---
title: "Today in military history: Marines launch Operation Deckhouse V"
description: "On Jan. 6, 1967, Operation Deckhouse V was launched in the Mekong Delta during the Vietnam War."
date: "2022-01-06"
modified: "2022-08-22"
authors:
  - name: "Team Mighty"
    job_title: "Author"
    link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/teammighty/"
url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/today-in-military-history-marines-launch-operation-deckhouse-v/"
categories:
  - "History"
  - "Marine Corps"
  - "Vietnam War"
  - "War History"
---

# Today in military history: Marines launch Operation Deckhouse V

![A black and white photo showing a military landing scene with two armored amphibious vehicles moving from the water onto a sandy, rough terrain beach. In the background, a naval ship marked with the number "1166" is anchored offshore, and a helicopter is flying above the beach area on the right side of the image. The scene appears to depict a coordinated amphibious operation.](<https://www.wearethemighty.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Deckhouse_V_photograph_-_1.jpg>)

On Jan. 6, 1967, Operation Deckhouse V was launched in the Mekong Delta during the Vietnam War.

The ten-day sweep was a joint operation coordinated between the United States Marine Corps and the Republic of Vietnam Marine Corps. It was a combined amphibious operation with the objective of securing communist ammunition dumps, ordinance and engineering workshops, hospitals, and other strategic centers.

https://youtu.be/ynaFnQmP1Vg

The amphibious assets were supported by a mixed force of UH-34 and CH-46 helicopters operating from the *USS Iwo Jima.* Lasting until Jan. 15, Deckhouse V was a complex logistical campaign that produced underwhelming results.Twenty-one Viet Cong were killed, two small arms workshops were destroyed, and forty-four weapons were confiscated, but seven U.S. Marines and one Vietnamese Marine died.

There were a [number of complications](<https://1stbn4thmarines.net/operations/history-folder/deckhouse_v.htm>) that contributed to the lackluster mission results. Some participants blamed information leaks, including a possible Philippine radio station broadcasting Marine departures from Subic Bay. Others blamed the execution or the rough seas. The nature of joint operations also complicated the mission; whereas amphibious doctrine calls for Navy and Marine Corps aircraft, the location of Deckhouse V dictated that all air support come from the Seventh Air Force, adding to the logistical strain.

*Featured Image: U.S. and South Vietnamese combat troops move ashore during 'Operation Deckhouse V' in the Mekong Delta. Two U.S. Marine Corps amphibious tractors are moving along the beach in the foreground, with a UH-1 helicopter approaching at right. USS Washtenaw County (LST-1166) is in the background. (Department of Defense image)*

## Author
Team Mighty's experience encompasses intel, special ops, military history, tactical expertise, aviation, gear, and weapons. Authors on Team Mighty include veterans, spouses, and active and reserve service members from every branch of the military, as well as former CIA employees.