Synopsis
"This is a beautifully produced book...it’s one of those reads that you won’t put down once you get started...A great subject, well-written by someone who actually served." ― Military Modelling
During the Vietnam war 3500 officers and men served in the Swift Boat program in a fleet of 130 boats with no armor plating. The boats patrolled the coast and rivers of South Vietnam, with the average age of the crew being twenty-four. Their days consisted of deadly combat, intense lightning firefights, storms and many hidden dangers.
This action-packed story of combat written by Dan Daly, a Vietnam combat veteran who was the Officer in Charge of PCF 76 makes you part of the Swift Boat crew. The six man crew of PCF 76 were volunteers from all over the United States, eager to serve their country in a unique type of duty not seen since the PT boats of WWII. This inexperienced and disparate group of men would meld into a combat team - a team that formed an unbreakable, lifelong bond.
After training they were plunged into a 12-month tour of duty. Combat took place in the closest confines imaginable, where the enemy were hidden behind a passing sand dune or a single sniper could be concealed in an onshore bunker. In many cases the rivers became so narrow there was barely room to maneuver or turn around. The only way out might be into a deadly ambush.
Dan Daly received his naval commission after graduation from Harvard College. After 18 months on a Navy destroyer, he volunteered for Swift Boat duty. After training, he and his crew served 12 months in Vietnam, 1967–68. He later founded several consulting firms and lives on Cape Cod with his family.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Preface
Swift Boat Terminology
Maps and Charts
Section I: Swift Boat School
1. Coronado Settling in
2. SERE: Survival Training
3. Shipping out from Coronado
Section II: Da Nang Arrival, Coastal Div. 12
4. Moving into the Apple
5. First Patrol
6. Taking over PCF 76
7. Top Secret Call Signs
8. Beauty Sleep
9. Ball Cap Smithson
10. The Hospital Ship USS Repose
Section III: Relocating South to Chu Lai
11. Chu Lai, the Base, Cos. Div. 16
12. The Firefi ght at Cap Batangan
13. Picking up Supplies
14. The Trawler, Skunk Alpha
15. Sampan Reconnaissance
16. Homemade Explosives
17. The Village Roundup
18. Return from the Southern Outpost
Section IV: Da Nang to Cua Viet
19. Dinner on the USS Repose
20. Heading North to Cua Viet
21. Project Echo
22. Farewell Good Friend
Section V: Operations at An Thoi, Coastal Div. 11
23. Bob Mack’s River Insertion
24. The Return and Pick up
Section VI: All in a Day’s Work
25. A Tale to Tell back in Da Nang
26. New Job, Maintenance Management
27. Puff the Magic Dragon
28. Hawaiian Rendezvous
29. Tet in the Da Nang River
30. Tough Trip to North Vietnam
Section VII: Homeward Bound
31. Final Orders, Packing up
32. Welcome Home?
Epilogue
The Crew of PCF 76: Current Locations
Swift Boat Skippers 2007
Appendix: Swift Boat Specifications
About the Author
Dan Daly received his naval commission after graduation from Harvard College. After 18 months on a Navy destroyer, he volunteered for Swift Boat duty. After training, he and his crew served 12 months in Vietnam, 1967–68. He later founded several consulting firms and lives on Cape Cod with his family.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
