RIVERINE PATROL BOATS AND SWIFT BOATS IN VIETNAM

RIVERINE PATROL BOATS AND SWIFT BOATS IN VIETNAM!

Peter T. Yeschenko

For a lot of Sailors serving in the Vietnam War, especially those on aircraft carriers, the war effort was a matter of routine. For many, that daily routine didn’t involve much combat.

But for the Navy’s river force, among a few other units, it was a different story.

The pilots who flew from carriers or land bases, the SEALs and members of the Underwater Demolition Teams, and Navy corpsmen all saw plenty of action, among others.

One other group of Sailors who often saw combat was the Navy’s riverine force.

This force, known as the “Brown Water Navy,” took on the Viet Cong and later, the North Vietnamese Army in the Mekong Delta. These days, there are much newer, riverine combat boats in service, and “brown water” Sailors have seen action during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In Vietnam, two classes…