Terminal Operations South Vietnam
Unloading Jeparit
Vung Tau May 1969
The vessel (right) operated on a six weekly turnaround from Sydney, carrying usually about 4,000 tonnes of cargo, ranging from tanks to beer. Its officers were Australian National Line employees, but the crew was RAN, replacing the Australian seaman who had demanded extortionate benefits, privileges and exemptions from Customs search.
Unloading and backloading was effected by Alaska Barge and Transport Company supplemented only by 5 Company, as failure to provide its platoons with heavy vehicles limited its lift capacity severely.
Photo: J.P. Hunter
Skycrane clearing trucks from HMAS Sydney
Vung Tau December 1967
In an effort to get a quick turnaround to minimise the chance of underwater attack on Sydney in port, deck cargo was unloaded by helicopter whenever possible, although the cargo ship Jeparit had to take its chances at the wharf with normal unloading.
The usual cargo helicopter was the Chinook with a capacity of three tonnes or 30 soldiers, but for heavier loads the Skycrane provided a rapid sling lift of over six tonnes.
5 Coy's 2½ ton dump trucks were replaced by the more adequate 5 ton 6x6 vehicles, some of which were dispatched on this voyage of Sydney, here being unloaded by Skycrane.
Australian War Memorial SKE/67/1278/VN