Volume I Issue 12

CONTENTS

Modern Patrol Craft'Spica'ciass fast attack craft'Huchuan' and'Shanghai' class fast attack craftThe Gulf of Tonkin Incident 1964

'Pegasus' class patrol combatant hydrofoil (nttssile)

'nsheville' class patrol combatant'PCF , 'PBR' and 'PB' series patrol craftRiverine wufue classes

RivetWufueinVietnamSurprise on the MekongSouth American river warfue craft'Spa.wiero' class fast attack hydrofoil'ftmbattante II' and'Combattante lil' class fast attack craft'Ramadan'class fast attack craft'Sau','Reshef ' and'Alia' class fast attack craft (missile)

'Koma/,'0sa' and'Matka' class fast attack craft'P4', 'P6', 'Shershen', 'Mol' and 'Turya' class fast attack craftSoviet Missile and Torpedo Boat Tactics'Stenka','Zhuk' and'Schmel' class patrol craft

Armed Forces of the WorldRAF Stnke Command (Part I)

222

222

223

224

226

226

227

228

232

234

235

235

236

236

237

238

239

240

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Pieture acknowledgementsCoret photograph; McDonnell Douqlas. 221: US Na!ry/US NaW. 2221 Saab Bofors/Saab-Bofors. 224: US\a!T 225: US Navy 226: US Navy/US Navy/US Na!y. 22li US Na\y,/US NarT 228r US NavyLJS Narry,/US Navy.229: US Na!rylUS Naq/,/lJS Na!ry/US Na!ry. 231; US Na!ry. 232: D.M./D.M 223; S M.ruS Navy 236; MARS, Lincs.23?: Israel Aircraft Industies. 238: US Navy. 239: US Navy MARS, Lincs, 240: US Navy,{JS NavyruS Navy.(iii): Brilish Aerospace/McDonnell Douglas Back cover: Brrtish Aerospace/Bitish Aerospace.

Forthcoming issues featue:

Jet Aircraft of World Wu IIPoslwu Bomber Aircraft

Machine-Ems of World Wu IIArmorued Fighting Vehicles of the I950s and i960s

Self-propelled Guns and Howrtzers

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iasf, rersa fiJe and highly manoeuvrahle, the patrol craft hasnow re-estabftshed jlself as a pofenf assef in navr'es large ands n a] L E quipp ed with the lates t in a wide ar r ay of weaponryand technologry, these small craft can very easily cause havocagainst ships many times their size"

- :: nany years after World War II the torpedo attack craft remained the,=:-:'rr threat in coastal forces, Armed with increasingly ionger-ranged: =edoes as their primary anti-ship weapons and with heavy automatic;*--s. and powered by reliable diesel engines glving maximum speeds

-- e:<cess of 45 kts at full power, the torpedo craft saw relatively trittle use:. :ombat,

Icwever, in the late 1950s the Soviet Union envisaged the capabilities: - such craft increasing to a much greater extent if they were equrpped',', -:r the then brand-new surface-to-surface antr-ship missile, The first-::h Soviet craft, the 'Komar' class, was a conversion of the 'P6' class:.::or torpedo boat, Unproven in combat until 1967, the missile-armed:,:ack craft was neglected by most of the Western powers, Once the:;rptians sank the Israeli destroyer EiJat, however, this situation:--anged rapidly, and most NATO powers procured various types ofs::h craft or converted torpedo boats or motor gmnboats, The notable

=.:ceptron is the United Krngdom, which has consistently igmored the::ocurement of such vessels. Non-aligned and smaller nations saw the:,ssile boat as the equalizer between themseives and the threat oi the-:rger powers' navies, a missile boat carrying two or more missiies:slng capable of engaging and sinking much larger vessels such as aJestroyer, this being conclusively proved in the 197 I Indo-Pakistan War,',','nen a force of Indran 'Osa' class missile craft attacked the harbour atKarachi, srnkrng or damaging a number of Pakistani naval ships and-:reign merchant ships, includinq the destroyer Khaibar, with SS-N-2AS3x' missiles, Surprisrngly enough, battle invoiving missile boats on

