Ships of the Republic of Vietnam Navy This list of ships of the Republic of Vietnam Navy , commonly known as the Vietnam Navy ( VNN ) , includes all ships commissioned into service from its foundation in 1955 , until its dissolution in 1975 . Hull numbers . All VNN ship hull numbers began with the letters HQ ( " Hải quân " , " Navy " ) followed by a number . Note that six patrol craft were designated HQ - 01 to HQ - 06 , while two destroyer escorts and four high endurance cutters were designated HQ - 1 to HQ - 6 . Also the designation HQ - 225 was used twice , first for the LSSL " Nguyen Van Tru " from 1954 until 1957 , and after it was broken up for spare parts was given to the LSSL " Nỏ Thần " , later renamed " Nguyen Van Tru " in 1970 . Patrol craft . These s were 280 ton , vessels , with a crew of 65 . They had a top speed of . The main armament was one 3 " / 50 caliber gun , along with 40 mm and 20 mm guns . Destroyer escort . The was a 1 , 253 ton , vessel , with a crew of 186 . It had a top speed of and a range of . The main armament was three 3 " / 50 caliber gun s , along with torpedo tubes , depth charges , and 40 mm and 20 mm guns . Frigate . Originally built as s for the U . S . Navy , these 2 , 040 ton , vessels were transferred to the Coast Guard after World War II , and reclassified as s . With a crew of 151 , they had a top speed of and a range of . The main armament was a single 5 " / 38 caliber gun . In Vietnamese service they were classified as frigate s . Patrol craft escort . The Patrol Craft Escorts were 903 ton , vessels . With a crew of 99 , they had a top speed of . The main armament was a single 3 " / 50 caliber gun , along with 40 mm guns , and depth charges . Minesweeper . Fleet minesweeper . The s were 625 ton , ships . With a crew of 104 , they had a top speed of . The main armament was a single 3 " / 50 caliber gun , along with 40 mm guns , and depth charges . Harbor minesweeper . The " YMS - 1 " - class auxiliary motor minesweepers were 270 ton , vessels . With a crew of 32 , they had a top speed of . The main armament was a single 3 " / 50 caliber gun , along with 20 mm guns , and depth charges . Coastal minesweeper . These vessels were built for South Vietnam by Stephens Brothers , Inc . , Stockton , California , and were assigned hull numbers , but not commissioned into the United States Navy . They were 370 ton , vessels . With a crew of 38 , they had a top speed of . Their only armament was two 20 mm guns . Motor Launch Minesweeper . The motor launch minesweeper ( MLMS ) was a 40 to 60 foot motor launch fitted with basic minesweeping equipment suitable for clearing river channels and harbours . Landing Ship Support Large . The Landing Ship Support ( Large ) ( LSSL ) were 250 ton , amphibious assault ships primarily used to provide close fire support for troops . With a crew of 71 , they had a top speed of . The main armament was a single 3 " / 50 caliber gun , along with 40 mm and 20 mm guns , and . 50 caliber machine guns . USS " LSIL - 710 " was also transferred to South Vietnam in 1956 , but its name and number are not recorded . Landing Ship Infantry ( Large ) . Landing Ship Infantry ( Large ) ( LSIL ) were 234 ton , amphibious assault ships , designed to land large numbers of troops directly onto beaches . It could transport 188 men and 65 tons of cargo . With a crew of 28 , they had a top speed of , and a range of at . Armament consisted of five single 20 mm guns , with additional . 50 caliber machine guns . Landing Ship Medium - Hospital . The " LSM - 1 " - class Landing Ship Medium ( LSM - H ) were amphibious assault ships designed to carry men and vehicles onto a hostile shore . They were 530 - ton , vessels , with a crew of 58 , and a top speed of . In this case they were modified to act as hospital ship s . Landing Ship Medium . The " LSM - 1 " - class Landing Ship Medium ( LSM ) were amphibious assault ships designed to carry men and vehicles onto a hostile shore . They were 530 ton , vessels , with a crew of 58 , and a top speed of . They were capable of carrying between three to five tanks , and 54 troops . Their armament consisted of two 40 mm guns , and four 20 mm guns . Two further ships - USS " LSM - 355 " and USS " LSM - 58 " - were also transferred to the VVN , though their names and numbers are unknown . Gasoline barge . The " YOG - 5 " - class self - propelled gasoline barge was a 1 , 235 ton , vessel , with a crew of 23 . Refrigerated Covered Lighter . This 300 ton , vessel was used to transport food supplies to floating barracks and bases . They had a crew of 17 and were unarmed . Landing Ship Tank . The Landing Ship , Tank ( LST ) was a vessel created to support amphibious operations by landing vehicles , cargo , and troops directly to shore . These 1 , 625 ton , vessels had a crew of around 120 men , and a top speed of . It could transport 140 troops and between 1 , 600 and 1 , 900 tons of cargo in the form of various vehicles , as well as six LCVP s . The main armament was a single 3 " / 50 caliber gun , along with a number of 40 mm and 20 mm guns , and . 