View source for Patrol Craft Fast

{{Short description|Type of coastal and riverine patrol boat}}

{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Fast Patrol Craft (Swift boat) PCF-32 patrols the Rung Sat Special Zone off the coast of South Vietnam, 13 April 1966 (K-31140).jpg
|Ship image size=300px
|Ship caption=''PCF-32'' on patrol.
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=PCF (Patrol Craft Fast)
|Builders= Sewart Seacraft (now Swiftships)<ref name="Swiftships">{{cite web|last=Sage|first=Darrell|title=Remembering the 193 Swift Boats |url=https://swiftships.com/news/remembering-the-193-swift-boats/ |website=Swiftships |publisher=Swiftships.com |access-date=29 May 2024}}</ref> 
|Operators= See ''[[Patrol Craft Fast#Operators|Operators]]''
|Class before=
|Class after=
|Subclasses=
|Cost=
|Built range=
|In service range=
|In commission range=
|Total ships building=
|Total ships planned=
|Total ships completed=193<ref name="Swiftships" />
|Total ships cancelled=
|Total ships active=
|Total ships laid up=
|Total ships lost=
|Total ships retired=
|Total ships preserved=6
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Header caption=
|Ship type= Riverine [[patrol boat]]
|Ship displacement= 
|Ship length=* {{convert|50|ft|m|abbr=on}} (Mk I)<ref name="SBStats">{{cite web | url=http://www.swiftboats.net/extras/boat_specifications.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230084110/http://www.swiftboats.net/extras/boat_specifications.htm | archive-date=2019-12-30 | title=Boat Specifications }}</ref>
* {{convert|51|ft|m|abbr=on}} (Mk II)<ref name="SBStats"/>
* {{convert|94.5|ft|abbr=on}} ([[Osprey-Class PTF|Osprey-Class]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.navypedia.org/ships/usa/us_sc_ptf23.htm|title="Osprey" patrol boats (PTF23) (1968)|website=www.navypedia.org}}</ref>
|Ship beam= {{convert|13|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="SBStats"/>
|Ship height=
|Ship draft={{convert|3|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="SBStats"/>
|Ship depth=
|Ship decks=
|Ship deck clearance=
|Ship ramps=
|Ship ice class=
|Ship power=
|Ship propulsion=2x General Motors 12V71"N" Detroit marine diesels<ref name="SBStats"/>
|Ship speed= {{convert|32|kn|km/h mph}} (Mk I)<ref name="SBStats"/>
|Ship range=
|Ship boats=
|Ship complement=
|Ship crew=
|Ship time to activate=
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament= * 2x 0.50 caliber machine gun (top) (US-based)<ref name="PCFH">{{cite web | url=https://homelandmagazine.com/patrol-craft-fast/ | title=PATROL CRAFT FAST &#124; Homeland Magazine }}</ref> 
*  1x 81mm mortar (US-based)<ref name="PCFH"/>
*  1x Mk 19 (US-based)<ref name="SBStats"/>
*  1x NSV (Vietnamese-based)<ref name = "soha"/>
*  1x DsHK (Vietnamese-based)<ref name="Soha2">{{cite web | url=https://soha.vn/quan-su/viet-nam-trang-bi-sung-phong-luu-tu-dong-ags-17-cho-giang-thuyen-20151115171953842.htm | title=Việt Nam trang bị súng phóng lựu tự động AGS-17 cho giang thuyền | date=16 November 2015 }}</ref>
*  1x AGS-17 (Vietnamese-based) <ref name="Soha2"/>
|Ship armor= Quarter inch thick aluminum hull<ref name="PCFH"/>
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

The '''Patrol Craft Fast''' ('''PCF'''),<ref name="WMSB">{{cite web | url=https://www.williammaloney.com/Aviation/USNavyMuseum/SwiftBoat/index.htm | title=Photos of the Swift Boat at the US Navy Museum }}</ref> also known as '''Swift Boat''',<ref name="WMSB"/> were all-aluminum, {{convert|50|ft|m|adj=on}} long, shallow-[[Draft (hull)|draft]] vessels operated by the [[United States Navy]], initially to patrol the coastal areas and later for work in the interior waterways as part of the [[brown-water navy]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://coffeeordie.com/brown-water-navy/ | title=WATCH: The Brown Water Navy and Swift Boats of Vietnam }}</ref> to interdict Vietcong movement of arms and munitions, transport South Vietnamese forces and insert SEAL teams for [[counterinsurgency]] (COIN) operations during the [[Vietnam War]].

== Development ==
{{more citations needed section|date=April 2023}}

=== Conception ===

The Swift Boat was conceived in a ''Naval Advisory Group'', [[Military Assistance Command, Vietnam]] (NAVADGRP MACV) staff study titled "Naval Craft Requirements in a Counter Insurgency Environment," published 1 February 1965. The study was positively received, and the Navy began to search for sources. Sewart Seacraft of [[Berwick, Louisiana]] ([[Swiftships]]' predecessor),<ref>{{cite web | url=https://shipsmonthly.com/news/swiftships-swift-boats-for-iraq/ | title=NEW PATROL BOATS: Swiftships' swift boats for Iraq | date=26 October 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://thebossmagazine.com/swiftships-water-vessel-2/ | title=Swiftships: The Sea's Best Aluminum Water Vessel | date=March 2018 }}</ref> built [[water taxi]]s for companies operating oil rigs in the [[Gulf of Mexico]], which appeared nearly ideal. The Navy bought their plans, and asked Sewart Seacraft to prepare modified drawings that included a gun tub, ammo lockers, bunks, and a small [[galley (kitchen)|galley]]. The Navy used those enhanced plans to request bids from other boat builders. Sewart Seacraft was chosen to build the boats.

=== Mark I ===

The Swift Boats had welded aluminum hulls about {{convert|50|ft}} long with {{convert|13|ft|m}} beam, and draft of about five feet (1.5 m). They were powered by a pair of [[Detroit Diesel Series 71|General Motors 12V71"N"]] Detroit marine diesel engines rated at {{convert|480|hp|kW}} each, with a design range from {{convert|320|nmi|km}} at {{convert|21|knots|km/h}} to about {{convert|750|nmi|km}} at {{convert|10|knots|km/h}}.  The normal complement for a Swift Boat was six: an officer in charge (skipper), a boatswains mate, a radar/radioman (radarman), an engineer (engineman), and two gunners (quartermaster and gunner's mate). In 1969, the crew was supplemented with a Vietnamese trainee.

The first two PCFs were delivered to the Navy in late August 1965. The original water taxi design had been enhanced with two .50 caliber [[M2 Browning]] machine guns in a turret above the pilot house, an over-and-under .50-caliber machine gun – 81&nbsp;mm mortar combination mounted on the rear deck, a [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]] ammunition box on the stern, improved habitability equipment such as bunks, a refrigerator and freezer, and a sink. The 81&nbsp;mm combination mortar mounted on the rear deck was not a gravity firing mortar as used by the Army and [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]], in which the falling projectile's primer struck the fixed firing pin at the base of the mortar tube, but a unique lanyard firing weapon in which the projectile was still loaded into the muzzle. The gunner could "fire at will" by the use of the lanyard. The weapon had been tested in the 1950s and discarded as the U.S. Navy lost interest in the system. The [[United States Coast Guard]] maintained the gun/mortar system before the Navy incorporated it into the PCF program.<ref>{{cite web|last=Wells II|first=William R.|title=The United States Coast Guard's Piggyback 81mm Mortar/.50 cal. machine gun|publisher=Vietnam Magazine|date=August 1997|url=http://www.pcf45.com/misfire/81-50.html|access-date=16 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pcf45.com/misfire/mortar.html|title=Notes on Mk 2 Mod 0 and Mod 1 .50 Caliber MG/81mm Mortar|author=Bob Stoner}}</ref> Many boats also mounted a single [[M60 machine gun]] in the forward peak tank, just in front of the forward superstructure.

The original order for 50 boats was followed shortly by an additional order for 54 more Mark Is.

=== Mark II and Mark III ===
In the latter half of 1967, 46 Mark II boats, with a modified deck house set further back from the bow. The newer boats also had round port holes (replacing larger sliding windows) in the aft superstructure. From 1969 through 1972, 33 Mark IIIs, which were a larger version of the Mark IIs, arrived in Vietnam.

==Service==
{{more citations needed section|date=April 2023}}

Most of the 193 PCFs built were used by the U.S. Navy in Vietnam and the two training bases in California. About 80 of the boats constructed were sold or given away to nations friendly to the United States. The original training base for Swift Boats was at [[Naval Amphibious Base Coronado]].

In 1969, training was moved to [[Mare Island]] near [[San Pablo Bay]], California, where it remained for the duration of the war. Though not a deep water boat, PCF training boats frequently transited from Mare Island, through the [[Golden Gate Bridge]] to cruise either north or south along the Pacific Ocean coastline. ''PCF-8'' sank in a storm off [[Bodega Bay]], California in December 1969. This was the only Swift Boat lost during training operations. No crewmen were lost in the event.

The most frequent training area for the [[Mare Island]] units was the marshland that forms the northern shoreline of San Francisco Bay. This area, now known as the [[Napa Sonoma Marshes]] State Wildlife Area, was also used by [[United States Navy Reserve]] unit PBRs) up until 1995, when Mare Island was scheduled for base closure.

===Vietnam War service===
[[File:Fast Patrol Crafts operating up a river 2.jpg|thumb|PCFs carry a group of South Vietnamese marines up a narrow canal for insertion.]]

The first Swift Boats arrived in South Vietnam in October 1965. The boats were initially used as coastal patrol craft in [[Operation Market Time]], interdicting seaborne supplies on their way to the [[Viet Cong]] (VC) and [[People's Army of Vietnam]] (PAVN) forces in South Vietnam. However, the design's shallow draft and low [[Freeboard (nautical)|freeboard]] limited their seaworthiness in open waters. These limitations, plus the difficulties being encountered in the interior waterways by the smaller, more lightly armed [[Patrol Boat, River|PBRs]], led to the incorporation of Swifts to patrol the {{convert|1,500|mi}} of rivers and canals of Vietnam's interior waterways.<ref>Symmes ''War on the Rivers'' p. 95</ref><ref name=MMSD>{{cite web|url=http://sdmaritime.org/visit/the-ships/pcf-816-swift-boat/|title=PCF 816 Swift Boat|work=Maritime Museum of San Diego|access-date=2015-07-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906143240/http://sdmaritime.org/visit/the-ships/pcf-816-swift-boat/|archive-date=2015-09-06|url-status=live}}</ref> Swift Boats continued to operate along the Vietnamese coastal areas, but with the start of Admiral [[Elmo Zumwalt]]'s "[[Operation Sealords|SEALORDS]]" riverway interdiction strategy, their primary area of operations soon centered upon the [[Cà Mau Peninsula]] and the [[Mekong Delta]] area in the southern tip of Vietnam.<ref name=MMSD/> Here they patrolled the waterways and performed special operations, including gunfire support, troop insertion and evacuation, and raids into enemy territory.<ref name=MMSD/>

The Mekong Delta is composed of ten thousand square miles of marshland, swamps and forested areas. The region is interlaced by rivers and canal ways.  Controlled by the VC, the interior waterways of the Mekong Delta were used to transport supplies and weapons.

Swift Boats generally operated in teams of three to five. Each boat had an officer in charge, one of whom would also be placed in overall charge of the mission. Their missions included patrolling the waterways, searching water traffic for weapons and munitions, transporting South Vietnamese marine units and inserting Navy [[SEAL]] teams.

When the Swift Boats began making forays up the waterways into the interior of the delta, they initially took the carriers by surprise, causing them to drop their materials and run off into the overgrowth.  Occasionally a short firefight would break out. As it became clear that control of the waterways was being contested, the VC developed a number of tactics to challenge the U.S. Navy. They set up ambushes, built obstructions in the canals to create choke points and began to place mines in the waterways.

For the Swifts, coming back down river was always more dangerous than going up river. The passage of a patrol assured their eventual return, providing an opportunity for the VC. Ambushes were typically short lived affairs, set up at a river bend or in a narrow canal that restricted the maneuverability of the boats.<ref>Symmes ''War on the Rivers'' p. 148</ref>  A wide variety of portable weapons were used in attacks, including [[recoilless rifle]]s, [[RPG-2|B-40 rockets]], [[DShK|.50 caliber machine guns]] and [[AK-47]]s, often fired from behind earthen bunkered positions.<ref>Symmes ''War on the Rivers'' p. 136</ref> Engagements were brief and violent, with the ambushers often slipping away into the undergrowth when the boats located the source of attack and began to concentrate their return fire. When attacked the boats would accelerate out of the hot zone, turn and then return as a group, firing as many of their guns as they could bring to bear. They would power past the ambush point, turn and return to attack again until the ambushers were either killed or slipped away. Though most cruising and patrolling was done at 8 to 10 knots, the boats could reach a top speed of 32 knots. Thick brush and vegetation in the delta provided excellent cover for the escaping ambushers. Casualties taken among the river crews were high. Casualties suffered among the VC were difficult to assess, as they would take their dead and wounded away from a firefight. Discovering newly dug graveyards was one of the few ways to confirm VC losses.<ref>Symmes ''War on the Rivers'' p. 173</ref>

The first Swift Boat to be lost during the war was ''PCF-4'', which was lost to a mine in 1966. Two boats, ''PCF-14'' and ''PCF-76'', were lost in rough seas at the mouth of the Cua Viet River near the [[Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone|DMZ]], and a third, ''PCF-77'', was lost in a rescue effort during a [[monsoon]] at the mouth of the [[Perfume River]] on the approach to [[Huế]]. All three of these boats were lost in 1966. ''PCF-41'' was lost that same year in an ambush when it was hit by fire from a 57&nbsp;mm recoilless rifle. Its controls destroyed and coxswain killed, it ran aground at speed. When the crew ran out of ammunition it had to be abandoned.<ref>{{cite web|last= Wasikowski|first= Lawrence J.|url= http://www.swiftboats.net/stories/pcf41.htm|title= Coastal Squadron One; 22 May 1966 Sinking of ''PCF-41''|date= April 26, 2008|access-date= July 13, 2018|website= swiftboats.net|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150924112325/http://www.swiftboats.net/stories/pcf41.htm|archive-date= 24 September 2015|url-status= live}}</ref> It was recovered the next day but was too badly damaged to be repaired, so was salvaged instead.

''PCF-43'' was lost to a rocket attack in 1969.<ref>Symmes ''War on the Rivers'' pp. 120-122</ref> Several other Swift Boats had been lost to river mines, but had been salvaged and either repaired or used for spare parts.

When Vietnamization was implemented, several Swift Boats were turned over to the South Vietnamese Navy.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nmusn/explore/photography/ships-us/ships-usn-p/patrol-craft-fast-pcf.html | title=Patrol Craft, Fast (PCF) }}</ref>

==== Controversy over loss of ''PCF-19'' ====
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict    = Sinking of PCF-19
| width       = 370px
| partof      = [[Operation Market Time]], [[Vietnam War]]
| date        = June 16, 1968<br />~0030 - 0400 hours ([[UTC+07:00]])
| place       = [[Bến Hải River|Bến Hải]] & Cửa Việt Rivers, [[South Vietnam]]
| territory   = 
| result      = Determined to be a [[friendly fire]] incident due to an unrelated incident in the same area the next day
| combatants_header = 
| combatant1  = {{flagicon|Vietnam}} [[North Vietnam]]
| combatant2  = {{flag|United States}}
| commander1  = Unknown
| commander2  = [[Lieutenant (junior grade)|LTJG]] John Davis<br />LTJG Peter Snyder<br />LTJG Ronald Fritz<br />[[Colonel (United States)|Col]] Dominic Damico
| strength1   = 2-4 [[Mil Mi-4|Mi-4 helicopters]]<br />1 unknown [[fixed-wing aircraft]]
| strength2   = 2 PCFs<br />1 [[USCGC Point Dume (WPB-82325)|point-class cutter]]<br />1 [[McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II|F-4 Phantom II]]
| strength3   = 
| casualties1 = 1 helicopter allegedly damaged	
| casualties2 = 1 PCF destroyed<br />5 killed<br />2 wounded
| campaignbox = 
}}
On the night of 15/16 June 1968, U.S. marine aircraft spotters on the ground began reporting unidentified helicopters near the DMZ. The first report stated that four helicopters had been detected and were proceeding toward [[Cồn Cỏ District|Tiger Island]], just off the North Vietnamese coast at an altitude of {{convert|700–1,000|ft}}. These spotters observed the aircraft visually, using [[Starlight Scope]]s and by radar. Over the course of the night, Air Force pilots reported 19 additional helicopter sightings. On this same evening the guided missile heavy cruiser {{USS|Boston|CAG-1|6}}, operating near the
DMZ, also began reporting helicopter activity in the vicinity of [[Bến Hải River|Bến Hải]], Cap Lay and Tiger Island. At 00:10 on the 16th, an unidentified aircraft fired three rockets or missiles at ''Boston'', but none hit the vessel.<ref name=Sherwood>{{cite book|last=Sherwood|first=John|title=War in the Shallows: U.S. Navy and Coastal and Riverine Warfare in Vietnam 1965-8|publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command|year=2015|isbn=9780945274773|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/publications-by-subject/war-in-the-shallows.html}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>{{rp|240}}

At 01:00 on 16 June 1968 in the same area, ''PCF-19'' was struck by two missiles, one struck the cabin just below the pilothouse on the port side, the other hit the engine room. The boat sank in four minutes. Four of its crewmen were killed, and two others badly injured.<ref>Steffes, p.68-71, official U.S. Navy OinC (Officer In Charge) PCF-12 After Action Report</ref><ref name=Sherwood/>{{rp|240}} The remaining crew managed to swim free from the sinking craft and cling to a life raft until {{USCGC|Point Dume|WPB-82325|6}} arrived on scene at 01:30. As soon as the survivors were on board, ''Point Dume'' departed the scene to drop them off at the [[Cua Viet Base]] for a medevac to Danang. In the meantime, the crew of ''PCF-12'', which had arrived on the scene at 01:50 to continue the search for survivors, noticed illumination rounds being fired that were not their own. Opting to investigate, the officer in charge ordered the boat to speed to the Cua Viet River. When ''PCF-12'' was {{convert|3|mi}} from the river mouth, crewmembers observed two sets of aircraft lights off the port and starboard beam, about {{convert|300|yd}} away and {{convert|100|ft}} above the water. The boat commander immediately got on the radio and requested permission to engage the aircraft. At 02:25, ''PCF-12'' received a single rocket from seaward at a low trajectory. The rocket passed a couple of feet over the main cabin and exploded in the water ten feet from the boat. ''PCF-12'' came about, increased speed and moved away from the kill zone while bringing its .50-caliber guns to bear against an aerial target hovering at {{convert|1,000|ft}} with lights blinking. The aircraft decreased altitude and turned off its lights. After a short time, ''PCF-12'' stopped to observe the scene and saw two aircraft appeared off its beams again with lights on. The boat commander contacted the marine observer and inquired about their status. The marines told him that they could not identify the aircraft because they did not have their identification, friend or foe (IFF) transponders turned on. At 02:35, the aircraft near the beach fired 40–50 rounds of .50-caliber tracer fire at the PCF. All rounds landed astern. ''PCF-12'' responded with machine-gun and mortar fire.<ref name=Sherwood/>{{rp|241}}

At 02:40, ''Point Dume'', now back on the scene was attacked by a fixed-wing aircraft, which made two attack runs against the vessel. Both the commanding officer of ''Point Dume'' and the commander of ''PCF-12'' positively identified the aircraft as a "jet." The crews of ''Point Dume'' and ''PCF-12'' then observed numerous lighted aircraft that appeared to be helicopters in the northern part of the area. These aircraft approached the U.S. vessels and made firing runs with their lights off. ''Point Dume'' received heavy caliber automatic weapons fire from these aircraft and returned fire. ''PCF-12'' also returned fire intermittently for approximately 75 minutes. Neither vessel was damaged in the engagement; there were no personnel injured.<ref name=Sherwood/>{{rp|241}}

On the afternoon of 16 June, Task Unit 77.1.0 ordered {{USS|Edson|DD-946|6}}, {{USS|Theodore E. Chandler|DD-717|6}} and the [[Royal Australian Navy]] guided-missile destroyer Hobart {{HMAS|Hobart|D 39|6}} to conduct a surveillance mission in the vicinity of Tiger Island in attempt to flush out any enemy helicopters or waterborne craft operating from there. At 01:18 on the 17th, ''Boston'', which was engaged in a naval gunfire support mission in the same general area, came under attack from an unidentified jet aircraft. The jet fired two missiles at the ship: one exploded {{convert|200|yd}} off the port beam; and the other close aboard to port, showering the ship with fragments. No sailors were injured, and the missiles caused only minor structural damage to the ship. At 03:09, while ''Hobart'' was searching a 5-mile radius area between the coast and Tiger Island with its radar, it detected a single aircraft tracking east. The aircraft was not squawking IFF. An attempt was made to identify the aircraft by visual gun direction personnel on the bridge. Five minutes later a missile slammed into the chief petty officers' mess and nearby spaces, killing one sailor and wounding two others. The ship took evasive action but temporarily lost radar contact with the aircraft. At 03:16, two more missiles hit the ship, destroying the gunners' store and damaging other spaces, including the engineers' workshop, the seamen's mess, the missile director room, the [[RIM-24 Tartar]] checkout room, and the chiefs' mess (again). This second attack killed an officer and wounded other sailors. As the aircraft turned to make a third pass, one of the ship's gun turrets fired five rounds and the aircraft turned and retreated. Fourteen minutes later ''Edson'', now at general quarters due to reports from ''Hobart'' about hostile aircraft in the area, came under attack by an unidentified aircraft. Lookouts and sonar confirmed a near miss astern by a missile.<ref name=Sherwood/>{{rp|242}}

The next day Vice Admiral [[William F. Bringle]], Commander Seventh Fleet, appointed Rear Admiral S. H. Moore, Commander Task Group 77.1/70.8, to conduct an informal investigation into the various firing incidents occurring between 15 and 17 June. The board determined that Air Force [[McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II|F-4s]] launched two [[AIM-7 Sparrow|AIM-7E Sparrow]] missiles on 17 June at 01:15 and one at 03:15 that same day. Fragments of Sparrow missiles complete with serial numbers found on ''Boston'' and ''Hobart'' confirmed these findings. The case was therefore quite clear with regard to these two attacks on 17 June — ''Hobart'' and ''Boston'' had been the victims of friendly fire. The board also investigated the 16 June attacks on ''Boston'' and ''PCF-19'' and the attack on ''Edson'' on the 17th. From the positions of American vessels and attacking aircraft, the board concluded that Air Force aircraft attacked ''Boston'' and ''PCF-19'' on the 16th and that American aircraft also attacked ''Edson'' on the 17th. Unlike the ''Boston'' and ''Hobart'' attacks on the 17th, however, no physical evidence supported these findings. Later research of the incident with surviving veterans and a review of salvage reports from {{USS|Acme|MSO-508|6}}, the ship that recovered the bodies and codebooks from ''PCF-19'' shortly after the attack, found that the rocket entry holes in the hull of ''PCF-19'' were 76.2mm in size—the size of a standard helicopter rocket carried by a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]]-manufactured [[Mil Mi-4|Mi-4 Hound]] helicopter and not Sparrow or [[AIM-9 Sidewinder|Sidewinder]] holes, which would have been larger.<ref name=Sherwood/>{{rp|242}}<ref>{{citation|last = Steffes|first = James|title = Swift Boat Down: The real story of the sinking of ''PCF-19''|year = 2005|isbn = 1-59926-612-1|publisher = [[Xlibris]]}}</ref>

===Vietnam People's Navy service===
The [[Vietnam People's Navy]] managed to capture 107 of [[Republic of Vietnam Navy]] PCFs after the [[Fall of Saigon]] in 1975. The PCFs were quickly used in VPN operations at [[Thổ Chu]] and other islands to repel the invasion of the [[Khmer Rouge]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://infonet.vietnamnet.vn/hai-chien-voi-pol-pot-tren-dao-tho-chu-chuyen-bay-gio-moi-ke-146990.html | title=Chuyên trang Infonet Báo VietnamNet }}</ref> The Swift Boats are still active in the Vietnam People's Navy.<ref name = "soha">{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140620100829/http://soha.vn/quan-su/kham-pha-vu-khi-moi-tren-tau-pcf-vn-sau-nang-cap-20140617211242499.htm |archive-date=2014-06-20 |date=2014-06-18|url=http://soha.vn/quan-su/kham-pha-vu-khi-moi-tren-tau-pcf-vn-sau-nang-cap-20140617211242499.htm|title=Khám phá vũ khí mới trên tàu PCF VN sau nâng cấp|language=Vietnamese|publisher=Soha |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://soha.vn/quan-su/gia-sung-da-nang-tren-tau-pcf-20151106203248191.htm | title=Giá súng đa năng trên tàu PCF | date=6 November 2015 }}</ref>

The M2 machine gun was replaced by a domestically produced 12.7&nbsp;mm NSV gun, which had fewer jamming problems and was easier for the crews to maintain.<ref name = "soha"/> The electronic and communication systems were also overhauled.<ref name = "soha"/> Some PCFs captured have a DsHK HMG and an AGS-17 AGL mounted on top.<ref name="Soha2"/>

== Operators ==
<!-- READ FIRST: This section is for cited entries only. Please do not add entries into this list without a citation from a reliable source. All entries without a citation will be removed. Thank you. -->

===Current===
*{{flag|Vietnam}}: [[Vietnam People's Navy]], taken from the former South Vietnam Navy.<ref name = "soha"/> M2 HMG and other American-installed components replaced with NSV HMG or a DsHK and AGS-17.<ref name = "soha"/><ref name="Soha2"/>

===Former===
*{{flag|Khmer Republic}}: [[Khmer National Navy]].<ref name="Cambodia">{{cite web|url=http://www.swiftboats.net/extras/janes_khmer.htm|title=Jane's Fighting Ships - Cambodia swift boats|access-date=23 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304185428/http://www.swiftboats.net/extras/janes_khmer.htm|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flag|Malta}}: [[Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta]].<ref name="sdmaritime.org">{{cite web|url=http://sdmaritime.org/visit/the-ships/pcf-816-swift-boat/|title=PCF 816 Swift Boat - Maritime Museum of San Diego|access-date=23 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160707102535/http://sdmaritime.org/visit/the-ships/pcf-816-swift-boat/|archive-date=7 July 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flag|Panama}}: The MN GC-201 Comandante Torrijos and MN GC-202 Presidente Porras acquired from the US in the 1980s for the Panamanian Navy.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/centam/pa-navy.htm | title=Panama Navy }}</ref>
*{{flag|Philippines}}: [[Philippine Navy]] & [[Philippine Coast Guard]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.swiftboats.net/extras/janes_philippines.htm|title=Jane's Fighting Ships - Philippines swift boats|access-date=23 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170318184221/http://swiftboats.net/extras/janes_philippines.htm|archive-date=18 March 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flag|South Vietnam}}: [[Republic of Vietnam Navy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://swiftboatsailorsmemorial.com/exhibits/show/crew/southvietnamesecrew|title=South Vietnamese Navy Crewmembers on PCFs · Swift Boat Crew and Responsibilities · Swift Boat Sailors Memorial|access-date=23 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304024203/http://swiftboatsailorsmemorial.com/exhibits/show/crew/southvietnamesecrew|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flag|United States}}: U.S. Navy<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2013/may/09/maritime-museum-swift-boat-vietnam/|title=Swift Boat takes vets, public back in time|first=San Diego Union|last=Tribune|date=9 May 2013 |access-date=23 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304113740/http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2013/may/09/maritime-museum-swift-boat-vietnam/|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flag|Thailand}}: [[Royal Thai Navy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.swiftboats.net/extras/janes_thailand.htm|title=Jane's Fighting Ships - Thailand swift boats|access-date=23 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170318184053/http://swiftboats.net/extras/janes_thailand.htm|archive-date=18 March 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Non-State Actors===
*{{flagicon|Cambodia|1975}}: Khmer Rouge, captured from the US and Khmer Navy.<ref name="Cambodia"/>

==Preservation==

===Malta===
Former U.S. Navy Vietnam veterans, from the Swift Boat Sailors' Association, visited Malta in 2010 and said the Malta Swifts were the last two still in service, out of hundreds that were built.<ref>{{cite web|title=Veteran patrol boat to head back to the US|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120110/local/veteran-patrol-boat-to-head-back-to-the-us.401820|publisher=[[Times of Malta]]|access-date=15 August 2012|date=10 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428183419/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120110/local/veteran-patrol-boat-to-head-back-to-the-us.401820|archive-date=28 April 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> One of the two patrol boats headed back to the United States to become a memorial in summer 2012 at the [[Maritime Museum of San Diego]] in California.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/military/sdut-maritime-museum-swift-boat-vietnam-2013may09-story.html | title=Swift Boat takes vets, public back in time | date=9 May 2013 }}</ref>

The museum has a display paying tribute to the Maltese servicemen who died on board the ''P23'' (the sister vessel of ''P24'') during an accident that occurred on September 7, 1984. The incident – known as the [[C23 tragedy]] and the worst peace-time accident suffered by Maltese services personnel – killed five AFM soldiers and two policemen when illegal fireworks about to be dumped into the sea exploded on the bow of the small patrol boat.

The AFM retained ''P23'' as a memorial to those killed in the explosion.<ref>{{cite web|title=Updated: Patrol boat explosion tragedy recalled|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090907/local/patrol-boat-tragedy-recalled.272487|publisher=[[Times of Malta]]|access-date=15 August 2012|date=7 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021153809/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090907/local/patrol-boat-tragedy-recalled.272487|archive-date=21 October 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> ''P23'' was also depicted on a [[Postage stamps and postal history of Malta|Maltese postage stamp]] commemorating the island's maritime heritage on 10 August 2011.<ref>{{cite web|title=Maritime Stamp issue by MaltaPost|url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2011-08-28/news/maritime-stamp-issue-by-maltapost-297730/|publisher=[[The Malta Independent]]|access-date=27 April 2014|date=28 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427044026/http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2011-08-28/news/maritime-stamp-issue-by-maltapost-297730/|archive-date=27 April 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Philippines===
A Swift Mk.3-class PB-353 physically restored and converted to museum display at the re-launched Philippine Navy Museum, Fort San Felipe, Cavite.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

===United States===
[[File:US Navy 041111-N-7949W-007 Visitors to the Vietnam Unit Memorial Monument, on board Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, Calif., have a chance to look at patrol craft and coastal patrol boats on display.jpg|thumb|300px|A preserved PCF 104 boat in the middle, located at the Vietnam Unit Memorial Monument, Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.]]

There are two operational PCFs in the United States today. R/V ''Matthew F. Maury'' is operated by Tidewater Community College in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Formerly ''PCF-2'', the vessel was awarded to the college in 1995 and has been used in oceanographic research and education since then. It is berthed at JEB Little Creek and operates in and around Chesapeake Bay. The second operational PCF, ''PCF-816'' (formerly ''P-24'' in the service of Malta) is operational in San Diego, California at the Maritime Museum of San Diego. The boat makes regular runs on weekends and is staffed with former Swift Boat sailors as narrators.<ref name="sdmaritime.org"/>

There are two Swift Boats preserved in static displays in the United States. Both are former U.S. Navy Swift Boats that were originally stationed in California to train PCF crews. One is located at the [[National Museum of the United States Navy|Navy Museum]] at [[Washington Navy Yard]] in [[Washington, D.C.]];<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hnsa.org/ships/pcf1.htm|title=PFC 1|work=Historic Naval Ships Association|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509124514/http://www.hnsa.org/ships/pcf1.htm|archive-date=2008-05-09}}</ref> the second Swift Boat is on the Naval Special Weapons Base at [[Naval Amphibious Base Coronado]], California, the original home of PCF training.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://coronadotimes.com/news/2017/05/05/swift-boat-sailors-association-memorial-ceremony-honoring-the-50-swift-boat-sailors-still-on-patrol/ | title=Swift Boat Sailors Association Memorial Ceremony - Honoring the 50 Swift Boat Sailors "Still on Patrol" | date=5 May 2017 }}</ref>

== Notable personnel ==
Those who served on the boats in Vietnam and later became politicians include Nebraska Governor and U.S. Senator [[Bob Kerrey]], a recipient of the [[Medal of Honor]],<ref>{{cite web |access-date=May 7, 2020 |url=http://www.cmohs.org/recipients/living_cites_kl.htm |title=Full Citations of Living Recipients K-L}}</ref> and Arizona Congressman [[Jim Kolbe]], who served in the [[United States Navy]].<ref>[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1987/05/28/377187.html The Vietnam War and the Congressman of the 1980s], ''[[New York Times]]'', David K. Shipler, May 28, 1986. Retrieved May 7, 2020.</ref>

U.S. Senator and [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] [[John Kerry]] commanded a Swift Boat when he served in Vietnam.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bowers|first=Andy|title=What, Exactly, Is a Swift Boat?|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2105631/|publisher=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate.com]]|access-date=13 September 2004|date=25 August 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051125020810/http://slate.com/id/2105631/|archive-date=25 November 2005|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Lieutenant (junior grade)|LTJG]] Kerry was awarded the [[Silver Star]], [[Bronze Star]] and three [[Purple Heart]]s during riverine combat in a PCF.

==Controversy==
As the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[President of the United States|president]] in [[2004 United States presidential election|2004]], then-[[United States Senate|Senator]] Kerry's military record was attacked by a political [[527 group]] called [[Swift Vets and POWs for Truth|Swift Boat Veterans for Truth]].  Ever since, the term "[[swiftboating]]" has entered American political jargon associating swift boat service with political smear tactics.

In an article in ''The New York Times'' on June 30, 2008, Swift Boat veterans objected to the prevalent use of the verb "swiftboating" as this type of ''ad hominem'' attack, stating that it is disrespectful to the men who served and died on the PCFs during Vietnam.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/us/politics/30swift.html | work=The New York Times | title=Veterans Long to Reclaim the Name 'Swift Boat' | first=Kate | last=Zernike | date=2008-06-30 | access-date=2010-03-27 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090424135356/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/us/politics/30swift.html | archive-date=2009-04-24 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Cogan1>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Politics, the Media, and Popular Culture|first1=Brian|last1=Cogan|first2=Tony|last2=Kelso|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2009|pages=155, 335|isbn=978-0-313-34379-7}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[PTF 26]] Patrol Craft Fast Museum ship at Golconda, Illinois
* [[Patrol Boat, River]], PBR, {{convert|32|ft|m|adj=on}} long, all fiberglass boat, with twin water jet propulsion, used on rivers.
* [[List of patrol vessels of the United States Navy]]

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist|30em}}

=== General bibliography ===
{{Refbegin}}
* Daly, Dan (2017). {{Google books|id=8qgaDgAAQBAJ |title=White Water, Red Hot Lead: On Board US Navy Swift Boats in Vietnam}}. Published by Casemate. {{ISBN|978-1612004785}}.
* Friedman, Norman. ''U.S. Small Combatants: An Illustrated Design History'', United States Naval Institute, 1987  {{ISBN|0-87021-713-5}}.
* Gugliottia, Guy, Yeoman, Neva Sullaway, ''Swift Boats at War in Vietnam''. Stackpole Books, 2017. {{ISBN| 978 081 171 9599}}
* Steffes, James  ''Swift Boat Down: The real story of the sinking of PCF-19'', Xlibris, 2005  {{ISBN|1-59926-612-1}}
* Steffes, James ''Operation Market Time: The Early Years, 1965–66'', Xlibris, 2009, {{ISBN|978-1-4415-9049-7}}
* Symmes, Weymouth  ''War on the Rivers: A Swift Boat Sailor's Chronicle of the Battle of the Mekong Delta''  Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, 2004.  {{ISBN|1-57510-109-2}}
* ''Time'', August 9, 1968, Vol. 92 No. 6; "Viet Nam War: Fatal Error" (The World/Vietnam War)
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons|Fast Patrol Craft}}
* [http://www.pcf45.com PCF-45 story, by Robert Shirley]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101123184016/http://hnsa.org/class.htm#PT HNSA Ship Page: Swift Boats to visit as museums and memorials]
* [http://www.swiftboats.org Swift Boat Sailors' Association]

[[Category:Military boats]]
[[Category:Patrol boat classes]]
[[Category:Patrol vessels of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Riverine warfare]]
[[Category:Vietnam War ships]]