US Navy PTF boatPTF-24 in 1973, anOsprey-class boat
Class overview
Name	PTF (Patrol Torpedo, Fast)
Builders	Båtbyggeri (14) John Trumpy & Sons (7) Sewart Seacraft (4) Bath Iron Works (1)
Operators	US Navy US Navy SEALS US Marines South Vietnam CIA
Preceded by	PT boat
Succeeded by	Patrol Craft Fast
Built	1963–1970
In service	1963–1978
Completed	26
Preserved	5
General characteristics
Type	Riverinepatrol boat
Length	80 ft 4 in (24.49 m) (Nasty class) 94.5 ft (28.8 m) (Osprey class)[1]
Beam	24 ft 7 in (7.49 m)
Installed power	6,200 bhp (4,623 kW)
Propulsion	2 ×Napier Deltic Turboblowndiesel engines
Speed	40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph) (Mk I)
Range	912 nmi (1,689 km; 1,050 mi) at 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement	12
Armament	2 ×.50-caliber Browning machine guns[2] 1 ×81 mm mortar foredeck[2] 1 ×Oerlikon 20 mm cannon foredeck 1 ×Bofors 40 mm gun rear

PTF boat, (short forPatrol Torpedo, Fast) are fastUnited States Navypatrol boats introduced in the early part of theVietnam War. The PTF designation was give to 26 boats with four different boat designs. The PTF boats were the Vietnam War "brown water" river boats version of the World War IIPT boats. They were heavily armedgunboats that were used by the US Navy and bySpecial forces.^[3] The first two PTF boats were commissioned 21 December 1962. The last two PTF were commissioned on 8 April 1968. PFT boats were replaced by the newPatrol Craft Fast (PCF) boats that were more widely used in Vietnam. There are five PTF boats that have survived and are in various state of restoration. The "Torpedo Boat, Fast" designation is a hold over from World War II, as PTF boats were not equipped withtorpedoes, as they were mostly used in shallow river waters.^[4][5][6][7]

FollowingWorld War II theUS Navy had little use forfast attack craft, so almost all of thePT boats were scrapped at theend of the war in 1945. PT boats were not needed during theKorean War. But, as the United States involvement in the Vietnam grew, the Navy saw a need for small combatant boats for the US Navy's "brown water" river operations.^[8] In 1962, two prototype Korean War PT boats were put back in to service asPTF-1 andPTF-2 .^[9][10]PTF-1 andPTF-2were used byUS Navy Seals for special forces activity. The first SEALs arrived inSouth Vietnam in 1962 as advisers to the Vietnamese naval commandos. They trained the commandos in maritime infiltration techniques and counterinsurgency warfare.^[5][6][8] Due to the immediate need for fast attack river craft, the US Navy looked at boats already in service with other nations. TheRoyal Norwegian Navy had builtHNoMS Nasty, a prototype boat, in 1958 byWestermoen Båtbyggeri inMandal, Norway. HNoMSNasty was designed by Jan Herman Linge. Her prototype boat was of a wooden hull construction. From this boat the Royal Norwegian Navy built a line of 20Tjeld-class patrol boats. Starting on 1 January 1963, the US Navy took delivery of the first Båtbyggeri boats, with designationNasty-class patrol boat. A total of 14Nasty-class patrol boats were built by Båtbyggeri between 1963 and 1965. Båtbyggeri licensedJohn Trumpy & Sons inAnnapolis, Maryland to build sevenNasty-class boats in 1968 and 1970. Some parts of the Trumpy boats were imported from Norway, such as the keel and stem. Sewart Seacraft (Swiftships) inBerwick, Louisiana build four PTF boats of theOsprey class in 1968. The PTF boats were used in Vietnam and operated out ofDanang, Vietnam. The boats operated in theMekong Delta. Each PTF boat carried a 12-man team. The PTF boats supplemented the large fleet of aluminum hulledPatrol Craft Fast (PCF) boats. PTFs were used to carrying out hit-and-run and landing operations. PTFs were also used forUnited States Army-Navy-SEAL landing, supply drops, base security patrols, harbor security patrols, intelligence gathering, and rescue operations. In December 1965, the US Navy startedOperation Game Warden, in which PTF and PCF boats patrolled the major rivers and canals in theMekong Delta andRung Sat Special Zone.^[11][12][13] Most US Navy crews andUnited States Marine Corps underwent PTF training at theNaval Amphibious Base Coronado.^[14][5][6] PTF were used by CSS Intelligence Department and Tactical Operations Department, founded April 1, 1964, that were stationed at Lower Base in Tien Sa. CSS also founded two camps: Phoenix va DoDo atCu Lao Cham (Paradise Island). The PTF boats at these camps were from Vietnamese Navy headquarters.^[15]Mobile Support Teams provided combat craft support for SEAL operations, as didPatrol Boat, River andSwift Boat sailors. In February 1964, Boat Support Unit One was founded under Naval Operations Support Group, Pacific. Boat Support Unit One crews operated the PTF boat program. Boat Support Unit Two was formed later, both were later renamed Coastal River Squadron 1 and 2.^[6][16] Boat Support Unit One supported the Navy Special Warfare forces in Vietnam. In 1965, Boat Support Squadron One started training PFT and PCF crews for Vietnamese coastal patrol and interdiction operations.^[17] In January 1963, US NavySeabee (Navy Construction Battalion) arrivedSouth Vietnam to build support bases. Seabees built a PFT and PCF base, also a vast support base atDa Nang andSaigon. These bases support the US Navy, and Marine Corps forces, also some Air Force units and some Army units. PFT noted raids were onĐồng Hới,Yên Phú andSầm Sơn radar sites,Phuc Loi, andTiger Island. The PTF raids ended in 1971. The PTF boats were take toU.S. Naval Base Subic Bay and formed theMST-3 unit in 1972. The PTF boats were taken out of service in 1976 and 1978, withPTF-13 removed in 1972.^{[18][8][5][6]}