50 and . 30 caliber machine guns . Landing Craft Utility . Landing Craft Utility ( LCU ) were 314 ton , amphibious assault ships designed to land tanks on beachheads . They were originally classified as the Mk . 6 LCT . With a crew of 13 , they had a top speed of , and a range of at . They were capable of carrying three or four medium or heavy tanks , or 150 tons of cargo , while armament consisted of two twin 20 mm guns and two . 50 caliber machine guns . Harbor Salvage Craft . The Salvage Lift Craft , Light ( YLLC ) , was a 400 ton , salvage craft with a lift capacity of 25 tons , based on the hull of the Mk . 6 Tank landing craft . With a crew of 16 , it had a top speed of , and was armed with two . 50 caliber machine guns . Patrol Gunboat Medium . The " PGM - 9 " - class gunboats were built in the U . S . and transferred on completion to South Vietnam . They were assigned hull numbers , but not commissioned into the United States Navy . They were 122 ton , vessels , with a top speed of and armed with one 40 mm gun , two 20 mm guns and an 81 mm mortar . Patrol boat . The Point class cutter was a 70 ton , patrol vessel . It had a crew of 10 men , and a top speed of . Armament consisted of five M2 Browning machine gun s and an 81 mm mortar . The ships were transferred to the VNN under the United States Coast Guard ' s SCATTOR ( Smallcraft Assets : Training / Turnover Of Resources ) programme ; numerically they were the largest class of the VNN . By 1972 , most were in poor condition and mothballed due to lack of fuel and spares . " Ngô Văn Quyền " ( HQ - 718 ) was still active and in good condition when South Vietnam fell in 1975 , she was taken into the Vietnam People ' s Navy and served for many more years . A few other Point - class ships reportedly participated in a final defense of Saigon , firing at North Vietnamese troops from the Saigon River in April 1975 . Some may have been damaged or sunk in action . " Huỳnh Văn Đức " ( HQ - 702 ) rendezvoused with other surviving South Vietnamese warships off Côn Sơn Island and fled to the Philippines , and was scrapped there . The rest of the former South Vietnamese fleet was presumably scrapped by Vietnam in the early 1980s . Patrol Craft Tender . These ships were built as " LST - 542 " - class tank landing ship s ( LST ) and modified to act as tender s for patrol craft flotillas . They were 1 , 625 ton , vessels with a top speed of . Landing Craft Repair Ship . The ( ARL ) was a mobile repair ship based on the same hull as the LST . It was a 4 , 100 ton , vessel , with a top speed of and a crew of 255 . Armament consisted of two quad and two twin 40 mm guns , and six twin 20 mm guns . Armored Troop Carrier . The Armored Troop Carrier ( ATC ) , better known as the " Tango boat " , were LCM - 6 landing craft modified for riverine patrol missions . The front ramps were retained for loading and offloading troops , and an armoured superstructure was added . They were 66 ton , vessels , with a crew of 7 . They had a top speed of and were armed with four M1919 Browning machine gun s , two or three Mk 16 20 mm guns , and one Mk 19 grenade launcher . Variants included the " Zippo " equipped with flamethrowers , the " Monitor " , which as well as the usual armament had a mortar and howitzer mounted in a bow turret , and the " Charlie " a command and communications boat . Associated with the Tango boats were the Assault Support Patrol Boat ( ASPB ) , known as the " Alpha Boat " . This was a 50 foot patrol boat armed with two Mk 16 20 mm guns or one Mk 16 and two . 50 Browning machine guns , with eight 3 . 5 - inch rocket launchers ( on forward turret ) , and two Mk 21 7 . 62mm Brownings aft . Repair , Berthing and Messing Barge . The " YRBM - 16 " - class Repair , Berthing and Messing Barge was a 2 , 700 ton , 261 foot vessel designed to provide support and accommodation for riverine forces .