I was on my way back to 'the states'. Taking heavy fire, the trawler exploded and disappeared from the radar scope. My contribution to ‘Vietnam – The Story Wall’ was submitted in their honor. Some of the cutters carried out hydrographic surveys of un­charted areas but on the whole the .remainder of 1968 was a quiet year. A decommissioned United States Naval Academy "Yard Patrol" boat, YP685 was stripped of parts before my purchase, I've been collecting parts and working as I can to prepare the vessel to pass Coast Guard inspection. Coast Guardsmen destroyed enemy supply ships, supported ground units, rescued American and other friendly forces, and performed many more duties, including carrying out humanitarian roles which are common to the … As a now retired aerospace engineer I am confident that when Swift Boats were being designed the engineers never considered the electricians that worked on them weren't former football players. By their actions off the Vietnamese coast, the Coast Guard helped stop the flow of arms, men, and munitions into South Vietnam and undoubtedly saved the lives of countless thousands of allied soldiers and Vietnamese civilians. Calling for back-up, the Grey was joined by the Point Cypress Photo: US Coast Guard – Profile view of Point Cypres, one of the Coast Guard Squadron One 25-metre patrol boats that carried the skimmers used in small boat operations. I was on my way back to 'the states'. The three divisions continued to in­tercept small coastal junks, and, in addition, rescued a number of downed aircrews and Vietnamese sailors from the South China Sea. During the day typhoon warnings were issued. I still remember a Swift Boat coming back from a patrol and some of the battery posts were in, shall we say, less than new condition. In my mind I still see the father cradling her in his arms as she closed her eyes". Some memories of war are absolutely indelible and not all of them occur during combat. Hello, I'm acquainted with an person who was in the Coast Guard between 1966-1970 and claims service in Vietnam. Realizing that they were trapped, the crew ran the trawler aground after a short firefight. The rest of the summer saw little action with the enemy but a case of mistaken identity resulted in a tragic incident. ', Primary Location During Vietnam: An Thoi, Vietnam, Veteran Organization: Swift Boat Sailors Association, Story Themes: 1968, 1969, 1970, An Thoi, Brotherhood, Dan Daly, Enlisting, Forest Lake, Look, Navy, Swift Boat, Swift Boat Sailors Association, Tom Edwards, USS Krishna, Virg Erwin, Virgil Erwin, A Twin Cities PBS initiative in collaboration with the MN PBS Stations. However, these were the parting shots for Coast Guard operated cutters. I noticed a few now-empty 50 caliber machine gun shells were on the deck and saw them as the answer to the battery post problem. During the Vietnam War, the 25-metre “Point”-class cutters of Squadron One supported small boat reconnaissance missions. The Grey tried to put a boar­ding party on the ship, but intense automatic fire from the beach forced the cutter away. There, the squadron worked. Virg Erwin was the Officer in Charge of P.C.F. I would have given almost anything to have served on a PBR or Swift boat. Those Swift Boats had been used for training at the Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado, California. The web site for his book 'White Water, Red Hot Lead' notes: "White Water, Red Hot Lead is a story about U.S. Navy Swift Boats in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968. After being boarded, the ship was refloated and towed back to Vung Tau where several tons of arms, ammunition, and medical supplies were un­covered in her holds. P.C.F. Following their heavy losses in February, North Vietnam opted not to try to run trawlers through the barrier patrols. Utilizing 5 Coastal Surveillance Centers to coordinate their patrols, Operation Market Time proved to be successful in its assigned task. Conducted small boat troop landings at Quang Ngai Province and elsewhere from August 1965-April 1966 and August-November 1967. Well said. Eventually two more cutters, the Castle Rock (WHEC 383) and Cook Inlet (WHEC 384) were also transferred to the Vietnamese Navy; The turnover of Coast Guard assets to the Vietnamese continued throughout 1970, with the last of the 82 foot cutters being officially transferred by 15 August 1970. 1968, 1969, 1970, An Thoi, Brotherhood, Dan Daly, Enlisting, Forest Lake, Look, Navy, Swift Boat, Swift Boat Sailors Association, Tom Edwards, USS Krishna, Virg Erwin, Virgil Erwin, Terms and Conditions for Submitting Your Story. In order to access, service and replace them you had to navigate over and around two 480 HP Detroit Marine Diesels. Two Navy PCF swift boats dock on the Mekong River in December 1968. I noticed a few now-empty 50 caliber machine gun shells were on the deck and saw them as the answer to the battery post problem. Sometimes resistance oc­curred but the cutter's .50 caliber machine guns and mortars were more than a match for the small arms fire they encountered. All the personnel from CosDiv 13 headed toward the dock and moved the Swift Boats out into Vung Tau Harbor. Swift Boats - In for repairs and maintenance. I have believed for years you can never have too much chocolate or laughter and Georgie provided plenty of the second. 67 and is the author of 'Cat Lo - A Memoir of Invincible Youth'. Among Swift Boat sailors, those that did not make it back home are listed as “Still on patrol”. The batteries were located in the aft section of the 'engine room'; trust me, that's a relative term. For nearly 40 years they functioned as coast guard vessels involved in rescue work of those fleeing North Africa and enforcing fishing rights. One component of a Swift Boat electrical system was two 24 volt battery banks. 3 - The first Swift Boat in Vietnam. Subsequent to being certified by the Coast Guard as a documented vessel P.C.F. For the Krishna electricians it was all hands on deck. Shortly before completing basic training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center I received my first set of orders. During the 2011 Swift Boat Sailors Association reunion in San Antonio, Texas, we received some information during the business meeting that had every sailor present on the edge of their seat. As these units closed in on the trawler, heavy defensive fire was encountered. The following day P.C.F. The next phase of Swift Boat operations was to conduct surveillance along the 1,500 miles of South Vietnam's coastline. To coor­dinate the numerous units which comprised TF 115, five Coastal Surveillance Centers (CSCs) were set up at Da Dang, Qui Nhon, Nha Trang, Vung Tau, and An Thoi. Hearing the cutter's call for assistance, the Point Slocum (WPB 82313) and Point Hudson (WPB 82322) soon arrived, by which time the trawler had been forced aground. By mid-July, the first of the squadron's two sub-units, Division Twelve, was operational and on 15 July it departed Subic Bay for Da Nang near the DMZ. Navy divers later salvag­ed a huge amount of weapons and ammunition. Virg recalled "I do not think the young girl will live. The Navy had tested a variety of boats to address the specific needs of combating that type of guerrilla warfare before opting to utilize a craft built by Sewart Seacraft, a Louisiana based manufacturer. One result of these new additions was the decision to transfer a number of the older cutters to the South Vietnamese Navy to give it more depth for off­shore patrolling. Upon boarding it he, his translator and a crew member see a young girl that has been badly burned. CALL: 1-833-645-2628 + EMAIL Home US authorities decided to turn over a greater share of the war to the Vietnamese, and as part of this program the Coast Guard was instructed to begin training Vietnamese sailors so that eventually they could take over the 82 foot cutters of all three divisions. Upon completion of this training the officers and men followed their WPBs to Subic Bay where they took part in refresher training and put their cutters through shakedown cruises. Metal Shark was contracted by the USCG to build a fleet of training boats to serve as on-water classrooms. The Krishna had a 'port and starboard' duty rotation; every other day you would stand a 4 or 5 hour watch. 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