The PBR and the Brown Water Navy - Vietnam War

An overview of the "Patrol Boat, River" (PBR).
More War History Content: / johnnyjohnsonesq
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Apocalypse Now 1979
The Grand Tour “Seamen”
Family Guy 1999
#navy #history #guns

[@oceanmariner]

I did several years in Vietnam and was a boat captain on most types of riverine boats. PBRs did a lot more and went many more places than you can cover in 9 minutes. Enlisted did a year with one break for a week or 2. Officers were there to get their ticket punched and to get an "I was there" medal. They usually left between 3 and 6 months. Good officers could be around for a year or more. Speed and return fire was the primary defense. A rifle bullet would go all the way thru unless it hit an engine. Rivers carried a lot of debris and caused excessive wear in the jets. A water jet is a housing with a propeller inside. Originally there was .001" between the prop tips and the housing. Debris caused the housing to wear and as the clearance increased, thrust was lost. Eventually the jet was replaced. We usually ran in pairs and at night would nose into opposite banks, shut down, put out Claymores, and watch. We usually propped open the engine hatches to let the heat out. Snakes were a problem. Drawn by the heat, they'd come on board in the dark and lay on the top of the engines. Usually you never saw them until you started the engines. Then they'd come flying out. As long as you didn't step on one they were ok. Otherwise you got bit. The engines were muffled and the exhaust went out under water. The engineroom was insulated an you couldn't hear the engines at idle. Because of the thick jungle, you couldn't hear a boat go by if you were 50 yards in the jungle. I was in a unit that worked remote areas, some places we weren't supposed to be. We would carry special forces, seals, rangers, and recon marines to patrol places where it was difficult to use choppers. We'd drop them off and then patrol, but be available if they needed support. The enemy put a lot of effort into stopping these patrols because it stopped their supply system. Sometime the ground units came back under fire and close contact by greatly superior numbers.The two boats could put down a lot of covering fire from 6 m-2s, plus 2 81mm mortars and 2 Mk 18 grenade launchers. We also carried extra M-60s so the returning troops could join in. The boats had a small refrigerator and a lot of medical supplies.

[@vnvet2282]

spent a year, 1970, on an armored troop carrier (ATC). Had a small flight deck. Slept in hammocks suspended beneath where we could catch some breezes. Our crew was all non-coms. The skipper was a chief petty officer. The Navy didn't wish to waste a LT on us. Not complaining. No war stories, just a year of misery spent counting how short we were all getting. The monsoon season was a blessed relief from baking in the sun. Had a pet dog and monkey.

[@oceanmariner]

@@vnvet2282 I had a friend with a pet monkey. When he was set to go home, nobody wanted the monkey. So he put him in a small safe with a grenade. 30 minutes later the door blew off. CO was pissed about the safe.

[@patriottruckerwarriorkekoa1704]

I'm trying to get my husband's records,he was brown water navy,I'm getting the run around ,no-one can find him in the system,I don't know the answers on the questions on the form.i believe he was in-country 65 - 72. Michael Lee Fairchild He was in charge of the boat he drove the boat we didn't talk about it much or I would have all the answers anybody have any suggestions on how I find his military records? God bless all of you and thank you very much and I'm sorry that you were treated badly when you came home, UPDATE. They found him in the system but they won't give me any information.

[@oceanmariner]

Try the Veteran's Admin. Also vet organizations. If he worked with special ops, some of that is still classified, but the basic records should be there. There was a fire some time in the 1970s that destroyed some records. As a last resort, try your congressman or senator. @@patriottruckerwarriorkekoa1704

[@patriottruckerwarriorkekoa1704]

I know it's probably a million and one question however did you ever meet another boat runner named Mike Fairchild he was short half Apache and he was my husband. He passed away in 2002 God bless you

[@freduinst4333]

My grandpa served as a navy officer on one of these boats, 1965-1968, he doesn’t talk about this part of Vietnam alot. He talks about being out in the ocean.

[@VikingTeddy]

Proud Brave Reliable o7

[@thomp5347]

What a waste of time to go and risk his life and sacrifice his best years for the military industrial complex and neo-colonial imperialism. Disgusting. I genuinely feel sorry for him and all Vietnam veterans who bought the lie.

[@svyalinirnhut890]

@@thomp5347 Ever heard of drafting? Not your choice to go or not.

[@Mr-6666]

​@@thomp5347 well would you rather go to jail or go to war?

[@HateTheGameTX]

@@Mr-6666jail.

[@MM22966]

8:30 Kudos to getting a rare clip of a Mk18 crank-grenade launcher, forerunner of the Mk19 MGL

[@MM22966]

@RussOlson-nk3wcNo prob!

[@jacobrico6946]

If anyone gets the chance to check them out, there's a veteran owned company in Muskegon, Michigan that has a PBR Mk2 called Operation: Black Sheep. Their boat (PBR 7331) is refurbished and rebuilt from the hull up and they offer rides! There's a few out there that were rebuilt and seaworthy like PBR 7331.

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

That's awesome to hear!

[@jffry890]

Yeah but that requires going to M*chigan

[@thepetester1000]

I live close by there and was swimming in Lake Michigan on an early morning this summer and it came ripping by me. Very cool and very loud machine.

[@kimmer6]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq There was a restored PBR a few years ago at Tower Park on the Sacramento River in the NorCal San Juaquin Delta. It was tied up near the fuel dock and I had a good close up look. Around 1991 I was doing some ship repair on the USS Mauna Kea at Mare Island in Vallejo, California. The Gulf War started as I was leaving the Navy Base. There were many PBR's there tied up to docks in active service.

