 Today, ranging across the oceans of the world, from the Atlantic and the Pacific to the South China Sea, is a fleet which is probably the most powerful in history, the modern United States Navy. And yet today, with all the sophistication and refinement of modern weapons and computerized systems, this same Navy has been called upon to fight a unique and different kind of war. In Vietnam, the special demands of guerrilla warfare have shaped another Navy. I'm Raymond Burr. What you are about to see is not the story of the familiar Deepwater Navy we already know so well, the Navy of aircraft carrier, cruiser and destroyer. This is about a shallow water fleet of specially designed craft which serve in Vietnam, prepared to meet the Viet Cong on its own terms and outlast it. It is the story of river warfare and coastal surveillance, of patrol boat and river assault craft. It is the story of the small boat Navy. In the late 50s and the early 60s, American naval advisors working with units of the South Vietnamese Navy observed the terrain and considered the tactics which will one day confront the small boat Navy. All along the 1500 miles of South Vietnam's coastline and in the endless waterways of the Mekong River Delta, 9 million acres of fertile wet rice paddies and farmlands. The only practical means of transportation for farmer and businessmen, fishermen and tourists, government loyalist and Viet Cong is by water. Uncontrolled, this normal activity provides the VC with a continuing opportunity for smuggling and infiltration. It is clear to American naval observers early in the war that an essential step in denying this most populous area of South Vietnam to the Viet Cong would be the development of patrol craft suited to the task of controlling these lanes of transportation and communication. Some existing craft come close to fitting the requirements. The U.S. Navy's LCPL originally designed for amphibious operations is quickly singled out for assignment in Vietnam. The WPB, an 82-foot coast guard cutter used throughout U.S. waters, is one of the first craft to arrive for duty. Today the Coast Guard and Navy work hand in hand on coastal patrol. More advanced designs are studied. An air-cushioned vehicle capable of 60 miles per hour over ground or water is tested to examine the possibilities it offers for use in swampy terrain. In a search for shallow-draft high-speed craft, the Navy examines various hulls and propulsion systems, many of them already being used at the time in some of the newest pleasure boats and in small commercial crafts, such as this high-speed supply and replenishment boat being used with offshore oil well rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. From this civilian hull is developed a new military craft. The U.S. Navy's patrol craft fast, better known as the Swift boat. Fifty feet long and capable of running at 25 knots, the Swift boat is armed with twin 50-caliber machine guns forward and a single 50 mounted with an 81-millimeter mortar aft. The Swift's are the first of the new Navy small boats to operate in Vietnam. There are two basic areas of operation for the small boat Navy in Vietnam, in the rivers and along the coast. The Swift boats were assigned to Operation Market Time, the Navy's codename for coastal patrol and security. Each day along the coast of Vietnam thousands of civilian craft take to the waters in normal activities of fishing, travel and marketing. To prevent the enemy from mixing with this normal traffic for smuggling and infiltration, the units of Operation Market Time are constantly on patrol. Operation Market Time is a continuous round-the-clock effort which is coordinated through five coastal surveillance centers located at key points along the coast. At each center, U.S. Naval personnel work together with the South Vietnamese Navy to direct the activities of the units assigned to their surveillance area. They only have Red Baron 3-2 proceed to intercept at that jump. Uh, sir. Red Baron 3-2, this is Coast Watcher, over. A suspicious contact report received at the Coastal Surveillance Center is relayed to a Swift boat patrolling on station. Coast Watcher, this is Red Baron 3-2, Roger, over. 3-2, this is Coast Watcher. The small cargo jump has just departed the beach. This contact is unidentified. Proceed to intercept, over. Coast Watcher, this is Red Baron 3-2, Roger, over. Uh, we'll intercept, over. Uh, is that General Quarters prepared to board and search? Aye, aye, aye. The Swift's board hundreds of junks each day, searching for possible Viet Cong contraband, separating it from legitimate cargo. Because papers may have been falsified, holds are opened and inspected. Identification cards and cargo manifests have to be checked. If contraband is found or if their papers are not in order, the men will be turned over to Vietnamese authorities. But the majority of people who encounter the American Swift boats are legitimate fishermen or merchants. And an important byproduct of operation market time is the goodwill exchange between the