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The mission definition upon unit commissioning in February 1966 was ''"....to provide salvage repair; diving and rescue services in rivers and restricted waters and to conduct harbor and river clearance operations in the Western Pacific."'' Some contended that the intended mission was to provide rapidly deployable diving and salvage teams in direct support of the Vietnam conflict. Whatever the actual intent was, the concept was proven so effective that the command was moved to continuous salvage service at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, near the end of the Vietnam conflict. ''"....to provide salvage repair;"'' - simply put --- the refloating of practically every conceivable type of sailing craft: sampans, small boats, barges, dredges, riverine man-o-wars, tugs, freighters, ad infinitum, and making temporary repairs to those craft in preparation for transit to a permanent repair facility. ''".... diving and rescue services...."'' - experienced HCU-1 divers provided the nucleus for all diving operations. Without divers, most salvage would have been impossible. They provided diving assistance to ships and shore activities and aided in the rescue and recovery of distressed persons, riverine craft, ships and aircraft anywhere their talents were needed. ''"....in rivers and restricted waters...."'' - this meant operating in muddy jungle rivers infested with repugnant life, in crisp, clear mountain streams, in polluted shipping channels and harbors, in beautiful tropical lagoons and on the high seas. ''"... and to conduct harbor and river clearance operations in the Western Pacific."'' - navigable shipping lanes, rivers and harbors are of vital importance to military operations, and to the free flow of civilian food stuffs and commercial goods. HCU-l was actively engaged in the clearing of channels, rivers, and harbors in the Asian countries since its commissioning. Salvage teams and salvage craft made regularly scheduled rotational deployments "in-country": 80% of Western Pacific jobs existed in/near Vietnam. The mission was vast in scope. "Salvage" to the men of HCU-l encompassed the entire spectrum of tasks one could squeeze into its meager definition. From Korea to Guam, to Japan and the Philippines, HCU-1 detachments aided military forces of the United States, South Vietnam, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. They covered every corner of Vietnam: from the buzzing harbors of Saigon to the stealthy, steaming rivers of the lower Mekong Delta; from the jagged coastline to the upper highlands near the Cambodian and Laotian borders, from the dangerous DMZ to "Sea Float" in the very southernmost tip of the country. They rescued from the murky waters of the Mekong and its tributaries practically every type of vessel utilized in Vietnam. Salvage also meant the recovery of, the repair of, and/or the demolition of aircraft and bridges; trucks, tanks, and tractors; forklifts and ferry landings; sampans and steamers. ==Territory== Western Pacific State of Readiness: Completely mobile, continuously ready to augment Seventh Fleet forces anywhere in the Western Pacific. Administrative and Operational Control: Harbor Clearance Unit One was under the operational and administrative control of COMMANDER Service Group THREE; Vietnam detachments were under the operational control of Commander, U. S. Naval forces, Vietnam. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Harbor Clearance Unit One」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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