Wunder Beach | |
Type: | Army Base |
Built: | 1968 |
Used: | 1968-70 |
Battles: | Vietnam War |
Wunder Beach (also known as Wonder Beach, Utah Beach and Sunder Beach) is a former U.S. Army logistics and supply base along the coast east of Quảng Trị and northwest of Huế.
The U.S. first established a base known as Utah Beach on 2 March 1968 to support the Tet Counteroffensive. The base was located on the coast at Thon Me Thuy, 16 km east of Quảng Trị and 40 km northwest of Huế.[1]
The base was developed as a ship offloading and logistics facility operated by the 159th Transport Battalion to support the operations of the 1st Cavalry Division and later the 101st Airborne Division.[1]
Other units based here included:
On 24 April 1968 the positions of the 1st Battalion, 26th Marines at Wunder Beach were hit by 11-15 rounds of 5" naval gunfire from killing two Marines.[2]
On 24 May 1972 during the Easter Offensive the Republic of Vietnam Marine Division's 147th Marine Brigade conducted an amphibious assault onto Wunder Beach before returning several days later to the Mỹ Chánh Line 10km to the south.[3]
The base has been turned over to housing and farmland. In recent times, a South Korean infrastructure developer has undertaken a deepwater seaport development project on this plot of land, called My Thuy International Port. The Port upon completion will have 10 berths, and will be constructed in 3 phases.[4]