The USS Askari (ARL-30) was an Achelous-class repair ship serving from 1945 to 1971. Originally laid down as USS LST-1131, she was launched in 1945 and converted for repair duties before being recommissioned as Askari in the same year. During Korean War service, the ship supported amphibious forces at Inchon, Wonsan, and Hungnam. She later supported Operation Passage to Freedom in Southeast Asia before being placed in reserve in 1956. Recommissioned in 1966 for Vietnam, she became a mobile repair and support base for riverine forces in the Mekong Delta, operating with River Assault Flotilla 1. This made the USS Askari an inland waterways, category I vessel: a ship that operated primarily or exclusively on inland waterways, commonly described as “brown water.” Veterans who served aboard the USS Askari (ARL-30) during the Vietnam War may be eligible for the presumption of herbicide exposure and related VA benefits.Because the ship operated inland with River Assault Flotilla 1, qualifying personnel may be covered under VA's herbicide exposure presumptions for inland waterway service, rather than the 12-nautical-mile offshore rules.
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