The History and Usage of River Patrol Boats in Vietnam

The mention of war boats frequently brings about visions of large navy ships like destroyers and aircraft carriers, though those are far from the only boats used during modern wars.

Vietnam war boats were entirely different, yet equally important vehicles to American military members serving in the Vietnam War.

Called patrol boat riverines or PBRs for short, Vietnam war boat PBRs were an essential tool used by the U.S. soldiers of Task Force 116 patrolling shallower waters like the jungle rivers in Vietnam.

The First Vietnam War Boats Designed for River Patrolling

Appearing in 1966, the first 11 Model 1 PBRs were delivered to troops in Vietnam to allow various river patrol troops to stop weapons shipments along the Mekong River and other inland waterways and perform other types of security checks.

These specialty Vietnam war boats were fiberglass, with flatter bottoms than sea vessels, and approximately 31 feet long.

The boats were light, quick, and carried a crew of four consisting of a captain, an engineman, a seaman, and a gunner’s mate, occasionally accompanied by a fifth person, often a South Vietnamese customs or police officer.

The boat also carried four different machine guns and a grenade launcher as well as numerous other personal weapons that each soldier bore.

A Redesigned Model Incorporates Necessary Changes

As useful as they were, troops quickly began encountering difficulties with the Mark I, from cracking fiberglass hulls to problems with the pumps that propelled these smaller vessels.

The pumps were loud, making ambushes more difficult, and they frequently became clogged with vegetation from the rivers.

River patrolling was something completely new to U.S. troops, so it is no wonder that the first Vietnam war boat PBRs would need some design modifications.

By 1967, there was a redesigned Vietnam river patrol boat Mark II that had solved all of those, and other issues, making patrolling safer and more efficient for the hundreds of river patrol troops using them.

Vietnam River Patrol Mark II Boats A Critical Military Vehicle

Patrolling the Mekong and other riverways in Vietnam was an essential part of the U,S, involvement in the Vietnam War.

One of the more dangerous missions throughout the war that resulted in high fatalities, Vietnam war boats like the Mark II played a critical role in the war.

Used by both the Navy and the Army, these Vietnam war boats inspected 60% of all boat traffic on these waterways, protected ground troops, and participated in search and destroy missions as well as a number of important missions throughout the war.

Given the way in which warfare happened in that very different environment, PBRs were just one of the important ways that our military was able to adjust to the land and become more efficient and effective.

Two of the more notable missions include the story of PBR 105 which, under Mate First Class James E. Williams, stopped the passage of 65 enemy boats carrying weaponry to the Viet Cong and that of PBR 124, which was saved due to the selfless acts of Seaman David G. Oulett, who protected the craft from an incoming grenade at the risk of his own life.

Both men were awarded the Medal of Honor for their service and dedication.

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