[@Wahbooz]

I knew about the LST wasn't aware of the PBR. Thanks.

[@davidbronson3800]

My grandfather is a retired Army Lt. Col. and served in Vietnam in the artillery division. He was tasked with designing the 81MM implacement for the PBR. Cool stuff.

[@jw451]

wow heard of twin 40mm Bofors but a 81mm mortar? that;d have a wack. You'd want a solid bottom

[@kellychuang8373]

That's really something and good video here not to be mistaken for PT boats of WWII if JJ hasn't gotten that may want to look into it for any future videos he maybe doing.

[@carloshenriquezimmer7543]

@@jw451 81mm mortars are not that much more "impulsive" than a 40mm Bofors, due to velocity diferences. And the PBR have a very sturdy bottom.Not only the fiberglass was reinforced with aluminium struts, but they were filled with hard poliurethane expanded foam (fire resistent, of course). Despite the ligthweight that thing is very tough. The foam made it literally unsinkable, even if it was cut in half, that actually happened at least once, due to artilerry fire.

[@Dysturbed-00]

My dad served in these boats. A solid gentle giant with the artistic and mechanical skill of Michealangelo. His special skill was mechanics diesel and other. He survived the war and went on to type nuclear repair manuals in Glasgow while tinkering with cafe racers. After returning to civilian life, he joined the family trade as a brick mason and when I was born, he trained and worked as a mason in the day and as an aircraft mechanic in the afternoon to pay the bills. 6'4 with saintly patience he taught me everything he knew and raised me to be an honest gentle man. He passed away in 2021 to sudden illness while caring for my ailing mother and family home. I worked by his side for 15 years professionally in historic restoration repairing stonework on churches, schools and statues in our community and the void left is crushing. I've collected what technical drawings and stories I could as well as his medals and black beret. I miss him more than any words that I can say to anyone can express. Thank you to all who have served.

[@ericboyle8296]

Sorry for your loss. Much respect for your dad's service and life. RIP. Salute o7

[@zen4men]

You have a good foundation to build on. Enjoy!

[@Naltddesha]

He sounds like a great man. I’m sorry for your loss

[@jayjones6904]

Good memories for sure a blessing that the good lord gives us for comfort

[@TomMarch-kq5ug]

Wow,Ditto on every word you uttered about your hero!!!!! Know how you feel exactly...

[@ThatBenOliver]

I lost my father this week; he was a member of this force (PBR and USS Askari ARL-30) in Vietnam. He never spoke about it in detail because of how difficult it was for him. About a year into his deployment he was hit by shrapnel in his leg and was discharged with a Purple Heart. Thank you so much for your video and for helping me understand one facet of what made my dad such an incredible man. I will forever miss him.

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Sorry about your father. I'm glad the video was some value to you. He was a brave man.

[@robertschweppenhauser9891]

Sorry to hear that you lost your father .They were great men.😢

[@richardsmith2684]

I was with those brave men briefly,,,my honor

[@piratecaptain4941]

Thankyou for Dads service Condolences on your lost RIP Sir you were and still are brave man

[@richardsmith2684]

It was and is always difficult to discuss the times with anyone who hasnt served in the situation let alone the military,,,,including my family,,,

[@whatinthefuckisahandle]

You know, black lagoon had a couple of cool scenes featuring PBR's and PT boats with one being the cast's main method of transportation

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Bah! I totally forgot 🥸

[@kingkoopa64]

Also, you forgot the simpsons, and many more maybe

[@whatinthefuckisahandle]

@@kingkoopa64 he did put a couple of clips from gta5 tho

[@eamonnclabby7067]

​@@JohnnyJohnsonEsqJFK was on PT boats...a flawed but brave man...😢😢

[@kingkoopa64]

@@whatinthefuckisahandle where tho?

[@nursestoyland]

finally, some coverage of the PBRs and the Brown Water Navy!

[@Bandog23]

Very fascinating topic mostly forgotten

[@richardsmith2684]

it never was by me,,,@@Bandog23

[@richardsmith2684]

had a demonstration of the twin fifties on the bow of the boats ,,being with the sailors for days,,,as heavy as the guns were,,loaded etc they rotated easily with one hand,,,perfect design,,,bearings ,Balance and maint,,the design was passed from ww2 Pt boats they said,,

[@railroad9000]

Wish someone would do some coverage of the wooden hulled MSO's (Mine Sweep Ocean) that were used to check the junk's and other small craft for contraband just off shore up and down the coast of Vietnam!

[@richardsmith2684]

@@railroad9000 being with them for a week at Nha Be their base on the river,,one of the wooden sweeps was sunk right into the ship channel,,hit by a recoiless from across the way,,the mast and the antennas were out of the water,,asking them what was that? they said ",,old chief so and so fired his gun back until he went under,,,then swam out,,,thats a real sailor,,,

[@ryqarst4690]

My uncle was on one of these boats in Nam. He was originally a gunner but his glasses fell overboard one day, so they made him the driver for the rest of his deployment. The guy that took over the gunner spot was killed at some point and it weighed pretty heavy on him for a lot of years. He never talked about it much when I was a kid. Later in my 20s I got him to open up more, he showed me some wild pictures he took. Flamethrower boats next to small villages lobbing napalm in. RPG hits his boat and others took to the side causing massive dents/damage. Some other action shots of them lighting up entire river banks with multiple boats.

