| Title: |
Records About Naval Gunfire Support During the Vietnam War, created, 3/1966 - 1/1973,
documenting the period 3/1966 - 1/1973 |
| Creator: |
Department of Defense. Defense Communications Agency. National Military Command System Support Center. (01/01/1963 - ca. 1977) (Predecessor)
Department of Defense. Joint Chiefs of Staff. J-3(Operations)Directorate. Data Processing Division.(ca. 1970 - ca. 1975) (Most Recent)
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| Type of Archival Materials: |
Data Files
Textual Records |
| Level of Description: |
Series from Record Group 218: Records of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff |
| Other Titles: |
Combat Naval Gunfire Support File (CONGA) |
| Location: |
National Archives at College Park - Electronic Records, National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD, 20740-6001. PHONE: 301-837-0470; FAX: 301-837-3574; EMAIL: cer@nara.gov |
| Inclusive Dates: |
3/1966 - 1/1973 |
| Coverage Dates: |
3/1966 - 1/1973 |
| Part of: |
Record Group 218: Records of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff |
| Function and Use: |
The agency created these files in order to prepare a number of reports. |
| Scope & Content Note: |
This series contains data from daily and weekly Operations Summary Reports (OPREP-5) sent by teletype from Military Assistance Command-Vietnam in Saigon. The data document naval gunfire support missions in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War and the shore bombardment of North Vietnam as part of Operation Sea Dragon and subsequent bombardments. The files consist of one record for each firing mission and include information on: the date and beginning and ending times of the firing mission; the type of the firing ship; name of mission; type of operation; name and hull type of the warship; aircraft sortie data; target information; enemy war casualties; friendly battle casualties; and ordnance expenditures. Beginning on January 31, 1968, the files also include information on provinces, air sorties, and ordnance expended. Primary responsibility for maintenance of this series transferred from the National Military Command System Support Center to the Data Processing Division when that unit was created around 1970. |
| Access Restrictions: |
Unrestricted |
| General Note: |
These files were in a computerized application using the National Military Command System, Information Processing System or NIPS, a report generator software product. The NIPS software had three types of records: Control Set, Fixed Set, and Periodic Set. The Control Set identified the mission by firing date, starting time, ending time, ship unit identification code, and message serial number. The Fixed Sets contained constant information about the entire mission. These files have three possible Periodic Sets: Ordnance Expenditure Data, Aircraft Sortie Data, and Enemy Loss Data. While each mission had one Control Set and one Fixed Set, it had as many Periodic Sets as needed. The agency transferred the records to NARA in a NIPS format, and NARA staff created files independent of the NIPS software by creating a fixed-length version with a record for each mission and allowed for each record to contain all three Periodic Sets. If a mission had multiple periodic sets of the same type, then additional records were created for each subsequent periodic sets with information in only the control and periodic sets. If a mission in the NIPS version did not have a particular periodic set, the columns related to that Periodic Set are blank in the NARA version. Thus many columns related to ordnance expenditures, aircraft sorties, and enemy losses are blank. If a mission has multiple records, many columns in the subsequent records are blank.
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| Finding Aid Type: |
Technical Information
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| Finding Aid Source: |
NARA and J-3 (Operations) Directorate of the Joint Chiefs of Staff |
| Variant Control Number(s): |
Declassification Project Number: NND-023093. |
| Extent: |
2 data files and 4 linear inches of paper documentation |
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