On the afternoon of April 29, the Gia Lai Provincial Military Command mobilized forces and vehicles to organize the salvage of wartime tank wreckage that surfaced at Quy Nhon beach.
Colonel Nguyen Xuan Son - Deputy Political Commissar of Gia Lai Provincial Military Command - directly commanded and thoroughly grasped the tasks for participating forces.
Recorded at the scene, the tank body exposed on the sand surface was heavily rusty, damaged, and no longer intact. The body of the vehicle was still buried deep under the sea sand, making access and salvage quite difficult.
The tank is located deep under the sand, about 20m from the embankment. Two cranes are arranged on Xuan Dieu street to pull, while the excavator operates below, digging sand around the body of the vehicle to expose the metal frame.
Engineering forces also deployed to clear bombs and mines in the surrounding area to ensure safety before proceeding with the next salvage steps.
After about 4 hours of deployment, functional forces discovered some artifacts such as shoes, necklaces, guns, 120mm artillery shells, 12.7mm and 14.5mm magazines...
Colonel Nguyen Xuan Son said that immediately after discovering the wreckage of the tank rising up, the unit surveyed the scene, planted dangerous warning signs to ensure safety for people and tourists, and at the same time developed a salvage plan.
After the salvage is completed, the tank will be taken to the General Repair Station of the Gia Lai Provincial Military Command for inspection and assessment of the current situation, and then reported to competent authorities and provincial leaders for consideration of further handling directions.
According to Colonel Nguyen Xuan Son, during the war period, when our troops deployed offensive spearheads, the Republic of Vietnam army, in a desperate situation, fled along Quy Nhon beach area, leaving behind many tanks, trying to swim out to sea to board the US ship waiting a few nautical miles from the shore to escape.
