Tango (boat)
Encyclopedia
The Tango is also known as the Armored Troop Carrier (ATC). It was used by the Mobile Riverine Force
in the United States army in the Vietnam War
. Tangos were mounted with 30 and 50-caliber machine guns, Mk 19 rapid fire grenade launchers, and 20-millimeter cannons. They were used to transport the Riverine Infantry throughout the delta. In the early part of the war these were mainly troops of the 9th Infantry Division. Later in the war, Vietnamese Army and Marine troops were placed aboard the Tango boats. Tangos with added helo decks, ATC(H), also provided a place for helicopters to land for swift evacuation of wounded soldiers. Tango boats can be distinguished by their distinctive bow ramp.
The MRF started with three basic boat types: (1) the Tango boat or (ATC), served as the real work horse of the MRF and was by far the most prevalent; (2) the Monitor was the floating tank of the MRF and, (3) the Command and Communications boat (CCB), or Charlie boat. Most boats were converted LCM designs with 1/4 inch armored plating and added re-bar in many areas to protect the superstructure from critical damage caused by rockets. Each squadron of boats also had a tango boat which had been converted into a Refueler Boat.
Mobile Riverine Force
In the Vietnam War, the Mobile Riverine Force , initially designated Mekong Delta Mobile Afloat Force, and later euphemistically the Riverines, were a joint US Army and US Navy force that comprised a substantial part of the Brown Water Navy...
in the United States army in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Tangos were mounted with 30 and 50-caliber machine guns, Mk 19 rapid fire grenade launchers, and 20-millimeter cannons. They were used to transport the Riverine Infantry throughout the delta. In the early part of the war these were mainly troops of the 9th Infantry Division. Later in the war, Vietnamese Army and Marine troops were placed aboard the Tango boats. Tangos with added helo decks, ATC(H), also provided a place for helicopters to land for swift evacuation of wounded soldiers. Tango boats can be distinguished by their distinctive bow ramp.
The MRF started with three basic boat types: (1) the Tango boat or (ATC), served as the real work horse of the MRF and was by far the most prevalent; (2) the Monitor was the floating tank of the MRF and, (3) the Command and Communications boat (CCB), or Charlie boat. Most boats were converted LCM designs with 1/4 inch armored plating and added re-bar in many areas to protect the superstructure from critical damage caused by rockets. Each squadron of boats also had a tango boat which had been converted into a Refueler Boat.