức anh hùng Hồ Đắc Thạnh: 12 chuyến tàu sinh tử- Ảnh 2.

Tàu không số trong ký ức anh hùng Hồ Đắc Thạnh: 12 chuyến tàu sinh tử- Ảnh 3.

Tàu không số trong ký ức anh hùng Hồ Đắc Thạnh: 12 chuyến tàu sinh tử- Ảnh 4.

In 1962, Mr. Ho Dac Thanh commanded the first ship 41 carrying 50 tons of cargo leaving Hai Phong port to cross the sea towards the South, the destination was Khau Bang port (Ben Tre). To enter Khau Bang port, the ship had to pass through the Co Chien river mouth, where in the middle of the river was Con Loi, under the river were rows of fishermen's boats reinforced with steel chains.

Hero Ho Dac Thanh said, the Co Chien River has two tides that rise and fall rapidly every day, the tide rises like a surge, the tide falls like a waterfall. To cross Con Loi, the person who points the way must understand the tides of this area, know the flow well to be able to cross smoothly. People who know the tides and know the flow well to cross Con Loi cannot surpass the people who set up fishing boats.

“After discussing with the crew, the whole ship agreed to find someone to guide the boat. I slowly approached the hut. When I was 50 meters away from the hut, I heard a loud noise as if something had fallen from the hut into the water. Later, I found out that it was the owner of the hut who was so scared that he jumped into the water to swim to shore, but he was old and slow and could not jump in time,” Mr. Thanh recounted.

Tàu không số trong ký ức anh hùng Hồ Đắc Thạnh: 12 chuyến tàu sinh tử- Ảnh 5.

Tàu không số trong ký ức anh hùng Hồ Đắc Thạnh: 12 chuyến tàu sinh tử- Ảnh 6.

The disguised transport ship of Group 125 was on its way to transport goods to support the southern battlefield in 1965.

PHOTO: PHU YEN PROVINCIAL MUSEUM

After explaining to the old man that the Liberation Army had just captured an enemy navy ship and brought it to the liberated zone but did not know the waterway and asked for help, the old man gradually calmed down and agreed to help. Under his guidance, ship 41 weaved left and right upstream in the middle of the Co Chien River. Passing Con Loi, ship 41 received a signal from the Liberation Army boat and followed it, arriving at Khau Bang after 8 days and nights at sea. Under the coconut forest, ship 41 camouflaged itself at the wharf for 3 days waiting for workers to load the goods.

“The first trip left us with many lessons about respecting the people, understanding the people and trusting the people. Without the old man guarding the hut at the bottom to guide the way, ship 41 would have had a hard time completing its mission,” hero Ho Dac Thanh said.

After the first trip, ship 41 continued its mission of providing weapons to the southern battlefield. On November 29, 1964, Captain Ho Dac Thanh was assigned to command a ship carrying 50 tons of cargo to Rach Ban Mit (Ben Tre). On January 1, 1964, ship 41 arrived at Ho Thung port (Tra Vinh), on May 1, 1964, at Vam Lung port (Ca Mau), on June 27, 1964 at Rach Kien Vang port (Ca Mau). On July 26, 1964, ship 41 arrived at Thanh Phu port (Ben Tre) carrying 53 tons of cargo and 3 additional passengers. Going from the South to the North, leaving and arriving at the port, the crew of ship 41 became more and more experienced in the storms and seas.

Tàu không số trong ký ức anh hùng Hồ Đắc Thạnh: 12 chuyến tàu sinh tử- Ảnh 7. — The marine department on the ship is working on transporting weapons to support the southern battlefield.

Tàu không số trong ký ức anh hùng Hồ Đắc Thạnh: 12 chuyến tàu sinh tử- Ảnh 8.

In 1964, the battlefield in the South became increasingly fierce, and Group 759 was ordered to build many new ships to transport weapons to support the battlefield in the South. On the night of October 16, 1964, ship 41 carrying 60 tons of weapons left Hai Phong port. The sea was calm, the waves were still, and the crew took the opportunity to train the soldiers in gun and artillery operations and machine control. Then the Northeast monsoon blew in, the waves became more ferocious, and some soldiers on the ship got a taste of the ocean.

The later it got, the stronger the wind became, the sky became dark and cloudy, the Hoang Sa sea area had many reefs, there were 2 ships without numbers that ran aground here and had to be destroyed because they could not be saved. Ship 41 was running and suddenly stopped because it ran aground. The location of the stranded ship was only about 3 km from the enemy base. The ship being discovered by the enemy could happen at any time, the soldiers on the ship both rescued the ship and were mentally prepared not to let weapons, goods and people fall into the hands of the enemy.

Tàu không số trong ký ức anh hùng Hồ Đắc Thạnh: 12 chuyến tàu sinh tử- Ảnh 9. — Transport ship of Group 125 transporting goods indirectly supporting the Southern battlefield during the VT5 campaign in November 1968.

The rescue of ship 41 was carried out quickly, following the tide, dozens of bare backs under the sun tried to break rocks, prop up the ship to open the channel for the ship to move back. After 3 days, all preparations for the high tide were completed. At that time, everyone was tired and hungry because they had only eaten dry food for 3 days to survive.

In the early evening, the tide began to rise. At around 6 p.m., the ship rocked back and forth several times. By midnight, the ship was 2/3 afloat. At 3 a.m., the tide reached its peak. Seizing the opportunity, Captain Ho Dac Thanh ordered all efforts to get the ship off the beach. After half an hour of struggling, ship 41 successfully crossed the beach and continued its journey.