One of the forerunners of the USNavy's 'Pegasus' class of hydrofoils,the experimenfal yesse/ U,SSTucumcari makes a h igh s peed ru n inthe E ngl ish C h annel ofl P lymou th.

both sides drd not arise until the 1973 'Yom Kippur' War beir,.ee:. ::-=Arabs and Israelis, the latter proving that the weil-equipped mssle ::=is a deadiy weapon when handled by a well-trained crew Tre :e::major test did not arise until the current GullWar broke out betv;ee:- -:.=Iranians and the lraqis, Used by both sides, the missile crafi h^. :.:.proved as effective as in I973 as both countries lack the experiise --:tactical know-how required to use it properly" In recent years -----=

surface-to-surface niissile has been rnated with hydrolorl des-;-although this has not proved a total success except with the Sovre:s -:-=Israeli have been particularly disappointed with their craft.

In the case of the riverine warfare craft, the French in Indo-China c.*-.up the flrst effective river combat force in the I950s during theu ','.-::

there, When the Amerrcans entered the ground war in the mrd-,9:,sthey had to relearn the lessons and ended up building their own river:-=force, using modrfied LCM6 designs and specially-built craft, Thes=proved themselves ln combat and most were turned over to the S:*:Vietnamese in the late 1960s and earty I970s as the Americans graci:a"-.-withdrew their forces. The early 1900s concept ofthe river gunboa: a:-jmonitor still lives in the areas of the world where big rivers are founci -:=oldest examples olriver warfare craft still afloat are still plying the qne-:rivers of South America,

AUS riverinemonitor leads agroup of ArmouredTroopCarriers (ATCs)during an anti-gruerrilla operation on one of the many navigable rivers inSouthVietnam. Somefimes lft oserivers and canals provided the only ground-level axis toVietCongstrongpoints in theMekong delta.

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ffi S'p?""'class fast attack craft (torpedo and missile)Because of Sweden's close proxrmLtyto the Sovret Union and that nationsextensive Baltic F1eet, which includeslarge numbers of small combatants,the Swedrsh navy has qrradually paidoffmost of its large surface combatantsand replaced them by a surface fleet ofiast torpedo and missile attack craftthe largrest component of which is and'ffill continue to be provrded by theSpica I'class, 'Spica II' class and'SpicaIII' class. The sx 'Spica Is'were com-r.eissioned between 1966 and 1968, andare crurently armed with a single 57-nm dual-purpose Bofors qun and sxi33-mm (2l-in) torpedo tubes for theHigh-Test Peroxide-powered Tp61a::tr-slupwire-gmidedtorpedo, By 1985:,','o to four of the tubes wrll be re-placed by four to eiqht Bofors RBSISSSMs. On each side of the bridge arera:ls for a total of four 103-mm and sxlJ-mm rocket flare launchers lf neces-:nry the torpedo tubes and missileia';:rcher-containers can be replacedby mines. For fire-control purposes theSprca Is' have an M22 system with co-nounted radars in a single radome.

Between 1973 and 1976 a further i2;^ssels were commissioned to the im-prcved 'Spica II desrgn, These have an:rnament similar to the 'Sprca I but:e:ry only erght 57-mm flarelauncher:a:ls on each side of the forward gun:.uret. Their armament will also be:iodfied in the same way as that of theSpica I' but with the addition of an LM::ncsson Giraffe low-lerrel air-search:adar. They have the earher PEABYiV200 Mk 1 analog versron of thei:gdtal fire-control system that is fitted:c the latter 'Hugrn' class, Both the clas-ses have to have the two foremost tor-pedo tubes swrrng out throuqh severaldegrees before they can be fired.

In 1981, as a drrect response to the)atest build-up of the Soviet BalticFleet, the Swedrsh narry ordered fromKarlskrona Varvet, the main builder of're 'Spicas', two vessels of the 'Spica III'or'Stockholm' class, These 320{on fullIcad craft will act as flotilla leaders for-.he fast attack umts, with the flrst due tocommission in 1984, The SB-m (]90-ft)long desrgn has a maximum speed ofover 30 kts and wrll be armed with asingle 57-mm dual-purpose gun for-ward, a single 40-mm AA gnrn aft, two533-mm (2l-in) tubes for the Tp61 tor-

Above: The 'Spica' classes form thebackbone of the Sw e dis h n avy's {as tattack craft forces. They aredesr'grned as m ulti-role vessels withthe capability of switching armamenttits to suit the assrgnedmiisrbn.