American sailors and those who are operating within established regulations. Swift boats have also assisted in many special operations. The 81-millimeter mortar gives the Swift the capability to support friendly troop operations or defend Vietnamese outposts along the coast. In a firefight, the Swift's 50-caliber machine guns have been used to support reconnaissance teams, amphibious assaults, and cover the evacuation of wounded from combat areas. Coastal patrols comprise the largest phase of operation market time. But there is another phase, Operation Stable Door, in which the US Navy has formed a protective screen around the merchant ships which must wait in Vietnam's harbors until cleared to unload their vital cargoes. On a hill overlooking the merchant ships is the Harbor Entrance Control Post, in which a 24-hour surveillance is maintained over all movements in the Anchorage area. Listener, 3-3, this is high post. Over. The other half of this Harbor Defense team is a detachment of US Navy gun boats which patrol among the merchant ships themselves. Listener, 3-3, this is high post. Over. High post. Listener, 3-3, over. This is high post. Eagle Watch, recon reports large fishing junk entering your area. Eagle Watch suspects he is changing course to avoid your patrol. Can you investigate? Over. High post. Listener, 3-3, Roger. Have contact visually. We'll intercept. Out. The Stable Door patrol boats move among the anchored merchant men, guarding them from any possibility of the Viet Cong attack or sabotage which could come in the form of underwater swimmers, mines or small boats. They are especially wary of civilian craft that enter the immediate anchorage area or move in an unusual manner. Suspicious junks are stopped and searched. Cargos are inspected and identification papers are checked. Stable Door patrol boats also work with divers of specially trained EOD or explosive ordinance disposal teams who are skilled in the detection and disposal of mines which could be planted by Viet Cong swimmers. By constantly checking the hulls of anchored merchant ships, these EOD divers have contributed heavily to the success of Operation Stable Door. Less than a mile from the anchorage on a hillside near Vung Tau is an illustration of a different phase of small boat navy operations in Vietnam. In addition to their strictly military duties, the men of operation market time contribute to many programs of civic action. In this case, helping an army nurse who has almost single-handedly adopted an orphanage. Throughout Vietnam, the navy along with other services and agencies is committed to people-to-people programs like this one. These men go beyond their normal routine to do this work and yet it may well be that in the long run these extra voluntary efforts in civic action will prove to have been just as important as their regular military duties on coastal patrol boats. From the harbor here at Vung Tau to the inland port of Saigon, it is 45 tortuous miles up a twisting turning river called the Long Tau. What makes it hazardous is that the Long Tau winds through a 400 square mile area of mangrove swamps and waterways known as the Rung Sat, the evil place. From the air it looks drab, forbidding, uninhabited, but to the Viet Cong it represents a continuing opportunity to sink one of those merchant ships to block the shipping channel and stop the flow of supplies to Saigon. Here on duty in the Long Tau is another detachment of the small boat navy. Hang on, man! Forward ahead one. Each morning, just after the first light of dawn, the MSB's U.S. Navy minesweeping boats cast off and begin to sweep the river. Forward ahead 12. The MSB is 57 feet long, wooden hulled and charged with the single vital responsibility of keeping the river free of mines. To do this the crewmen deploy special minesweeping gear. It is designed so that when the sweep has been set to drag behind the boat, special blades attached to the cable will cut any control wires or mooring devices attached to the mines. Once the gear is out, the six-man crew settles into what has become a familiar routine. Long hours and methodically moving up and down the Long Tau. Periodically resetting the sweep gear, standing guard and more hours of sweeping. This too has become part of the daily routine. Somehow no one remembers exactly how. These men have established their own small people-to-people program. It's not much, cigarettes, soap, a few items of food left over from their daily rations. But every day as the minesweeper passes this small settlement on the riverbank, the welcoming committee is ready. And in a way, the hand of friendship is extended. Day after day from dawn until dusk, the MSB sweep the Long Tau. And yet it is never really routine. Often passing only a few yards from the riverbank, the MSBs are vulnerable and have often been hit by VC snipers and recoilless rifle fire. On October 9, 1967, the minesweepers of Detachment Alpha Mine Squadron 11 were awarded the first presidential unit citation of the Vietnam War for extraordinary heroism