Zippo

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Tango - Zippo Conversion

ZIPPO
 Displacement: 80 to 90tons 
Length: 60.5 feet 
Beam: 17.5 feet Draft: 3.5 feet
Propulsion: 2 Gray Marine 64HN9 225 hp, 2 shafts 
Speed: 8 kts Range: Crew: 11
Weapons: Mk I Mod 1 MON (Zippo): 1 40mm L/60 Bofors, 1 .50 AN/M-2HB mg (co-axial), 3 20mm Mk 16 or 2 20mm Mk 16 and 1 40mm Mk 19 grenade launcher, 2 M10-8 flame throwers. Mk 2 Mod 0 MON: 1 105mm howitzer, 1 7.62mm mg (co-axial), 2 20mm Mk 16.
                                 -or-
Displacement: 66 tons
Length: 56.5 feet
Beam: 17.5 feet
Draft: 3.5 feet 
Propulsion: 2 Gray Marine 64HN9 225 hp, 2 shafts
Speed: 8.5 kts
Range: 
Crew: 7
Weapons: 3 20mm Mk 16 or 2 20mm Mk 16 and 1 40mm Mk 19 grenade launcher


Photo:  Kent Hawley

Note: The first Zippo boats were ATCs carrying an M132A1 flame-throwing armored personnel carrier. The APC was replaced by a purpose-built boat with two M10-8 flame throwers and the compressed air and napalm tanks in the well deck. Boat shown (above) is Vietnamese (as indicated by the yellow rectangle and red “X” painted on well deck cover.

stonermonitor1.jpg (85568 bytes) stonerzippo.jpg (34598 bytes) stonerzippo1.jpg (68831 bytes) stonerzippo2.jpg (119681 bytes)

Note: Zippo boat (left of Howitzer MON) without 40mm gun mount. This space (aft) was dedicated to compressed air tanks and napalm for the flame throwers  Photo: Gene Frederickson 

 First Zippo boats were ATCs carrying an M132A1 flame-throwing armored personnel carrier.  The APC was replaced by a purpose-built boat with two M10-8 flame throwers and the compressed air and napalm tanks in the well deck. 

Photo Jim Hilscheimer 

New Zippo without 40mm Bofors

  Photo: Tom Lefavour

Nested “heavies”: a 105mm howitzer-armed monitor (left), a modified ATC “Douche” boat with pick-up, pump, and nozzles (center), and an armored LCM-6 (right).

HISTORY: Link to:   http://www.rivervet.com/zippo.htm for a complete description of this craft. (Linked with permission)

09-10-07  Ray F. Longaker Jr., BMCM (SW) (CMC) USN/Ret.
 
Glad you liked the Irma-La-Douche presentation and speaking of Zippo Boats, please see attached PowerPoint Show I put together in regards to Zippo 4.
 
We were assigned "Sunday Specials" and would get underway independently from Nha Bhe and meet on the other side of the Highway 23 bridge at Can Geouc early Saturday morning.  At "Dark Thirty" we'd load elements of the RVN Army and U.S. Special Forces and by their directions head for a specific NVA infiltration point.  We'd get to an area just after dawn and hold Reveille on "Charlie" by way of the Zippo Boat.  We found this a pretty good way to start a fight.
 
Sincerely,  Ray
Rays Zippo4 PowerPoint presentation can be SEEN HERE or review the individual slides below: