Patrol Craft Fast

PCF-32 on patrol.
Class overview
NamePCF (Patrol Craft Fast)
BuildersSewart Seacraft (now Swiftships)[1]
OperatorsSee Operators
Completed193[1]
Preserved6
General characteristics
TypeRiverine patrol boat
Length
  • 50 ft (15 m) (Mk I)[2]
  • 51 ft (16 m) (Mk II)[2]
Beam13 ft (4.0 m)[2]
Draft3 ft (0.91 m)[2]
Propulsion2x General Motors 12V71"N" Detroit marine diesels[2]
Speed32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph) (Mk I)[2]
Armament
  • 2x 0.50 caliber machine gun (top) (US-based)[3]
  • 1x 81mm mortar (US-based)[3]
  • 1x Mk 19 (US-based)[2]
  • 1x NSV (Vietnamese-based)[4]
  • 1x DsHK (Vietnamese-based)[5]
  • 1x AGS-17 (Vietnamese-based) [5]
ArmorQuarter inch thick aluminum hull[3]

The Patrol Craft Fast (PCF),[6] also known as Swift Boat,[6] were all-aluminum, 50-foot (15 m) long, shallow-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[7] to interdict Vietcong movement of arms and munitions, transport South Vietnamese forces and insert SEAL teams for counterinsurgency (COIN) operations during the Vietnam War.

  1. ^ a b Sage, Darrell. "Remembering the 193 Swift Boats". Swiftships. Swiftships.com. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Boat Specifications". Archived from the original on 2019-12-30.
  3. ^ a b c "PATROL CRAFT FAST | Homeland Magazine".
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference soha was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b "Việt Nam trang bị súng phóng lựu tự động AGS-17 cho giang thuyền". 16 November 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Photos of the Swift Boat at the US Navy Museum".
  7. ^ "WATCH: The Brown Water Navy and Swift Boats of Vietnam".