Right: A'S pica I I' class vessel carrjesfour container-launcher boxes forthe new Botors RBS- I 5 surface-to-surface anti-ship mlisrTe. The 'SpicaII'class are alldue toconvert toRBS-1 5 carriers by the end of I 984.

pedo, and erqht RBS]S SSMs, In addi-tion they wrll carry an ASW outfit com-prising variable-depth sonar, Tp42400-mm (15.75-in) ASW torpedoes anddepth charges, Mine rails will also befltted. The same hre-control system asfitted to the 'Hugin' class, an EWS905passive ECM suite and an EricssonGiraffe radar will be the electronics fltcarried,

Specification'Spica I' classNames: Spica, Smus Capella, Castor,Vega and VirgoDisplacement: 215 tons full load

Dimensions: length 42.7m (140. 1ft);beam 7, 1m (23.3ft); draught 2.6m(B 5 ft)Propulsion: three Rol1s-Royce Proteusgas turbines deliveringr I2.72Ahp(9490 kW) to three shaftsMa:<imum speed: 40 ktsComplement: 28Armament: see textElectronics: one Scanter 009 searchradar and one HSA M22 fire-contlol

Specification'Spica II' classNames: Norrkoping, Nyndshamn,

Norrtilj e, Varberg, VAstertt-s, Vdster-vik, Ume6, Pitett, Lule6, HalmstacStromstad and YsfadDisplacement: 2I5 tons full loadDimensions: length 43,6 m (143 ft)beam 7. lm (23,3ft); draught 2.4r-(74ft)Propulsion: three Rolls-Royce Proteusqas turbrnes dehvering 12,900hp(9623 k\ D to three shaftsMaximum speed: 40,5 ktsArmament: see textElectronics: one Scanter 009 searchradar and one PEAB 91,V200 Mk I fire-control system

il 'ii.r"t u"n' and 'shanghai' class fast attack craft (gun and torpedo)For many years the Chinese navy re-lied on vessels griven to rt by the SovietUnion or on building basic copies ofSovret designs in their shipyards, In1959 the first prototypes of what hasbecome the major construction prog-ramme in the coastal forces build-upwere seen, These were of the 'Shan-ghai'class motor gunboats, which are

stiil constructed at the rate of 10 peryear in several yards, A relatively un-sophisticated design that has beenbuilt in five versions, the 'Shanghai'class now provide the bulk ofthe coas-tal patrol craft with 10'Shanghai I'andover 310 'Shanghai II', 'Shanghai III','Shanghai IV'and'Shanghai V' craft inservice. A large number have also

been exported to Albania (6) Bang-ladesh (8), Cameroun (2), Congo (3).Guinea (6), North Korea (B), Pakistar(12), Srr Lanka (7), Sierra Leone (3).Tanzama (7), Vietnam (B) and Romania

Continued on page 224

The'Huchuan I' class of torpedo-equipped hydrotoil as used by thePeop le's Republic ot C hina, whichhas some I40 in sewice.

I I

The Gulf oI Tonkin lncident 1964

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By early i964 American warships of the Pacific-oased 7th Fleet were deployed off the Indo-China coast in the Gulf of Tonkin on a routinebasis to collect signal intelligence, launch re-connaissance aircraft and covertly supportanti-Communist forces in attacking Communistterrrtory. In the middle of the afternoon of 2Augn:st the destroyer USS Maddox detectedthree unidentlfied hiqh speed craft on herradar whilst she was passing Hon Me island,50 km (32 miles) south of the North Vletnamesetorpedo boat base at Loc Chao that had beenraided the previous night by South Vietnamesecommandoes,

Identifying the approaching craft as NorthVietnamese MTBs, the Maddox fired warningshots from her 127-mm (Sin) main armament todeter them,The warning failed and at a rangeof nearly 5000 m (5,470 yards) two of the crafteach released a single torpedo atlhe Maddox.These the Maddox evaded by manoeuvring atspeed whilst engaging the craft with direct firefrom her gun batteries, appearing to hit thethird boat,