The two prototype PTF,PTF-1 andPTF-2 were built for theKorean War in 1951. Both boats a top speed of over 40knots (74 km/h; 46 mph) from the four 2,500-horsepower (1,900 kW)Packard W-100 gasoline engines with shafts.PTF-1 andPTF-2 were armed with twoBofors 40 mm guns, two twin20-millimeter (0.79 in) cannon, one.50-caliber machine gun, one "Piggyback"81 mm mortar and onesmoke generator. Both arrived in Da Nang, Vietnam in April 1964. In 1965 after a year of service, the two PTF Boats were 14 years old, with no spare parts, and outdated, they were replaced by newer PTF and PCF boats. Both boats were removed from service and used as US Navy targets.PTC-1 was sunk off Vietnam andPTC-2 was sunk off theHawaiian Islands.^[4][9]

• PTF-1 was built byBath Iron Works inBath, Maine in 1951 asPT-810.PTF-1 had a light displacement of 90long tons (91 t), length of 89 ft 0 in (27.13 m), beam of 24 ft 1 in (7.34 m), and draft of 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m). She was put in service on 24 November 1951 and was struck from the Naval Register 1 November 1959. She was reactivated on 21 December 1962.PTF 1 was sunk as a target in 1965.^[9][4][10]
• PTF-2 was built byTrumpy & Sons inAnnapolis, Maryland in 1951 asPT-811.PTF-2 had a light displacement of 94long tons (96 t), and length of 94 ft 0 in (28.65 m), beam of 24 ft 11 in (7.59 m), and draft of 4 ft 2 in (1.27 m). She was put in service on 6 March 1951 and was struck from the Naval Register 1 November 1959. She was reactivated on 21 December 1962.PTF-2 was sunk as a target in 1965.^[10][4]

TheNasty class were built by twoshipyards. Wooden hull PTF boatsPTF-3,PTF-4,PTF-5, andPTF-6 arrived at Da Nang, Vietnam in May 1964.PTF-7 andPTF-8 arrived at Da Nang in July 1964. TheNasty-class boats have a displacement of 80 long tons (81 t), a length of 80 ft 4 in (24.49 m), a beam of 24 ft 7 in (7.49 m) and a draft of 3 ft 10 in (1.17 m). Power is derived from twoNapier Deltic Turboblowndiesel engines with total of 6,200 brake horsepower (4,600 kW) and a top speed of 38knots (70 km/h; 44 mph). The Napier Deltic engines were built in England.^[19][4]

Westermoen Båtbyggeri og Mek Verksted, also calledA/S Båtservice in theWestermoen Hydrofoil shipyard inMandal, Norway built 14Nasty-class patrol boats:PTF-3 toPTF-16.^[4][19][20]

John Trumpy & Sons of Annapolis, Maryland built sixNasty-class patrol boats:PTF-17 toPTF-21, under license from Båtservice.^[4][19][20]

TheOsprey-class PTF boats were built bySewart Seacraft (now Swiftships). Sewart Seacraft built four of the new3⁄8-inch (9.5 mm) aluminum alloy hull boats: PTF boats:PTF-23 throughPTF-26. Sewart Seacraft was a division ofTeledyne Inc.. The chief designer of the 95-foot (29 m)Osprey-class patrol boat was Kenneth Hidalgo.Osprey-class boats have a displacement of 80 long tons (81 t), a length of 94.5 ft (28.8 m), a beam of 24.5 ft (7.5 m) and a draft of 6.8 ft (2.1 m). TheOsprey class is powered by two 8-cylinder Napier Deltic diesel engines. Each engine creates 3,100 horsepower (2,300 kW) and were constructed by D. Napier & Son Ltd. of England. TheOsprey-class boats have an empty displacement of 150,930 lb (68,460 kg).^{[4][21][22][23]}

