Feb. 1, 2026

Deep-Sea Stories Looking For Vietnam Era Navy Diver "Rex" with Charles Romero

Deep-Sea Stories Looking For Vietnam Era Navy Diver "Rex" with Charles Romero

Does anyone recognize the tall Navy Diver with sandy blond hair standing next to Charlie Romero? His first name is Rex. His last name is unknown. Rex went unconscious while diving during the attempted recovery of victims from the Army Vessel YCU-63 in November 1970. The YCU capsized on the beach in Vietnam. Charlie Romero, suspected Rex, succumbed to hydrogen sulfide gas after cutting an accessway through the hull of the YCU to recover victims. 

Army 2nd Class Salvage Diver Charles Romero, with his dive team, was on station that November for the recovery mission with Navy Divers from USS Cohoes AN-78, and a salvage M-Boat out of Tien Sha while Typhoon Patsy was closing in on our position. The divers attempted to parbuckle the YCU. The two salvage boats were operating offshore but unable to get close to the stricken craft. The two crafts had to break away due to the impending typhoon.
  
Charlie Romero- "He was a good friend and was overcome by Hydrogen Sulfide gas as he and I finally made it into the partially submerged crew compartment.  He went down as he got his head into the compartment, whereas I was able to activate his UDT life vest and haul him out (no easy task).   He was medevacked to Da Nang by a Sky Crane helicopter that responded to Lt. Litton’s, "dust-off call."  Lt. Litton told me to go with Rex and let the Doctors know what had happened and how.  Lt. Litton was an officer in charge of an Australian dive team that was also on station. I cradled Rex (unconscious) as we made the more or less hour-long flight to the 95th Evac (I think it was the 95th, but it’s been a long time), where I met with the doctors and let them know what happened and that it was a diving-related injury/gas poisoning.  The doctor rushed Rex to the intensive care unit, and I never heard much after that.  I caught a northbound helicopter back to Tan by the next morning to rejoin my team and the ongoing operation.  I later found out that Rex shipped out to Japan. I never heard about Rex after that.  
For years, I wondered whether he made it, and I certainly hope he did.  I’ve beaten the bushes but never made any progress in finding out.  I never knew his real name, if in fact Rex was a nickname, so that is an automatic 2 strikes (needle in a haystack).  I am hoping that maybe one or more of the Navy Divers might know something more.  I would love to know any information anyone might remember.  I’d love to hear that he made it. Seems like every November since, I’ve been on pins and needles, wanting to know and maybe not wanting to know.  Thanks in advance. Charlie Romero."

Charlie mentioned Louise DiCroce, a Navy SEAL formerly of SEAL Team One, a leader and mentor he admired at the Second Class Dive School in San Diego, California. 

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