in action. The Navy's codename for patrol and security operations on the rivers of Vietnam is Operation Game Warden. The minesweepers are one part of this effort, but they are by no means alone. At the end of the day, the minesweepers returning to their base near Nabe, passed by a pier where another branch of the small boat Navy is preparing to send out its night patrols. Also based at Nabe are units of one of the Navy's newest craft, the River Patrol Boat or PBR. The PBR developed from an existing civilian pleasure craft has been redesigned and equipped for use in Operation Game Warden on the rivers of Vietnam. These are the men who ride the PBRs. Their mission is to conduct continuous patrols day and night, denying the use of the waterways to the Viet Cong for the transport of men, supplies, or communication. It will probably occur sometime between 2300 and 0300. I want one boat positioned in here all the time the other boat will patrol through the complete area. Each boat carries a four-man crew consisting of the boat captain and helmsman, a forward machine gunner manning twin 50s and an aft gunner manning a single 50 with an M79 grenade launcher. The PBR is a high-speed fiberglass boat, drawing only 18 inches of water with no propellers or other hull protrusions. It is powered at speeds up to 25 knots by water jet pumps, which not only drive the boat but also steer it. Here in the Rung Sat, the primary mission is to keep the shipping channel secure. To the PBRs, this means constant patrol, checking out any suspicious craft or unusual activity along the shore. By denying the VC the ability to move freely in this area, Operation Game Warden has kept open the vital shipping route into Saigon. In addition to their important contribution to the security of the Rung Sat, PBRs operate at several other locations in the Delta. At Ben Tui near Can Tho on the Basak River is the headquarters for the River Patrol Force. From this command center the activities of Operation Game Warden units throughout the Delta are coordinated. Almost everything that moves any distance in the Delta moves by water. These men, from intelligence reports and first-hand observation, keep up to date on where the VC are and what they're doing. We don't have any support in there other than the sea wolves. We can get them for you in about six, seven minutes. Make sure you've got your ammo checked out, your chow. Make sure you've got all your charts up to date. The critical importance of controlling the rivers and canals is what has brought the small boat Navy to the Delta. Their job is to secure the waterways for those who are engaged in legitimate business and travel and to deny them to the Viet Cong. Like their shipmates in the coastal waters, the men of Operation Game Warden spend much of their time boarding and searching the thousands of civilian craft which crowd the inland waterways. Representatives of the Vietnamese National Police assigned to duty with the PBRs advise their American counterparts, check documents and interpret the objectives of Operation Game Warden to the Vietnamese people. Nine times out of ten, they're simply on their way to market or returning home. As a gesture of friendship, soap or cigarettes may be given to the people or a printed explanation of how Operation Game Warden hopes to protect and benefit them. Then the PBRs resume their routine patrols. Nine times out of ten. But then, then there's the tenth time. A Warden X-ray, a 1, this is Warden X-ray. I have sandpan crossing up ahead. Break, I will attempt to intercept. Take off. Warning shots fired in the air are the signal for a suspicious craft to stop and identify itself. A Warden X-ray, 1, this is a Warden X-ray. It seems to be heading to the beach. Take area under fire. Try for maximum results, Albert. A junk or sandpan that turns to run from a PBR has something to hide. And in VC territory, the PBRs don't take any chances. A Warden 1, a Warden X-ray. Over. This is Warden 1, Roger, over. Warden 1, this is Warden X-ray, 1, this is Warden 1, Roger, out. Returned fire from the riverbank indicates a larger force supporting the crossing. But looks at first like a couple of farmers or fishermen may turn out to be VC carrying intelligence, supplies, weapons, or the sandpan loaded with explosives. A Warden 1, a Warden X-ray receiving heavy automatic weapons fire vicinity of evasion. This is Warden 1, Roger, out. Steel Base 3, Steel Base 3, this is Warden Warden, scramble seawolves. At the river patrol force headquarters, the request for air support is relayed to an LST downriver which serves as one of the several bases for special Navy helicopters supporting the PBRs. These are the seawolves, armed helicopter gunships operated by Navy pilots from LSTs and airstrips throughout the Delta. They stand by on call to provide reconnaissance or fire support for the PBRs. Armed with machine guns and air-to-surface rockets, the seawolves are prepared to move quickly to the scene of action. By working together, the PBR seawolf team can deliver that