Consulate General of the United States Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Reporters learn about the technology aboard the USNS Heezen

On June 24, 2009, Vietnamese and international reporters were invited aboard the USNS Bruce Heezen, an oceanographic survey ship conducting search operations for American servicemen missing from the Vietnam War. Manned by a civilian crew, the USNS Bruce C. Heezen provides oceanographic capabilities in coastal and deep ocean waters and is ideally suited to detect aircraft crash sites on the ocean floor. The USNS Heezen was in Vietnamese territorial waters June 11-25 for the 95th search mission of the U.S. Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) and the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP. During the media tour, reporters heard from scientists and technicians about the ship's capabilities and some of the information gathered by the team in the areas along Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen and Quang Nam, where many American aircraft fell during the war. The United States and Vietnam have cooperated during POW/MIA accounting missions since the 1980s, with both countries recently recognizing the 20-year anniversary of regularly scheduled joint search operations.