As the battle progressed a fliqht ofVought F-8E Crusaders from the carrierTiconderoga, launched previously on anarmed training mission, were vectored into the

area to assist the Maddox. The destroyer divt-sron commander embarked on the vesselordered the Crusaders to attack the torpedoboats as they wrthdrew northwards, Using theirfour 20-mm cannon and 127-mm (S-in) Zuni un,gurded rockets the arrcraft made severalstrafing and rocket attacks on the craft, sinkingthe previousiy damaged unit. The total time ofthe engagement from the initial contact onMaddols radar to the destroyer retiring afterthe sinking of the torpedo boat was approximately 372 hours,

The Maddox was then joined by the des,troyer USS Tumer Joy. The carrier USS Con,stellation was routed from Hong Kong to theGull some 650 km (400 miles) away, whilst inthe meantime dayllgtht combat air patrols overthe destroyers' patrol area was initiated fromthe USS Ticonderoga. At night the destroyersretired to an area about 160 km (100 mlles) offthe coast to reduce the chance ofa sneakattackrn the dark, However, on the night of 4 AugustIhe Maddoxagain picked up on her radar high-speed contacts closing the destroyers fast.These were identified as five North Viet-namese torpedo craft and a short ineffectualgn:n battle ensued in poor weather, The torpe-do boats also fired several torpedoes thai nar-

rowly rnissed the destroyers as they maa-ouevred in the darkness. The Ticonderogalaunched two Dougias A-1 Skyraiders for closeair support, but by midnight the targets hadretired from the combat zone.

Followrng this second attack in internationa_iwaters President Johnson ordered a series ofsimultaneous retaliatory air strikes from thecarrrers Constellatton and T icc>nderoga on fourNorth Vietnamese coastal force bases frornQuang Khe, 80 km (50 miles) north of the De-militarrzed Zone between North and SouthVietnam, to the larqe base at Hon Gar rn thenorth. Fhghts of F-8s, A-ls and Douglas A-4Skyhawks bombed and rocketed the targets.damaging all the bases' support facilities arrdsinking or damaglng some 25 torpedo boatsand motor grr-rnboats, This represented over 50per cent ol the total North Vietnamese inven-tory oi these craft at the time. It was dunnothese strrkes that the first American PoW waicaptured in North Vietnam, when an A-4 fromthe Cons/e11ation was shot down by AA qrrxt-ireover Hon Gai. The two incidents in the quffwere the first overt attacks by the North Viet-namese that were ultimately to end in the com-mitment of US ground, air and naval forces tothe Indo-China war.

fourUSS

'Huchuan' and 'Shanghai' class (continued)

(20+ burlt locally in three variants).The last is particularly rntriguing asRomania is a member of the SovietWarsaw Pact alliance,

Around 1966 the first.of an indige-nously desigrned and built hydroforitorpedo attack craft was seen, Con-sfucted by the Hudung shipyard inShanghai, thrs'Huchuan' class has sub-sequently been identifiecl in tvrro ver-siors, The first, the'Huchuan I', has atwin 14,S-mm (0.5l-in) heaw machine-qrun mountingr amidships with a secondtwin mounting aft of it, whilst the bridgers placed forward of the torpedo tubemouths. The second, the'Huchuan II',lras the bridge placed farther aft, iniine wrth the tubes, and the amidshipsmounting moved to the forecastle, Thehu-ll rs of all-metal construction and the:orward pair of foils can be withdrawn

rnto recesses in the hull when the craftis hullborne, At present there are some140 in service with China and the classhas been exported to Albania (32),Paklstan (4), Tanzania (4) and Romania(3 plus l7+ as part of the iocai con-struction prognamme), The torpedoescarried are Chinese-built copies ofSoviet 533-mm (21-in) anti-sliip de-s1gms.

