Nasty making it back
Official caption: “MACV/SOG Naval Advisory Detachment: Two Nasty-class PTF’s returning at dawn from a sea commando mission into the DMZ area in 1971. This was a particularly successful mission, with no friendly casualties.”
From the Frederick J. Vogel Collection (COLL/5577) at the Archives Branch, Marine Corps History Division
With the hundreds of wooden PT boats all liquidated shortly after WWII ended, the Navy in the 1960s found themselves in need of a handful of small, fast, and heavily armed craft for “unorthodox operations” in Southeast Asia.
These wooden-hulled Norwegian-designed 80-foot boats, powered by a pair of Napier Deltic turbocharged diesel engines, could make 38-knots but, with a 40mm Bofors single, an M2 .50 cal/81mm combo, and 20mm cannons, they could deal some hurt.
Crew members man a 40mm Bofors gun on a PTF Jan. 5, 1973. Photo by Fred Maroon. NARA DN-ST-88-07400
Gunnery exercises aboard PTF
Some 20 were acquired in the early 60s (numbered PTF-2 to PTF-23), six lost in combat, and, laid up at Subic after 1973, retired by 1981.
PTF Nasty boats laid up at Subic Bay
Great Post. The FDNY Super Pumper used one of those Napier Deltic engines to power an 8800 gpm pump. It was in service from 1965 to 1982.
Here’s an article on the Napier Deltic engine ;
https://www.dieselarmy.com/engine-tech/engine/significant-engines-in-history-how-the-napier-deltic-diesel-works/
Phil, Bklyn
From a friend I forwarded you article to.
I remembered an incident we experienced with a Nasty in Subic Bay. We picked up our boat there (PCF94), brand spankin new & spent about a month or more just going out on shakedowns & training exercises. That was in between enjoying the hi-jinks in the low life bars in Olongopo City. Mucho liberty. One late afternoon as we were heading back into Subic to tie up, a Nasty overtook us and passed by at high speed on our port side. They all smiled & waved as the left us in the (dust??) and their wake made our boat start to rock & roll. Then the engines shut down & when we opened the hatches to check engines we saw smoke. Turns out our engineman left his metal tool box near the Onan generator & it actually shorted the damn thing out. We were able to make repairs with no catastrophic results. Never found out where the Nasties tied up over there.
Yikes! Sounds like a good time (not)