The Ship C235 Memorial Site (Ho Chi Minh Trail at Sea) is located in Dong Ninh Hoa Ward, Khanh Hoa Province. This is a site commemorating a historical event and the moving stories of the heroic sacrifice of Hero of the People's Armed Forces - Martyr Nguyen Phan Vinh and his comrades of Ship C235, whose legend has become part of history and literature. During the great resistance war against the US for national salvation, to provide weapons and equipment to the Southern battlefield, along with the Ho Chi Minh Trail on land, the Politburo and the Central Military Commission decided to establish Group 759, the predecessor of Group 125, to organize a maritime transport route named the "Ho Chi Minh Trail at Sea." This was one of the extremely important tasks with strategic significance in the cause of liberating the South. To resupply our troops and people during the 1968 Tet Offensive and Uprising, Group 125 selected four ships, including Ship C235, to be ready for the mission. The crew of Ship C235 consisted of 21 officers and soldiers, led by Captain Lieutenant Nguyen Phan Vinh and Political Officer Lieutenant Nguyen Tuong. However, before setting off, one soldier fell ill and did not participate in the final battle of the historic Ship C235.
Before the 1968 Tet holiday, on February 6, 1968, Ship C235, carrying 16 tons of weapons, left its base at A2 harbor for the Hon Heo landing site (Dam Van hamlet - now Tay hamlet, Ninh Van commune, Ninh Hoa town, now Dong Ninh Hoa Ward). On February 10, when they were 38 nautical miles from the shore, Ship C235 was detected and followed by enemy warships and aircraft. At 12:00 on February 11, the Command ordered the ship to return to A3 harbor. At A3, the ship was camouflaged and readied for the next mission.
On February 27, 1968, Ship C235 departed from A3. At 18:00 on February 29, as it reached the waters off Nha Trang, Ship C235 was spotted by enemy reconnaissance aircraft. At 23:30, all enemy ship lights were turned off, and they ambushed and tracked our ship using radar. Faced with this situation, Captain Nguyen Phan Vinh skillfully maneuvered Ship C235 through the enemy formation and arrived at the landing site at 00:30 on March 1. Not meeting the comrades at the landing site to receive the cargo, Captain Vinh ordered his comrades to urgently move the supplies into the water for the comrades at the site to retrieve later.
About an hour later, the cargo on the ship gradually decreased. It was now 1:30 on March 1. Offshore, three puppet warships with the designations Ngoc Hoi, HQ 12, and HQ 617 belonging to the 2nd Coastal Zone, along with four other ships from the enemy's 25th Coastal Flotilla, were immediately dispatched to the waters north of Nha Trang to close the circle with the intention of capturing the sailors alive.
After offloading the cargo, Captain Phan Vinh wrote a telegram reporting to the Command, while also ordering the ship to sail along the coast toward Dam Van (now Dong Ninh Hoa Ward) for about ten nautical miles to maintain secrecy and not expose the weapon drop location. Enemy ships immediately pursued, turning on their searchlights and signaling each other that any ship without lights was a "Viet Cong" vessel. The hunt for Ship C235—which the enemy later called the "ghost" ship—was intense. They fired fiercely and called in aircraft to drop flares and fire rockets. Amidst the fire and bullets, Captain Nguyen Phan Vinh calmly commanded his men to fight while maneuvering the ship close to the shore. Sailors That and Phong repeatedly used 14.5mm recoilless guns to fire at the enemy ships; one ship caught fire and did not dare to approach.
The battle became increasingly fierce. The enemy's firepower rained down on our ship; five officers and soldiers on board had sacrificed their lives, two were seriously wounded, and seven were lightly wounded. Captain Nguyen Phan Vinh was grazed by shrapnel on his head. He bandaged himself and continued to stand in the wheelhouse to encourage everyone to fight. He intended to break through the encirclement because it was easier to maneuver offshore; if necessary, he would ram an enemy ship and blow up his own to destroy the enemy. But unfortunately, at that moment, the ship's engine broke down severely. The plan to break the encirclement failed. The crew decided on the plan to scuttle the ship.
The Captain ordered the ship to move close to the shore. At approximately 2:20, when the ship was more than 100 meters from the shore, the Captain organized the transfer of the fallen and wounded comrades to the shore, then prepared to detonate the ship. Vinh, Thu, and An installed detonators in the engine room, while other positions were handled by Khung, That, and Mai. After verifying, Captain Nguyen Phan Vinh and Comrade Thu detonated the ship.
At 2:40 on March 1, the ship was detonated; a column of fire erupted and exploded violently, shaking the area as far as Nha Trang. The explosive force caused Ship C235 to snap in two, with one half sinking into the sea and the other being thrown onto the slope of Ba Nam cape (Dong Ninh Hoa Ward).
At this point, the officers and soldiers of Ship C235 retreated to the shore, where the enemy continued to search and attack. Captain Nguyen Phan Vinh and mechanic Ngo Van Thu stood their ground, valiantly fighting back and repelling many enemy attacks. With their strength exhausted, wounds worsening, and no ammunition left, they sacrificed their lives. At that time, Lieutenant and Captain Nguyen Phan Vinh was only 35 years old. The sacrifice of him and his comrades became immortal within the Navy and the army and people of the whole country.
Commemorative stele for the 14 martyrs of Ship C235
14 officers and soldiers of Ship C235 sacrificed their lives heroically, and the remaining brothers were covered in wounds. They tried to support each other as they moved throughout the Hon Heo mountain area to avoid the enemy's pursuit and find the guerrillas at the landing site. Spending eleven days under the sun without food or water, the soldiers of Ship C235 were exhausted. On the 12th day, they finally made contact with the local guerrillas; by this time, only 5 comrades remained. After a period of treatment and health recovery, they crossed the mountains and traversed the vast Truong Son range to return to the North to continue receiving new assignments.
On August 25, 1970, Lieutenant, Captain, and Martyr Nguyen Phan Vinh was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the People's Armed Forces by the State. In the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago—the place that welcomes the first rays of dawn in Vietnam—there is an island named after him: Phan Vinh Island.
In 1993, Naval Brigade 125 and local authorities built a memorial stele for the 14 officers and soldiers of Ship C235 at Ba Nam cape, Ninh Van commune, Ninh Hoa town. In front is the sea, and behind is the sheltering mountain forest. The stele is made of washed stone, 2 meters high and 1 meter wide. The front is engraved with a brief summary of the Ship C235 event. The back records the names, birth years, ranks, positions, and hometowns of the 14 officers and soldiers who sacrificed their lives. To the right of the memorial stele, there are still some debris fragments of Ship C235. Every year during the Lunar New Year, on March 1, and on Martyrs' and Wounded Soldiers' Day (July 27), the Ship C235 Memorial Site hosts a memorial ceremony conducted with very solemn and dignified rituals by representatives of local authorities, departments, mass organizations, students, and the Naval Academy.
Due to its typical historical, military, and heroic significance regarding the fighting and sacrifice of the officers and soldiers of Ship C235, on April 26, 2014, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Decision No. 1262/QD-BVHTTDL, ranking the Ship C235 Memorial Site (Ho Chi Minh Trail at Sea) as a National Historical Site.
In 2016, the People's Committee of Khanh Hoa province solemnly organized the inauguration ceremony of the memorial zone at the Ship C235 Memorial Site to honor the noble sacrifice of the heroes on this land of agarwood and swiftlet nests. With its existing potential and advantages, in the future, the Ship C235 Memorial Site will become a red destination for revolutionary tourism in Khanh Hoa province.
The place preserving fragments of Ship C235
Source: https://disanvanhoa.khanhhoa.vn/