• PTF-23 is now aresearch vessel and diving platform, renamed RVOsprey inSt. Augustine, Florida with twin Detroit 12v71 and fuel capacity of 6,281 US gallons (23,780 L; 5,230 imp gal).PTF-23 is now heavily modified. For a time she was named RVAngel Lauren as a research vessel. ThePTF-23 was refitted in 2002 by TLG ofMiami, Florida, then used for treasure surveys until 2004. In 2011 the vessel was used in the Dominican Republic by Anchor Research & Salvage.^[21][22][23]
• PTF-24 was sunk as a target 1985 by the US Navy off San Diego, after working with a water jet propulsion conversion testing in the Osprey990 Program withPegasus-classhydrofoils.PTF-24 served in Vietnam until 1976. In July 1976 she ran aground offSan Clemente Island, California.^[8][24]
• PTF-25 was sunk as a target in 1979 by the US Navy, in Pemblico Sound nearMarine Corps Air Station Cherry Point,North Carolina at the BT-11 target range-Piney Island Range forUSMC pilot training.PTF-25 was modified to look like aKomar-class missile boat. The vessel was sank as a target at35°01′37″N76°27′39″W / 35.026917°N 76.460944°W /35.026917; -76.460944.PTF-25 operated in Vietnam until 1979.^[8][25]
• PTF-26 is now a museum ship in Golconda, Illinois, still in PTF configuration.^[26]

Prototype PTF:PTF-1 andPTF-2 built in 1951.^[4]

• PTF-3 currently atDeLand Naval Air Station Museum
• PTF-17 currently located at theBuffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park
• PTF-19 currently located at Worton Creek Marina,Chestertown, Maryland under restoration.
• PTF-23 is now a research vessel and diving platform, renamed RV Osprey inSt. Augustine, Florida.
• PTF-26 currently at Maritime Pastoral Training Foundation inGolconda, Illinois, part of the Seaman’s Church Institute. was at the Liberty Maritime as Sea Scout training ship in Sacramento, California

Six PTF boats were loss during the war:^[30][31][32]

• PTF-4 destroyed on 11 November 1965 on special ops after being grounded.
• PTF-8 wrecked in August 1966 on special ops, grounded on reef.
• PTF-9 wrecked 3 March 1966 on special ops, grounded on reef.
• PTF-14 wrecked 28 April 1966 on special ops, grounded on reef.
• PTF-15 wrecked 28 April 1966 on special ops, grounded on reef.
• PTF-16 sunk August 1966 on special ops

On April 28, 2024, Alessandro Giorgi released a book calledVikings in Vietnam: Norwegian Patrol Boat Captains in CIA Clandestine Operations. The book describes thespecial forces operations carried out by the CIA in the early days of the Vietnam War. The CIA hired Norwegian PTF boat captains to go into the coast waters ofNorth Vietnam during the Vietnam War to deliver South Vietnamese frogmen and commandos for raids. The raids used U.S.-made Swift patrol boats. The raids have only recently being declassified.Vikings in Vietnam is published buySchiffer Publishing and is 144 pages.^[33][34]

Sean Tierney was one of the first US Navy personnel to serve on PTF boats at Da Nang in 1965 and 1966. Tierney was in the US Navy for ten years. He authored the book,Out Over Blue Water released on August 15, 2022, about his time on PTF boats and in the US Navy. The book is 110 pages from Author House.^[35] He also made and released films about his time on the PTF boats in Vietnam.^{[36][37][38][39]} He made film of his time in San Diego Bay atNaval Amphibious Base Coronado.^[40] He made a film with tours of PTF-17.^[41][42]Out Over Blue Water was published bySt. Martin's Griffin and is 304 pages.^[43]

Men in Green Faces is a book released on January 1, 1992, written by Gene Wentz, a Vietnam veteran, and B. Abell Jurus.^[44]Men in Green Faces is a fictional novel about US Navy Seal operations in Vietnam. In the book a US Navy SEAL team hunts for aNorth Vietnam Army general, the "enforcer", Colonel Nguyen, behind enemy lines. The Seals are withUnited States Naval Special Warfare Command. The book is 288 pages from St Martins Pr.^[45][46][47]

• 
  Royal Norwegian Navy motor torpedo boat HNoMSNasty atHaakonsvern Naval Base, Norway in 11 May 1960
• 
  U.S. Navy PTF boats traveling at high speed during trials off theVirginia Capes, United States, early May 1963
• 
  PTFs return from theDMZ, 1971
• 
  U.S. Navy fast patrol boatPTF-5 cruises inChesapeake Bay, in 1973
• 
  PTF-3, aNasty-class patrol boat at Deland, Florida
• 
  PTF-17 atBuffalo Naval Park
• 
  PTF-17's40 mm anti-aircraft gun
• 
  A PTF boat on May 13, 1963
• 
  A PTF boat on May 13, 1963

• Gulf of Tonkin incident

• Media related toFast Patrol Boat (PTF) at Wikimedia Commons
• Media related toUnited States Nasty-class patrol boat at Wikimedia Commons
• Media related toPTF-17 at Wikimedia Commons
• The "Nasty Class" Fighting Boat (Dan Withers)
• The Navy’s Nasty Class Patrol Boats (HistoryNet.com,World History Group)

• Torpedo boats of the United States Navy
• Patrol boat classes
• PTF boat
• Riverine warfare

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