[@bmccarty2012]

My boss for several years was a guy who served on a PBR during a time that included the 1968 Tet offensive. He told stories about how the PBRs and larger boats were sent into Hue to help clear out the Viet Cong following the offensive. He said Hue was a beautiful city when they started, but was completely destroyed when they were done. He also had some pretty graphic stories about casualties on the boats. He said had a major bout with PTSD in 1979, after watching "Apocalypse Now" when it came out in the theaters. He said the PBR scenes were just so accurate, even down to the sound of rounds shredding the boat's fiberglass hull, that they brought everything back for him more than 10 years after he got out of the Navy. One of the signature elements of the PBRs were the American flags mounted on the tops of the boats. The ends would get shredded from flapping in the wind, so they would change the flags out fairly often. When he got his orders to go home, the last thing he did was grab the flag off the back of his boat. He kept it for years, and eventually had it framed and hung in his office. This was in the early 90s, when he started to really embrace his history with the boats after reading the Book "Riverine: A Brown-Water Sailor in the Delta, 1967."

[@infinitlycool]

EDIT: Wow! Over a hundred likes! I don't get that very often. Thank you for all of your comments. As a bonus I'll share a couple more stories about my Dad down below. ----- I have an interesting story to tell. My Dad served in the Navy during Vietnam. He initially began his tour serving as both quartermaster and helmsman aboard the USS Canberra CAG-2, originally a Baltimore-class heavy cruiser(CA-70) built during WW2 and then converted into a Boston-class missile cruiser during the 50s by having it's aft gun turret removed and replaced with a missile launcher. Later on he joined the Brown Water Navy. However, he didn't pilot the PBR or any of the other boats featured here. I've never been able to find what boat he piloted exactly and I'm only going by memory based on the stories he told so try to bear with me here. The boat was a converted torpedo retriever he had piloted during the time he was stationed in Seattle when the Navy was testing torpedoes up there. Based on what I can remember I believe they were around the same size as the PT Boats the Navy had used during WW2 and were similarly armed, with a pair of 50 Cals on both fore and aft and a 20mm in the middle. They were also given more powerful diesel engines that, according to my Dad, drank fuel faster than you could drink a whole bottle of water. When my Dad was serving on the Canberra he was told that the Navy was looking for anyone who knew how to pilot these torpedo retrievers they converted(I think there were two squads of six). My Dad was one of the few could and he was given command of one squad. Unlike the rest of the Brown Water Navy, their mission was very different. Instead of patrolling the many rivers of Vietnam their job was to hunt down and destroy pirates operating out of Cambodia, and their orders were very simple. "No prisoner, no mercy". From what he told me, it was a pretty ugly business. His group would mainly use one of two tactics. The first was coming up alongside the pirate vessel and emptying the 50 Cals by razing the entire deck. Then they would use the 20mm pick off anyone who managed to survive before boarding. The other, more common, tactic they used was running their boats straight through the pirate vessel at full speed, splitting them in half. They always had air support nearby in case they encountered something they couldn't handle, usually in the form of the Skyraider. My dad loved the Skyraider and always said that it was his guardian angel. In the beginning they were very effective, but as time went on the pirates began to get smart and began to lose their boats one by one. One had run aground and had to be destroyed to prevent the enemy from using it. Another one, in a more horrifying event, completely disintegrated after going through a pirate vessel that had been loaded to the brim with TNT. My Dad said he could still hear the crew screaming as they burned to death. In the end, only his boat survived. His service soon ended after that and he returned home. Unfortunately, like a lot of Vietnam veterans, he was badly mistreated. Personally, I don't think he ever recovered from that. He never had any nightmares or PTSD like many other veterans did, but he had difficulty getting along or even trusting other people, even veterans like himself. He always kept to himself, avoided large crowds and even cities, and never really had any close friends to speak of. He was still a good man though. He got married and had seven kids, me being the youngest and coming along unexpectedly twelve years later. All and all, my dad was proud to have served his country and he was very sensitive about the criticism surrounding the Vietnam War. He passed away on January 29, 2019. ----- BONUS STORIES! During the time he served on the Canberra, my Dad had a once in a lifetime chance encounter. One day they were steaming along when the captain suddenly ordered my Dad to steer to these coordinates, stating that they were to intercept a ship without specifying who, what, or why. When they got there, however, there was nothing but the ocean. The captain then ordered all-stop and General Quarters was sounded, except the crew was ordered to remain below deck without any explanation. All the doors and hatches were sealed with Marines armed with M-16s stationed at every access point to prevent anyone from peeking. Only the bridge crew were allowed to remain on deck but they had to stay at their stations. They weren't allowed to go outside. A few minutes later a giant submarine emerged from the surface. The ship they were ordered to intercept was actually one of the Navy's nuclear ballistic submarines. If you know anything about ballistic subs they operate in SECRET. They NEVER surface. They ALWAYS remained submerged UNLESS it was for an emergency. As it turned out, one of the sub's crew had a serious medical condition that couldn't be treated and he needed to be transported over to a hospital ship as quickly as possible. The Canberra was the closest ship available so they were ordered to intercept the sub. As soon as it surfaced a group of Marines went out in a raft and retrieved the submariner. As soon as they headed back the sub immediately submerged. My dad and the entire bridge crew saw it all but of course were ordered to forget the whole thing and pretend that it never happened. But they would never forget, for how often do you get a chance to see a nuclear ballistic submarine in person? My Dad claimed that he actually snuck out and took a picture but I seriously doubt it. He claimed to have lost the picture but it was mostly that his camera got confiscated and he was simply too embarrassed to admit it. He never found out the sub's name or what class it was. He believes it was a George Washington class but given how he described it as being so huge I think it was more likely a Lafayette, James Madison, or maybe even a Benjamin Franklin class since the George Washingtons are pretty small compared to them. It was, as I said before, a once in a lifetime chance encounter. Vietnam was also the time during the Civil Right movement. In another story centered on my Dad's life as a pirate hunter, the Brown Water Navy often received "Packages", which was basically an African-American who got in trouble with the Navy over something. For this story I'll just refer to him as Mr. Package. This story is both serious and funny at the same time. The one my Dad received was a giant and an asshole, but he also was the bravest man he ever knew. He also had a giant afro that he refused to shave off, which is probably what got him in trouble. When he arrived he simply marched up to the pier, threw his gear down, and said, "I'm the Package!" and my Dad simply, "Welcome aboard.". He wasn't about to pick a fight with this man and they got along decently enough. One day they were out patrolling and they came across a Vietnamese fishing boat that had caught on fire. Most of the fishermen had already jumped overboard, but there were two young children still aboard that had become too terrified to move. As soon as Dad brought his boat alongside Mr Package jumped onboard, ran through the flames, grabbed the children, and jumped back on. Both him and the kids were fine but his afro had caught on fire and he ended up losing most of his hair. He forever blamed Dad for it, lol. In another, more interesting story, Dad and his crew were woken in the middle of the night and were ordered to bring a group of people ashore from a recently anchored ship. Dad and his crew went, no doubt grumbling over having their precious sleep disturbed, only to find out that the group was actually a bunch of attractive Navy nurses. I'll leave you to your imagination on what happened next, although I doubt it lasted long. That's all for now! If I think of any more stories I'll be sure to share them. Thanks again for all the likes!

