A Vietnam War-era swift boat visited the Santa Barbara Harbor over the weekend to offer free public tours as part of its voyage up the coast.
The 51-foot swift boat was designed to patrol the jungle-lined rivers, canals and coastal waters of Vietnam and this particular boat was used for training in the 1960s.
The Swift Boat Patrol Craft Fast-816 is crewed by Vietnam War veterans including Dave Bradley, who served as a quarter master on a swift boat during Vietnam.
“Some guys haven’t been on the boat for about 40 years and it has been an emotional experience,” Bradley said.
He works for the Maritime Museum of San Diego, which owns the only restored swift boat in the United States.
The boats were used to provide 24-hour surveillance along the 1,200-mile South Vietnam coastline to deny infiltration of weapons and supplies being sent to the Viet Cong from North Vietnam. Later, their mission was to block enemy access to canals and deep water rivers.
Bradley said crews would work long hours and spend up to 36 hours on the boat. “Being on a boat is one feeling but getting out at sea is the part I enjoy,” he said.
Sleeping quarters below deck includes four beds and a small area to make food and coffee. The boats were armed with two .50-caliber machine guns and featured twin 12-cylinder diesel engines that moved the boat up to speeds of 30 mph.
(Brooke Holland / Noozhawk photo)
“The boat bounces around. You learn to stand flexed so you don’t get thrown over and learn places to hang on,” Bradley said. “Everybody aboard was crossed trained and knew each other’s job. Especially on the river and if somebody got wounded or incapacitated, someone had to fill in quick.”
PCF-816 never served in Vietnam; Instead, it was used in the late 1960s to train Vietnam-bound swift boat sailors, said Mark Gallant, regulatory agency liaison for the Maritime Museum.
It was one of 10 swift boats used to train sailors at Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado, California. The duties included coast guard watch, interdicting smugglers, harbor security and search and rescue.
“In the early 1970s, the U.S. Navy then began training the Vietnamese to drive the boats and no longer needed to train in San Diego,” Gallant said.
Built in Berwick, Louisiana, PCF-816 was used for 40 years. After the war, the Navy donated PCF-816 to the Republic of Malta and it was decommissioned in 2011.
Swift Boat Sailors Association received the boat from the Maltese government in 2012.
The Maritime Museum of San Diego took it over in 2012 and restored it back to its original condition. Gallant said PCF-816 was one of the last two in service. It is the only active swift boat in the country that gives public tours.
The purpose of the trip to Santa Barbara was to honor the 50th anniversary of swift boat service in Vietnam. More than 3,000 men served as crew or support personal and over 300 were wounded.
Free tours will be offered at PCF-816’s next destination in the Channel Islands Harbor Tuesday through Friday.
The cruise will last through Aug. 6, stopping at Marina del Rey and Long Beach Rainbow Harbor along the way before returning to the home port in San Diego.
Click here for a complete tour schedule.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