Specification'Huchuan'classDisplacement: 39 tons fulI loadDimensions: length 2l.B m (71,5 ft);beam 4.9 m (16,1 ft) or 7,5 m (24,6 ft)when foilborne; draught 1.0 m (3.3 ft)or 0.31 m (1,0 ft) when follbornePropulsion: three M50 diesels deliver-ing 3.600 hp (2685 kW) to three shaftsMaximum speed: 54 kts

Complement: 12-15Armament: two 533-mm (21-in) anti-ship torpedo tubes and tvtlb tWil IZ.Z-mm (0,S-in) heavy machine-sunsElectronics: one'Skin Heaci'

-radar

Specification'Shanghai I' classDispliacement: 100 tons fl:ll loadDimensions: length 35, t m (I lS ft)ibeam 5,5m (lBft): draughr 1.7m(5 s ft)Pr-opulsion: four diesels delivenng4,220hp (3I48 kW) to fow shaftsMa:rimum speed: 28 ktsComplement:25Armament: one twin 57-mm AA andone twin 37-mm guns, eight depthcharges and up to I0 minesElectronics: one 'Skin Head'radar andone hull-mounted sonar

Specification'Shanqhai II, ru, nr and V classesDisplacement: 155 tons firll loadDimensions: length 38.8 m (t22.3 ftlbeam 5,4 m (17 7 ft); draught 1.5 r:(4 I ft)Fropulsion: four diesels deiiverinc4,800 hp (3580 kW) to four shaftsMaximum speed: 30 ktsComplement:38Armament: (Type II) tvuo tvuin 3?-ru:-AA and two fvvin 25-mm AA gnr-ns(Types III and IV) one twin 57-mm Anand one twin 25-mm AA gnrns; someboats carry a hvia 75-mm recoiilessrifle mounting in the bows, anci aItypes carry eight depth charges anchave provision for up to i0 mtnesElectronics: one 'Pot Head' or 'Skr-Head' radar and provision for hr:11-mounted sonar

E:E *-i 'Pegasus' class patrol combatant hydrofoil (missile)craft from the builders (the BoeingCompany in Seattle) running seveimonths late and 26 per cent over costestimates. All six craft will form a unit tobe based at Key West, Florida, for testsand the evaluation of systems and tac-tics, and for suwelllance duties in theCaribbean area, As the US Navy be-lieves that the class reguires too spe-cialized a lognstic support network forforward deployment to the Mediterra-nean'and simiiar front line areas, thecraft will only have a llmited role withinthe fleet. No firther rnissile or gmnboatclasses are planned at present.

Hydroforls were the only exception tothe United States Navy's lack of in-terest m fast attack craft during the1950s. The first such unit launched waste USS High Point, ur i962, for ASWTnals work, Interest then shiftecl to fastqunlcoats during the mid-1960s, whent"re USS Flagstaff and USS Tucumcari'r'ere tested. The final shift was rdhen it*as decided to develop a missrle-a.rned patrol hydrofoil (PHM) succes-sor to the missile-armed 'Asheville'3las pa.trol gmnboat variant that hadbeen used rn the Mediterranean. TheUS Navy combined with West Ger-:::a:iy and Italy on the project to make aNATO desigm, However, as costs rose::Jy the USA, which planned 30 units,lemained rn the programme. The num-bers to be built were cut back to six,ard then, only after Pegasus (PHMI):ad been launched in 1974, the De-pasnent of Defense decided in April-3ll to cancel the remaining five units.i:cever. in Augrust 1977 these flve?egasrd class craft were reinstated to:e building programme at the request:: =e Congness. By 1982 the last unit,:SS Gemrru, had been comm:,ssioned-::: se:r,rce wrth the deliveries of the

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Above: USS Pegasus offSan DrlegqCalifornia. The foils can clearly beseen beneath the surtace of thewater. Considered too specializedforforward deployment, the sk?egasus'c/ass are based in Fiorida.

30 Propulsorgearbox31 Dieselandpump

machinery room32 Foilbornepropulsor33 Hullborne diesel engine,

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26 Marinegasturbine,General Electric LM 2500

27 Fueltank(aft)28 Gasturbinemachinery

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The Pegrasus ltself is fiited with theMk 94 fire-control system, which is theUS desierration for the Hollandse S1g-naalapparaten WM2B system; the re-mainingfive craft are fittedwith the Mk92 Model I system, which is a modtfiedWM2B built by the Sperry Company ofthe USA, The single 76-mm (3-in) Mk75 licence-brult OTO-Melara automa-tic gn:n carried has a total of 330 roundsin its ready-use magazine and mainbelow-deck magazine, There is alsoadditional space abaft the mast formounting two single 20-mm Mk 20 AAgnrns if required. However, the mainarmament is a pair of quadruple Har-poon SSM container{auncher canistergrrouprngs fitted on the stern. The Har-poon is a 695,S-kg (1,533-1i:), 1IO-km(68-mile) range active-radar termtnalhominq missile of the Tire and forqet'type

