The YRBM-16 Repair and Berthing Barge was a non-self-propelled barge that was towed to operating areas, a support vessel with an important role during the Vietnam War. It provided berthing, meals, maintenance, workshops, and other logistical services that helped patrol boats and other naval craft remain operational in the Mekong Delta and surrounding waterways. An essential part of the U.S. Navy’s brown-water operations in Vietnam, she participated in numerous campaigns from 1967 through 1971. In 1967, the barge was mined at Ben Tre, South Vietnam, resulting in five crew members killed and two wounded. The damage was severe enough to require salvage operations by Harbor Clearance Unit One. In 1971, YRBM-16 was transferred to South Vietnam and redesignated HQ-9612. Veterans who served aboard the YRBM-16 during the Vietnam War may be eligible for the presumption of herbicide exposure and related VA benefits. Because the ship operated as part of the U.S. Navy’s brown-water operations in Vietnam, 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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