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WallaceNails
Seaman Apprentice
Joined: 07 Aug 2004
Posts: 89
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 Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2004 2:17 am Post subject: Swift Boat questions |
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Spent my time on M1 Tanks so I know very little of the Navy and the Swift Boat Squad TO&E. I have a question about Swift Boat crews.
How many on a typical crew/boat?
Do the swift boats go on patrol alone or do they go on missions with other swift boats? How many boats?
This is important because it seems like people are making a big deal about guys being on Kerry's crew and guys not being on Kerry's crew.
With Tanks we have a crew of 4. Tank Commander, Gunner, Loader and Driver. 4 tanks make up a platoon. 3 platoons make up a Company. Even though you might not be in the same crew, you still knew everyone in your Platoon and Company very well. I assume this is similar in the Swift Boats?
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FOUR MORE YEARS!!!!!!!!! |
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ASPB
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
Joined: 01 Jun 2004
Posts: 1680
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| Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2004 3:43 am Post subject: Re: Swift Boat questions |
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| WallaceNails wrote: | Spent my time on M1 Tanks so I know very little of the Navy and the Swift Boat Squad TO&E. I have a question about Swift Boat crews.
How many on a typical crew/boat?
Do the swift boats go on patrol alone or do they go on missions with other swift boats? How many boats?
This is important because it seems like people are making a big deal about guys being on Kerry's crew and guys not being on Kerry's crew.
With Tanks we have a crew of 4. Tank Commander, Gunner, Loader and Driver. 4 tanks make up a platoon. 3 platoons make up a Company. Even though you might not be in the same crew, you still knew everyone in your Platoon and Company very well. I assume this is similar in the Swift Boats? |
One 0-1 or O-2 as Officer in Charge (OinC) and five enlisted crewmen.
In the rivers and canals never less than 2 and as many as 7 or 8 boats.
other than replacements or transfers Kerry could only have had 10 crewmen. Given his abreviated tour of duty, no more than 7 weeks with any one crewman. Everyone with Kerry lived ashore in a base with about 25 boat officers and 125 enlisted types plus staff. BTW....All volunteers for the duty. There was never a drafted man in riverine or swift service.
That's why there are about 250 signers of the letter representing the 2 divisions he served in his 4 1/2 months in country.
Hope that helps.
Tom
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 On Sale! Order in lots of 100 now at velero@rcn.com Free for the cost of shipping All profits (if any, especially now) go to Swiftvets. The author of "Sink Kerry Swiftly" ---ASPB |
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rbshirley
Founder
Joined: 07 May 2004
Posts: 394
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| Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2004 2:03 pm Post subject: Re: Swift Boat questions |
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| WallaceNails wrote: | How many on a typical crew/boat?
Do the swift boats go on patrol alone or do they go on missions with
other swift boats?
How many boats?
This is important because it seems like people are making a big deal
about guys being on Kerry' crew and guys not being on Kerry's crew.
With Tanks we have a crew of 4. Tank Commander, Gunner, Loader
and Driver. 4 tanks make up a platoon. 3 platoons make up a Company.
Even though you might not be in the same crew, you still knew everyone
in your Platoon and Company very well. I assume this is similar in the
Swift Boats? |
ASPB gave an excellent response on the crew manning of a Swift Boat.
Going up a small river or a klong alone would have been extreme folly.
For images of a typical mission, see this post over on the main forum:
..................... "Swift Boat Tactics and Serving Question" ........................
http://www.swiftvets.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=15461&highlight=#15461
Talk about being up close and personal! The klongs in the Delta were narrow.
.............  .............
And your analogy to a platoon of M1 Abrams is exactly correct and on target.
Kerry's boat was only one in a formation. He wasn't even the "Platoon Leader"
Puts a different perspectrve on his "qualifications" as a leader in combat
What would you think of a tank commander who made an administrative
end run around the Company CO to reverse a disallowed GWS award?
Or what would you guys have thought of a tank commander that ran from
a disabled tank, waited until he was sure there was no hostile fire, then
came back to pick up a "rider" that had fallen off, disregarding the other
guys on the ground from the disabled tank. And asked for a Bronze Star
for the action? And on top of that, putting himself in for a Purple Heart for
a self inflicted injury from a concussion grenade at the same time.
This stuff just boggles the mind.
No wonder Tom Wright (Kerry's immediate supervisor) got rid of this guy!
Bob S ... Swift Boat sailor
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Grampa
Lt.Jg.
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 143
Location: Eureka, CA
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| Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2004 3:56 pm Post subject: |
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Hey Wallace  Welcome!
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Iraqi Freedom 2003-2004. We won't take any of that 1960s crap when We come home! |
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coldwarvet
Admiral
Joined: 03 Jun 2004
Posts: 1125
Location: Minnetonka, MN
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| Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2004 5:11 pm Post subject: |
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When I served in the USAF we would convoy war heads out to the field, the configuation we used is classified however their were several vehicles plus air cover and I might be in one vehicle with three others however I also knew the security guys that were in the vehicles in front or behind us.
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"Peace is our Profession"
Strategic Air Command - Motto
USAF 75-79 Security Police |
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FlyLow
Seaman Apprentice
Joined: 09 Aug 2004
Posts: 99
Location: Texas...where many of us are NOT rich Republicans...but many of us are CONSERVATIVES!
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| Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 12:19 am Post subject: |
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In my tour as an Army helicopter pilot...I was assigned, several times a month, to the "swiftboat" HQ and Nam Bay (sp) south of Saigon. We would do "ash & trash" for the day (carry mail, beer, food, gear, parts, people and anything the Navy needed.)
We would land on the "tenders", which in might be underway up the My Cong or another brown river. The crews were responsible to the swiftboats and we broght what they needed.
The food was swell...Navy mess was a hell of lot better than Army mess...however, they sure did not understad what a "Huey" was able to do.
We had to watch them as they thought it was a truck or a small water vessel!
Learning to land on those "tenders" whaile underway was a "real treat". I was there from Sep. '68 to Aug. '69...did I meet any of y'all?
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EX-Helicopter driver & accomplished liar.
Wars fought, revolutions started, uprisings quelled, revivals organized,
assassinations plotted, governments overthrown, lead gospel singing,
tigers tamed, bars emptied, virgins converted, orgies organized. |
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