[@Krieg-ch8ot]

Almost sounds like you father was on a PBM Nasty Boat essentially a PT boat stripped or torpedoes and upgunned with 50cals, 20mms and even 40mm bofors mounts. They are interesting boats.

[@infinitlycool]

@@Krieg-ch8ot I just looked it up and yeah, it's possible that it could've been a Nasty, for it's certainly the right size and the diesel engines match what my dad described. Only problem is the gun placements and I don't recall him ever mentioning that he had a 40mm Bofor cannon. I could be wrong though. He was pretty insistent that it was a converted torpedo retriever whenever I asked him about it.

[@miamijules2149]

Thanks for sharing hermano

[@arthurneddysmith]

What a fascinating history to read! While I'm critical of the Vietnam War, I hope you write it all down somewhere so that your father's story, outside of here, can be kept for posterity. I'm sure you have so many other details to share and so many other stories that future generations can benefit from. Thank you.

[@jamescrowe7892]

Interesting story. May your dad rest in peace.

[@kyledunn6853]

""PBR Street Gang, this is Almighty. Radio check over." [Static]

[@Dogmeat1950]

Want a neat Navy Unit in Vietnam? Look up U.S Navy Seawolves, first Special Operations Helicopter Gunship Sqaudron, they worked heavily with the SEALs and other special Ops units plus the 25th and 9th Infantry

[@dalecarmody8631]

HAL3 Ordnance shop 71-72

[@retirednavy8720]

The USN still has this weapons platform. I was assigned to Riverine Squadron One and we operated on the Euphrates River in Iraq. And we were still rocking and rolling over the bad guys.

[@Nyllsor]

Intresting

[@michaelnoller3441]

I hired a guy from that sort of outfit years ago, because I preferred to hire vets. That Dude was just out and wound up like a mo fo. I figured he was still on the rush. Thanks for your service.

[@jamescrowe7892]

Thanks for your service shipmate.

[@jayanderson6016]

"the bad guys," you say?

[@jayjones6904]

Had brother's son jacob vandyke he was in boats in Iraq fla boy

[@paleoph6168]

2:12-2:20 HAMMOND YOU IDIOT YOU'VE CRASHED INTO MY BOAT!

[@camarocarl7130]

Joey ran into shit in Bahrain, cracked the hull- fatso was blind!

[@bigblue6917]

Mention is often made of the Ho Chi Minh Trail to get supplies into South Viet Nam but the vast majority of those supplies came by sea and through the rivers. Something else often missed is the fact that in many of the raids carried out by US Special Forces in the Delta region the craft were manned by the US Coast Guard as the special forces prefered working with them.

[@fantaboy113]

My English is not good so i will make it short. For adding some story. We called them "No-number ships" run by suicide squad, always choose when dangerous weather conditions occuring to do their missions. Started from HaiPhong Port - Close to HaiNan island - International water - Philippine - Indonesia - Malaysia - All the way to rural area of Southern VietNam. A tiny story included, small part of this supply came from former Imperial Japanese Soldiers that switched side to VietMinh against the French Colonial force in First indochina war.(Ps: they still remain contacts with Vietnamese comrades after the First indochina war ).Mostly high end radio components from Japan. This story i watched long time ago on the TV.

[@bigblue6917]

@@fantaboy113 Thanks, fantaboy. I did not know about the former Imperial Japanese soldiers involvement with the Viet Minh so that is new to me. I do know that just after WW2 former Imperial Japanese soldiers worked alongside the British against the Viet Minh so I wonder if these Japanese soldiers had changed sides. Thanks again. That was very helpful.