extra measure of firepower which gives the edge to the small boat Navy. With nightfall, the Delta undergoes a subtle change, for the night presents a special challenge. The Viet Cong take advantage of the hours of darkness to activate their lines of communication. For the PBR crews preparing for night patrol, there is the knowledge that now is when they're most likely to encounter the VC. Again, they move out to their stations in pairs. Through the long warm night, they maintain their vigil either moving quietly along the river or lurking silent and invisible at the location of some suspected VC crossing point. Night patrols by the units of Operation Game Warden have sharply limited the mobility of the Viet Cong guerrillas in an area where they once moved almost at will. On many nights, back in the dock at Binh Tui, at about the time the PBR night patrols are arriving on station, a small band of men working silently behind the scenes is preparing to move to an undisclosed location downriver. To them, the darkness of the Delta night is an ally and a friend. These are the Navy SEAL teams, so-called because they operate on sea, air and land. The SEALs operate in hostile and restricted environments with almost no support. The intelligence they bring back is often the basis for key operations of the small boat Navy. One of the bonuses provided by the introduction of the PBRs in the Delta has been the opportunity for expanded programs for civic action. By getting to know the people and the towns and villages throughout their patrol areas, the men of the small boat Navy have become familiar with their needs and have found ways to help them. Usually it is the basic things which are important, in this case cement and steel reinforcing rods which will allow the villagers to complete work on a small bridge they have been building. Med cap, medical civic action patrols are also run as regularly as possible. American and Vietnamese doctors and corpsmen hold clinics and villages which would otherwise go for months without medical treatment. This kind of attention from friendly forces is often the winning stroke against the Viet Cong. Operation Game Warden has done much to limit the Viet Cong movement in the Mekong Delta. More recently, a new branch of the small boat Navy has helped to take the fight beyond the rivers into VC sanctuaries in the swamps and rice paddies. For many years, the South Vietnamese Army and Navy have worked together in river assault groups, attacking Viet Cong concentrations throughout the Delta. To augment this effort and increase the pressure on the VC, American salt troops are stationed on, moved and supported by ships and craft of the United States Navy. They operate in ever increasing numbers throughout the 4,500 miles of rivers and canals in the Delta area. This is River Fotelo 1, an American fighting force designed for riverine warfare with barracks and support ships which serve as mobile bases capable of moving quickly from place to place in the Delta. The Navy craft designed to accomplish this job have been adapted specifically for operation in the rivers and canals of Vietnam. The ATC, armored troop carrier which transports the assault troops. The CCB, command communications boat or floating command post. And the LCM monitor, battleship of the fleet which provides firepower to protect the force and support the landing. In effect, River Fotelo 1 is the amphibious assault group of the small boat Navy. The assault craft move the troops from the afloat base to the scene of the operation often several miles away. In a typical search and destroy operation as the force approaches their objective, they move from the main river channels into narrower streams and the landing areas are softened up with fire. The assault boats hit the shore and the troops are landed. The operation may last two days or as long as a week. While the troops are ashore, some assault craft are assigned to form a blocking force and provide gunfire support if needed. Others return to the base to stand by. When the operation is over, the troops are picked up and returned to the mother ships. Later, the entire flotilla will move to the scene of the next operation. In a sense, the modern United States Navy attuned to the advanced technologies of the space age has had to adjust to the unique nature of the conflict in Vietnam. The demands of coastal patrol and river warfare have produced new craft and new tactics to meet the situation. Vietnam has given birth to a new breed of sailor. Unprepared at first, he has developed the craft and weapons to do the job. Unskilled, he has studied and learned the ways of the river. Trained to military accomplishment, he has achieved many of his greatest successes through civic actions. He sails not upon the seas and oceans of the world, but on the local waters of a small country in Southeast Asia. He is a member of a proud new rank of men who have taken a step beyond convention to accept a unique new challenge in Vietnam. A challenge which has been met by the small boat Navy.