Harbor Clearance Unit One

Harbor Clearance Unit One (HCU-1) was a specialized U.S. Navy unit established in 1966 during the Vietnam War to provide salvage, diving, and clearance operations in Southeast Asia. The unit's primary mission was to clear harbors, rivers, and coastal waters of sunken vessels, unexploded ordnance, and other hazards to navigation, thereby ensuring the safe movement of military and civilian shipping. HCU-1 operated a variety of craft and utilized advanced diving equipment, often working under dangerous conditions in combat zones such as Da Nang, Cam Ranh Bay, and the Mekong Delta. The unit played a crucial role in maintaining logistical supply lines throughout the conflict and contributed significantly to postwar salvage and clearance operations in the Pacific region.