[@fantaboy113]

@@bigblue6917 those former Imperial Japanese soldiers who worked with British against the VietMinh were in Cochinchina (Southern Vietnam VietMinh activities kinda weak, they needed to ally with some Chinese-Vietnamese underground factions who also hating the French) at that time.And those switched-side to VietMinh against the French were in Tonkin(Northern Vietnam, the stronghold of VietMinh). i hope it's cleared for you.

[@kellychuang8373]

That really is surprising and not like PT boats of WWII or what a young JFK ridden on which if JJ hasn't gotten there this may also be something to look into.

[@bigblue6917]

@@fantaboy113 Sorry I missed your replay. Thanks for the additional information.

[@orangelion03]

A former co-worker who became a close friend served as a MM on one of the the "mother" LSTs servicing PBRs. Though he didnt directly see combat, he was reminded daily how tough it was for their crews.

[@dennyhughes4567]

I was a LCPR engineer and machine gunner on a 36 foot patrol boat (Yankee One ). We carried UDT-11 and SEAL TEAM 1, we did beach surveys and recons on many rivers in the RAT SUNG SPECIAL ZONE. I did 4 combat tours with these teams, and worked many times with PBR's. I miss it every day. Dl Hughes USN 1964-68

[@williamharris5957]

My father was on these PBR boats 66,67,68. He's 77 now.

[@oldmech619]

I was flying about 7000 feet above the Mekong River, into Cambodia when I spotted a cargo ship being attacked from shore. I remember the tracers and a few RPGs. Nothing we could do. There was no air cover where we were going. It was surreal.

[@miketaylorID1]

“Never get outta the boat. absolutely, Goddamn right…”

[@ABQRT]

And never touch a floating body especially USGI, usually boobie trapped.

[@neilcook4686]

Remember... Never get off the boat...

[@Captain_Willard]

Unless you were going all the way...

[@heathb4319]

Unless you are a Marine :)

[@neilcook4686]

@@Captain_Willard Chef knew...

[@ianashby3626]

Kurtz got off the boat

[@Captain_Willard]

@@neilcook4686 Chef was too tight wound for Vietnam, hell he was probably too tight wound for New Orleans

[@ronaldstokes4841]

When I first got to Nam (1970), there were no flights nor convoys to my assigned unit. Nothin' was movin'. I ran across a guy with weird jungle fatigues who said, "I never fly, where Ya goin'?" I couldn't pronounce the name, so I showed him my orders. He said, "C'mon with me." I followed down this jungle path till we came to a river... wooden piers... SAILORS! We got to this riverboat (also made of wood, I didn' know that; looked like metal and armed to the hilt), introduced me as an FNG and said they were goin' right past my assignment. I was invited aboard, and lemme tell you, what an experience. The river was like glass and this boat was so smooth it was as if we flew above the water. Rock n' Roll pumpin' out of speakers from a reel-to-reel tape recorder. This was great! But I noticed as they dropped me off, for the rest of their trip upriver, they uncovered their guns n' donned their helmets and flak jackets. Bless 'em. Welcome Home Brothers 589th Combat Engineers Song Pha, RVN

[@haramsaddam238]

There was a deacon at the church I went to growing up that was in the BWN/PBR. He was also a certified gunsmith and did work for my family at a large discount. Very chill dude, never told tall tales. Godspeed wherever you are Gary

[@higgs923]

I served with CTF 116 based at Binh Thuy (then) RVN in '71 - '72. Our boats were ably supported by the attack Hueys of the HAL -3 Seawolves and the OV-10s of the VAL-4 Black Ponies. The muddy conditions you mentioned were ubiquitous during the monsoon season.

[@markmark2080]

We visited Can Tho (Binh Thuy) five times '66/'67 on LST1032, we brought in 3 ship loads of cement from Taiwan for the air strip always beaching at a point close to the upstream end of the Con Son island that lies midway between downtown and the airport. On my first trip in '66, the area was empty and they were unloading melon sized rock by hand to build the first PBR base alongside of where we beached, later trips it was fully active, and later it was moved up to a barge (converted LST, I think) up near the entrance/end of the airfield. Many 'great' memories of those trips which took us up near the Cambodian border to change river channels. Once we used our LCVPs to pull a PBR off a sand bank. One late night engine room repair required a boat ride up to the barge for a small machining job on a heavy awkward motor shaft where I enjoyed a screwdriver made with orange soda and vodka while waiting. We witnessed considerable action from a 'safe' distance but were never in it, I did visit an LST in Guam that had hit a mine that blew out the aux engine room (where I did my watches), that was sobering...cheers

[@higgs923]

@@markmark2080 You guys on the LSTs were our lifeline. Everyone turned out armed to the teeth to escort you up the river. Many thanks!

[@dalecarmody8631]

HAL-3 71-72 Binh Thuy.

[@scottleppard288]

My dad served 18 months in the brown water navy. He served in Operation Game Warden. He's 82 now but still remembers.

[@mikey29211]

They are still in service, i went through the Panama Canal in 93 and were escorted by several PBR MKII and several SWIFT boats

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

93 was 30 years ago, sadly. I'm not sure if they are there anymore?

[@lonniedufour2925]

No but they were there for a while. That was Special Boat Unit 26 whose boats primarily came from Special Boat Unit 22 in New Orleans. I was a PBR/PB/PCF/ Mini-ATC Boat Captain at SBU 22 when we sent the PB’s, PCF’s and some PBR’s to Panama.

[@lostinpa-dadenduro7555]

"'Never get out of the boat.' Absolutely g*ddamn right! Unless you were goin' all the way... Kurtz got off the boat. He split from the whole f--kin' program." Cpt. Willard.

