Engineer Memoirs _____________________________________________________________________
The pile bents were seven piles to a bent.
There were three driven vertically on the
center line and four on the corners, each
driven to a double batter, which is more
complicated. They were 18-inch steel piles
filled with concrete. I think the deepest we
drove was to 134 feet. So, yes, it was a rather
sophisticated project.
We had a Vietnamese village on one side of
the bridge. We continued to have to worry
about security because it was out in the
countryside. We had a couple of Quad50
"dusters" at either end of the bridge that
would cover up and down the river.
During low water we could approach the
piers on sand bars, and we actually built in
the dry. We would build out with sand and
then drive piles through the sand, then
The 577th Engineer Battalion
excavate it and work the other end so we
(Construction) built the Ban Thach
always were driving piles in the dry.
River bridge from pre-cast elements
in 1968.
It was really quite an operation. All the
while downstream we had the M4T6 bridge and constant monitoring of one-way traffic, all
the low-beds or stake and platform logistic vehicles working their way up to the Army
airfield and the Air Force base from Vung Ro Bay and returning.
So, it really was a complex, sophisticated thing. We had to maintain our concrete pours back
in the Army compound. We set up a batch plant and a concrete batching operation and a
precast yard. We had to set up routines to change the forms, place rebar, and pour the new
panels. Then we moved them over to the side to cure, and all well in advance of when we'd
need them. They were moved out to the bridge site sitting on rubber tires on low-beds. We
had to be particularly careful picking them up and placing them before we welded them
down. Then we checked the welds to make sure they were welded correctly. It really was a
very good project.
Q:
Was the company assigned to that still under a lieutenant?
A:
Well, the company commanders changed from time to time. We got some captains in
because you made captain in two years. Later on Captain Sam Champi was commander of C
Company and finished the bridge.
Q:
Again, that's quite a bit of responsibility for a young officer.
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