Meet the Shipbuilders Without Numbers
There is one thing that very few people know, that among the legendary unnumbered ships of the past, there were many ships heading south to begin their stormy journeys, born and launched right at the Nghi Thiet estuary (Nghi Loc district, Nghe An). We had the chance to meet again the people of that time.
(Baonghean) -There is one thing that very few people know, that among the legendary unnumbered ships of the past, there were many ships heading south to begin their stormy journeys, born and launched right at the Nghi Thiet estuary (Nghi Loc district, Nghe An). We had the chance to meet again the people of that time.
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War veteran Nguyen Dinh Sin (left) and his old comrade, now back to enjoy the countryside |
During 14 consecutive years (1961-1975), this route had 1,789 unnumbered ships transporting 150,000 tons of weapons and equipment and 80,000 officers, crossing tens of thousands of nautical miles of dense enemy, disregarding all dangers to reach the South which needed guns and people, contributing greatly to the final victory.
There is one thing that very few people know, that among the legendary unnumbered ships of the past, there were many ships heading south to begin their stormy journeys that were born and launched right at the Nghi Thiet estuary (Nghi Loc - Nghe An). It was the hands of the workers of Trung Kien Cooperative with over 700 years of carpentry tradition that contributed to creating the sturdiness and resilience of these legends of the past.
Mr. Nguyen Dinh Sin, a veteran of the old Ships Without Numbers, took us to the launching place of dozens of ships without numbers, born under the hands of the talented Nghi Thiet shipbuilders. We met again the people of that time. Now, although his legs are slow and his eyes are dim, the memories are still fresh. Mr. Le Dinh Xu, 96 years old, recalled, "At that time, there was Mr. Tu Ba, leading a group of cadres with a Southern accent, who came to discuss the matter with our Trung Kien Cooperative. He said that they were building boats to serve the resistance war, but he didn't know what to do specifically, he just told us to try to build them firmly. They lay there for a whole year." Mr. Nguyen Van Ninh, 76 years old, remembered that a Southern cadre left a ring at his house, which seemed to be a wedding ring. After finishing the job, the cadre disappeared forever, and no one knew where to find it to return it. Things have changed, it's been decades, things are still there, people are far away....
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Reunion of war veterans and boat builders |
At that time, each ship like that was built by the members of Trung Kien Shipbuilding Cooperative with all their heart and soul to make it strong enough to face the ocean. Because it was a "Ship serving the resistance war". Each ship was built with 2 bottom layers (the bottom layer was used to store weapons). The hull was also reinforced with 2 layers, an outer layer made of wood, the inner layer was woven with bamboo ribs soaked for many years so it was very durable. Later, when they learned that the ships they built in the past were actually the ships carrying weapons to the South on the Ho Chi Minh trail at sea, the elders could not hide their pride.
Now, there will be a monument placed in Nghi Thiet commune to mark the birthplace of the first primitive ships that began the legendary voyage. Surely the children of Trung Kien Cooperative today will understand and appreciate more the achievements of their predecessors who silently contributed to the final victory of the nation.
Group 125 (also known as "Ship without number") was a military maritime transport group tasked with transporting military goods from the North to the South of Vietnam during the Anti-American Resistance War, under the Navy from August 1963.
The predecessor organization was Group 759, established on October 23, 1961 under Decision No. 97/QP of the Ministry of National Defense. On January 24, 1964, it was changed to Regiment 125 (D125).
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Nghi Thiet estuary - where nearly 50 years ago dozens of unnumbered boats were launched to transport weapons to the South. |
Group 125 made hundreds of sea trips in harsh and fierce conditions; transported and delivered thousands of tons of weapons, equipment, ammunition... to the battlefields: the South, the South Central Coast, and Inter-zone 5. Notably, on November 29, 1964, Group 125 transferred weapons to Ba Ria to equip an infantry regiment of the Southern Liberation Army in time to participate in the Binh Gia campaign.
From February 1972, Group 125 completed newly assigned tasks such as: clearing mines in the Hai Phong - Northeast sea area (1973), transporting troops, tanks and weapons and equipment from the North to the Southern battlefield in the 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising; participating in the liberation of Song Tu Tay, Son Ca, Nam Yet, Sinh Ton, Truong Sa islands in the Truong Sa archipelago, Cu Lao Thu in Ninh Thuan province (April 1975) and welcoming communist prisoners from Con Dao back to the mainland (May 1975).
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Revisit the old boatyard. |
Group 125 was twice awarded the title of Heroic Unit of the People's Armed Forces by the State of Vietnam (1967 and 1976).
Article and photos: Tran Hai