[@duenge]

A late Uncle skippered these. He was a 3 war Vet, WWII, Korea & Vietnam. Great guy....

[@Chiller11]

I’m so old this unfortunate conflict was my war. I spent most of my 12 and a bit months trudging through elephant grass, jungle or scrub. I was glad I wasn’t in the south. I hated the idea of that swampy delta region.

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Glad you made it out 🙏

[@DimBeam1]

Cheers Johnny. Water Way to finish my week.

[@user-fi9bq5rr5t]

United Boat Builders of Bellingham Wa. built the PBR, The hull was from a 31' Tollycraft cabin cruiser.

[@patriotprepper3878]

My father was on one of the PBR (Alpha Boat) he talked about it one time to me and told me of a ambush where they were setup by a boy. He told me the whole story after I was shot at by two men while I worked unarmed security. I told him it bothered me that had I been armed I would have taken their life and would have done so in a fraction of a second without even a single thought. He told me I was simply defending my life as he had done in Vietnam during that ambush and that like I was not looking for a fight just as he was not but those who ambushed him and the men who shot at me were looking for a fight and like him I would have simply defended my life. He said it is a hard thing to take a life and it changes you forever, people say what they will do but they do not know unless they have been in that situation. He told me with tears in his eyes I wish you didn't have to know what you would do because it is a hard thing to know of ones self and hard to live with. He was right it changed me forever knowing that is inside of me even though I was unarmed had I been armed that day would have ended very badly for those two men. I would not wish it on anyone to know what they would do.

[@mtnewton5219]

Having served in a artillery battery in the Mekong , we provided illumination support for these guys . Their night time patrols were always action packed.

[@paleoph6168]

Incoming upload streak from Johnny!

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

My scheduling is always a mess as projects get hung up for age restrictions, copyright nonsense, waiting for material etc.

[@eamonnclabby7067]

​@@JohnnyJohnsonEsqthe devil is in the detail...my children and Mrs C keep me on track...

[@cpl.yuminagumo6754]

Riverine: A Brown-Water Sailor in the Delta by Don Shepherd is a fantastic book about his experience commanding a PBR during the Vietnam War

[@marvindebot3264]

Yes, i can also highly recommend that book, it's an epic read.

[@ScoutSniper3124]

Well done as always J.J.

[@WaifuDaki]

Was wondering if Grand Tour was going to be mentioned. Great video as always, Johnny boy

[@Two_Bears]

I was in the Philippines from 1975-77. In Subic Bay, we had five ex Vietnam PBR’s to patrol the bay with to reduce theft from locals. The guns were removed and the holes boarded up with plywood (leaked a little). Of note, I remember when a PBR would come towards you, could could not hear it approach you. Dead silent until it was upon you. Amazing design!!

[@wiktorberski9272]

I have read some books about the VIETNAM WAR. Usually, when VC logistics is discussed, the first thing that comes to mind is the HoChi Minh trail. But a lot of cargo was transported by water, and therefore the importance of Brown Water Navy (and its crafts). Thank you for this movie

[@jameswolf133]

Seaman David George Ouellet was another PBR Medal of Honor recipient.

[@SpanksTheClown]

She patrol on my boat till river🗣

[@CA999]

Thank you for explaining the context of why the rivers were so important. It elevated the significance of this boat.

[@knighthauler2529]

They were built by Uniflite in Bellingham WA. I had a ride on one in August 1973 in Bellingham bay on a water test. While in the fwd turret and the boat going full speed fwd, the operator dropped the clamshells and burired the bow right up to the gunnel.

[@user-rb8ew9iw8d]

I served in the Marine Corp Small Craft Company. We served in Central and South America. We used the RAC, Riverine Assault Craft, the RRC Rigged Raiding Craft and the CRRC Combat Rubber Raiding Craft. SOTG, Special Operations Traing Group also used the RRC and the CRRC but the RAC was only used by Small Craft Company. I served from 1993 to 1997 in Small Craft Company.

[@geordiedog1749]

Great work again JJ

[@Captain_Willard]

This is my favorite movie ever, Martin Sheen killed it

[@aking-plums6985]

Never get out of the boat =)

[@Captain_Willard]

@@aking-plums6985 Unless you were going all the way...Kurtz got off the boat

[@aking-plums6985]

@@Captain_Willard My favorite scene has to be "I'm not going, I'm not going, I'm not going", he did go in the end =)

[@Captain_Willard]

@@aking-plums6985 i think the guys name is Cinema Tyler but he has some great videos here on KZbin breaking down the making of that movie and it's insane what went on in it, u should check them out if u havent already

[@battlejitney2197]

Johnny, you continue to crank out interesting, well researched, well presented content with an eye to respect for the service personnel who used the equipment and reverence for the lives lost in their use. Well done! (I live for the pun at the end of each video 😉).

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Thanks for the feedback man. Helps keep me going 👍❤️

[@padawanmage71]

Love these short vids, concise and to the point!

[@sasquatch2753]

thanks johnny...good vid and very good narration.

[@brucebarnes9638]

One of my good friends served on a PBR as the forward gunner. By the nature of the low draft, the PBR's could operate in very shallow water. My friend said that they would often go up very narrow waterways in search of the VC. When they got into situations with dense jungle growth, the twin 50's did an awesome job of clearing a path for the PBR. Brown Water Navy at work!!

[@michaelhoward3916]

Great job again JJ

[@allentate3760]

Dad was a pilot with the Navy Seawolves supporting the PBRs

[@danielstreuli7563]

'Never get out of the boat'

[@jamesdesanders5618]

Thank you! Great work!

