Naval Forces Vietnam was a command of the United States Navy, active from 1 April 1966 to 29 March 1973. COMNAVFORV also commanded the Naval Advisory Group and the Seabees of the 3rd Naval Construction Brigade; the Military Sea Transportation Service Office, Vietnam, which coordinated the enormous sealift to Southeast Asia; the Officer in Charge of Construction, Vietnam (OICC-RVN), who managed in-country construction by civilian contractors; the Naval Research and Development Unit, Vietnam, which tested new equipment in the field; and Commander Coast Guard Activities, Vietnam, which provided administrative support for Coast Guard Squadron One, Coast Guard Squadron Three and other smaller Coast Guard units in-country. Commanders included Rear Admiral Norvell G. Ward (to 27 April 1967), Rear Admiral Kenneth L. Veth (to 30 September 1968), who was then succeeded by newly promoted Vice Admiral Elmo Zumwalt. Rear Admiral Ward became Commander Service Group 3 in Seventh Fleet after departing South Vietnam. Zumwalt was succeeded by Vice Admirals Jerome H. King and Robert S. Salzer. History On 3 August 1950 the first elements of the planned U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG), Indochina arrived in Saigon to assist France in retaining control of its Indochinese possessions from the attacks by the Communist Viet Minh. The MAAG was officially stood up on 27 September 1950. The MAAG's Navy Section was initially assigned eight officers and men that were tasked with processing naval material for delivery to the French forces. The first shipment arrived in October 1950, consisting of Grumman F6F Hellcat fighters. Over the next four years, the Navy Section oversaw the delivery of 2.6 billion in aid including two aircraft carriers, 438 amphibious landing ships and craft, armored river patrol craft and other vessels and 500 aircraft. The Navy Section of MAAG also was responsible for supplying spare parts for ships and aircraft as well as the establishment of base facilities in Saigon and Haiphong harbors. After the defeat of the French forces at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu on 7 May 1954 by the Viet Minh, the Navy Section of MAAG coordinated the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese on ships of the Seventh Fleet. The Geneva Agreements of 1954 specified that any Vietnamese or ethnic Chinese living north of the 17th parallel north could if they chose, move to the south part of the partition of Vietnam. The movement named Operation Passage to Freedom lasted from