[@SysterEuropa]

Excellent work. Thank you Johnny Johnson.

[@matthewbrotman2907]

A unique part of Navy history. There have only been two major river campaigns: the Mississippi and the Mekong, a century apart.

[@Subdood04]

As a kid in the 70s we lived in Hawaii. Our neighbor and close family friend was “Uncle Charles” and would disappear for a while and then come back. He was a Quarter Master Chief and Coxun. He drove PBRs. We did a lot of things together with that family. When Uncle Charles would come home sometimes he would be napping in the house on the couch. None of the kids were allowed to go in the house. Only Aunt Betty, Mom or Dad. We didn’t know why then. He was a wonderful man by all accounts we could see. But the demons came at night and he couldn’t sleep. We didn’t know then, but we learned later.

[@brycew3804]

My father was on YOG-56 as part of the naval detachment for Dong-Ha marine base, he worked alot with muddy water guys and probably would be considered muddy water from his work. Was wounded in action during a rocket attack on the marine base ammo dump, cookoff happened at the dump and a large artillery shell ended up getting launched at his barge

[@jackbower8671]

Awesome man! Thanks for the vid

[@MyBlueZed]

07:00 The second time you say “river”. We call that a ‘teste pop’ 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Love your work! ❤

[@georgewashington3393]

Learned everything I know about diesel engines working with a man who was on a PBR in the mekong delta in 69...best damn mechanic I've ever met.

[@aking-plums6985]

Only 1 PBR remaining out of 718, that's a crazy way to treat your history =(

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

I think there are still a few replicas and restored ones out there.

[@THB1945]

That's the history America doesn't want to brag about

[@aking-plums6985]

@@THB1945 Fair point mate, I was thinking more along the lines of the genius design of the PBR rather than the er result / outcome of the war.

[@junibug6790]

No one makes a piece of military equipment and says, "I hope they put it in a museum years from now". They make military equipment to take a beating until it breaks, and then they go out and get another one.

[@aking-plums6985]

@@junibug6790 Hi mate, even thought the manufacturers of military equipment don't set out to make their hardware for museum purposes, either the company itself will keep a copy for their own history or a museum will acquire a copy due to its historical significance for preservation or educational purposes.

[@TiernanOleary]

WW2 monitors are weird

[@vickyking3408]

Good as always Johnny

[@johnchurchill6778]

Thank you very much for such a great documentary!

[@robertkarp2070]

When I was active Navy, every sailor that served on PBR's during Vietnam were Master Chiefs. Even had a Lieutenant Commander LDO, that was an enlisted PBR sailor during Vietnam.

[@robertkarp2070]

That's every sailor that I met, while serving in the Navy, not every sailor in the Navy.

[@user-qj5yb3rc1g]

My cousin served on one in the navy for 8 months thank the lord he made it

[@stevenhj3124]

Well done documentary. I was "deep water Navy" in Vietnam 1967-68. PN3, USS Fox (DLG-33).

[@itsallmakebelieve9151]

Jeremy Clarkson can't pilot a boat for shit until he's had his hot meats.

[@then00brathalos]

Clarkson displaying his magical ability to create a traffic accident in a water market

[@ShermanistDruid]

*slapped*

[@xwrn]

When soldiers wished for a PBR and a Jacuzzi, this is not what they meant.

[@gypsydildopunks7083]

Great video, thanks

[@chetwilson3965]

My Dad, MNC R. Wilson was on PBRs, Riv Div 592, RPG 56. 68-69. I had the honor to meet many Brown Water sailors over the years.

[@equal15.25]

Did you ever meet one named Buddy Wilson? My grandfather

[@chetwilson3965]

@@equal15.25 I met a few when my Dad and I attended the USS James E. Williams (DDG-95) commissioning and at the PBR ceremony at the USS Yorktown. I look at my list, the only Buddy there was Buddy Sturgis.

[@equal15.25]

@@chetwilson3965 damn well thanks, couldn't help but scroll through the comments and see if there was a mention of my grandpa

[@Bill-yy3ck]

To all that have posted who were in country I say "Welcome Home Brother". I spent my time, 68-69, in the Central Highlands with the 4th ID. When I got to the repo depot the one thing I didn't want was to get sent to a unit in the Delta. I had a friend who was a Navy corpsman and he told me what it was like being assigned to a Marine unit in the Delta. So when I got orders for the 4th ID I looked at the big map they had outside and thought, this is OK I'm up north in some place called Pleiku. At least it's not in the Delta. But, as I found out, those mountains and that ruck will kick your ass. And for the next 5 months they did. Until 3/5/69 during operation Wayne Grey, my last day in the jungle. Bill B Co 3/8th 4th ID

[@dougdoeright4196]

When I served in Subic bay the PBR's where used for harbor patrol to chase out the "bonka" boats. I took a night ride once just to see how it felt to be on a patrol even though we weren't armed except the captain. There also was a seal's floating barge/ HQ and barracks that had two for training.

[@sleepingninjaquiettime]

My neighbor who had a been a Riverine said that for most part they would take off the twin 50's and just use one 50 and a M60. He had some cool stories of using the hand cranked grenade launcher.

[@ak9989]

Growing up my neighbor across the street was in the brown water navy in Vietnam. He died in 88 and his wife gave me his beret and a junk force beret that I still have.😢

[@nicholasmuro1742]

He must of been young when he passed away.

[@robertkarp2070]

There were PBRs deployed in the Persian Gulf during Desert Shield in the last 1980's.

[@christopherprince3250]

I had a cousin who was a PBR Pilot, ran a ground while under enemy fire, and ended up with a broken back that ended his Military career. Thanks for posting.

[@harveywallbanger3123]

The hand-crank 40mm grenade launcher is a trip, I've never seen one of those before.

[@thebritishgamerandstuff8328]

Hang on, where are the titles of the movie in the core Jonny😂

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

lol they are pretty easy to figure out in this one. I name them all in the narration besides Family Guy.

[@eamonnclabby7067]

​@@JohnnyJohnsonEsqShocking news...😅😅😅

[@thebritishgamerandstuff8328]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq okay

[@bigcoopsstuff8831]

Boat good

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Me like boat.

[@nursestoyland]

lemme drive da boat

[@eamonnclabby7067]

​@@JohnnyJohnsonEsqclearly your expensive education came in useful..😅😅😅

[@Madderthanjoker]

The Vietnam War will always be fascinating to me, you've got the state of the art juggernaut that is the American military and the Vietcong still managed to win the conflict with all odds stacked against them. You're rice patty farmer turned soldier going up against napalm, helis and all forms of ordnance and you gotta just fight against all of that. I can't even fathom to understand how the Vietnamese survived the U.S invasion.

[@scallopohare9431]

Not an invasion. UN sanctioned, and other nations sent troops.

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

You can understand it when you remember which country is north of North Vietnam and how much the US plan was unsustainable in the long run. Not to mention how the Pentagon Papers changed public perception of the war...

[@nbk9372]

It was the most micromanaged conflict, McNamaras War and his Project 100k will help you understand why generals with combat experience were kept from doing what they knew best, win wars. Our SF units were embedded with French troops since the early 50's, they had compiled enough intelligence to draw up a viable plan, but McNamara and LB Johnsons ignored those MI PDB's, and pursued the long-drawn-out version of the Vietnam conflict. Dig into the Phoenix projects, our military were fighting 3 fronts, welcome to the birth of the military industrial complex. The conflict was never to be won, it was about money & drugs.

[@fhtmbdh]

thank you for the great video ...

[@johnricciojr.5324]

Excellent & thankyou 🇺🇸

[@LordHog]

My uncle was on a US Navy STAB (Strike Assault Boat) during Vietnam. He worked with Navy SEALs

[@offcenterforge1098]

I served with Petty Officer Fulton from 1983-1987 he served on one of these. He had the biggest ribbon board I ever have seen, admirals that just give themselves ribbons didn't have as many ribbons as Fulton. I always felt sorry for him. He was definitely different and kept to himself. They tasked him to teach me my job. He kept cases of canned soup under his desk.

[@AlteredGames]

Navy really loves those Pabst Blue Ribbon's

[@brucemullen3889]

We called them pine box returns!

[@danijuggernaut]

Damn dangerous job, all exposed to the covered enemy luring behind the jungle. It's like shooting ducks, where the boat was duck.

[@mattinnawlins1970]

1992-97 I was on pbr and matc. Great tour.

[@camarocarl7130]

Were you at 11?

[@ThommyofThenn]

It would have been horrible going down some narrow little river with trees and grass growing right down to the banks. Enemies could be concealed and you wouldn't know til they were already under fire. Reminds me a bit of that scene in Generation Kill when their lightly armoured vehicles are going through a narrow alleyway and they suddenly come under heavy fire

[@minhducnguyen9276]

Yet it's one of the positions where people voluntarily sign up for. In another documentary about PBR, many officers signed up to be the captains of the boat because despite it's a boat, it still technically makes them the captain, allowing them to attain the rank. The trade off is unlike the captains of much bigger ships, a captain of a river boat sometimes has to be the mechanic, the cook and part of the boarding party. But a captain is a captain so he'll get the captain salary.

[@robbie46]

That is completly wrong. The Captian of a PBR was an enlisted man. I was Capt of 31 boat as an EN2.

[@ThommyofThenn]

@@robbie46 thank you

[@cruisinguy6024]

@@minhducnguyen9276having the title of captain or skipper is NOT the same as having that rank.

[@minhducnguyen9276]

@@cruisinguy6024 Guess the documentary I watched wasn't correct then. If that's the case what are the benefits of being the captain of the boat?

[@quoth128]

Would you please do a video about Fletcher Class Destroyers? Thank you

[@clydedoris5002]

My grandpa was in the navy during vietnam they were in some bay and somebody pointed out to him that the small boats were keeping them safe he wondered how this could be the guy elaborated that boats like these were towing barbed wire so any enemy divers would be minced

[@equal15.25]

My grandpa was on of those from 68-69, he mentioned one time they were just sitting in a river on the boat and then started taking fire from the trees, his buddy pushed him out if the way to start the boat and get out of there and luckily enough he fell to the ground just as a 50 cal round went right over him. Im not sure if it was my uncle or not that pushed him but he definitely saved the blood line 😅, they were both on the same PBR together.

[@wolfthegreat87]

My great-grandpa Buddy was a river rat in Vietnam, but he only talked about it a few times to my mom and he's been gone since I was really little. Mom's told me that he said they never should have been there, and that once or twice he had woken up babbling about nightmares of crying babies. I wish I knew more about him.

[@MrT8T3R]

My uncle, GMG3 VL Taylor, served on a PBR MK1. River Patrol Section 532. He is sorely missed

[@eamonnclabby7067]

Next up.the cockleshell heroes...that was epic...brave...great post ,Johnny...E....

[@SB-qm5wg]

Lance on the forward 50s

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

Great video...👍