SpecificationNames: Pegrasug Hercules, Taurus,Aquila, Atres and GemrajDisplacement: 240 tons fuIl loadDimensions: huii lenqth 44.3 m(145,3f1), beam 8.6m (2B,2ft) anddraught 2.3 m (7,5 ft); foilborne lenqrth40.5m (132,9ft) and beam 14,5m(47.5 ft)Propulsion: foilborne one GeneralElectric gas turbine delivering18,000shp (i342BkW) to hrvo water-jets, and hullborne hvo MTU dieselsdehvenng 3,200hp (2387kW) to twowateietsMaxirnum speed: 11 kts hullborne and48 kts foilborneComplement:22Armarrent: one 76-mm (3-in) Mk 75dual-purpose gun and eight HarpoonSSMs in hvo quadruple launchersElectrsnics: one SPS-63 search radar,one Mk 92 fire-control system (Mk 94mPeqasus), one SLR-20 ECM systemand two Mk 35 SRBoc Chaff launchers

Rrbrht: USS Pegasus in company with aUSN VC- 1 composite squadronS ikor sky SH - 3G S e a King he licopterand M cD annell D ouglas TA.-4JS kyhawk two-seat operational attacktrainer jetoff Hawaii. trt is envisagedthat the'Pegasus' class will have onlya limited role within the US Fleet.

40 N/ountings forfourMcDonnell Douglas RGM-84A Harpoon anti-shipmissiles in lightweighlcontainer launchers (totaltv/o mounts, eightmissiles)

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ffi fisheville' class patrol combatantSeventeen'Asheville' class patrol qun-boats were built by Tacoma Boatbuild-rng and Peterson Builders in theperiod between 1966 and i971 out of aplanned 22 for coastal patrol andblockade duties, the gas-turbine crafthaving been developed in the Ken-nedy era as a response to the Cubancrsis ofthe early 1960s. Subsequentlycraft were used extensively in thenverrne warfare operations conductedrn Vietnam and, in the mid-1970s, fourwere modified to carry Standard antr-radiatron hominqr SSM to act as antr-tattletale escorts aqainst Sovietwarships rn the Mediterranean, Theh'.,rlls are of aluminium, and with super-structures of aluminium and fibreglassconstruction, Currently only two of the'Ashevilles' remain in the US Navy atNorfolk, Virginia, to train Saudi Ara-bran naval personnel. The remainingvessels have either been transferred(two in a disarmed state to the US Gov-ernment Environmental ProtectionAgency, one to South Korea, two tol.:rkey, two to Taiwan, three to USNalry research and development cen-tres and two to Colombia) or placed instorage awaiting transfer, Eventuallyail 17 will be transferred,

One major task that the vesselsundertook as training units in the USNauy for several years was the simula-

tion of Soviet small missile craft duringUS and NATO naval exercises.Although consrdered to be reasonablygood seaboats (they can ride out verysevere storms), the craft have also ac-quired a bad reputation for discomfortin seaways, They also have a cavitationproblem associated with the type ofpropeller r.rsed, which prevents themachievinq their maximum designspeed of over 40 kts, TVro of the units,USS fi,rtelope and USS Ready, testedthe Dutch-desiqned Mk 87 flre-controlsystem, a near,relative.to the Mk 92used on the later PHM and FFG clas-ses, rn place of their standard-flt Mk 63system,

A multr-mission variant of the Ashe-ville' class produced by Tacoma Boat-building is the PSMM 5'class, whrch isoperated by the Philippines (threeSouth Korean-built craft), South Korea(four plus four locally-built craft) andTaiwan (one plus three locally-butltcraft).

Specification'A3heVille' classDisplacement: 245 tons fulI loadDimensions: length 50. I m (164,5 ft);beam 7,3 m (23.8 ft); draught 2,9 m(e5ft)Propulsion: CODOG (COmbinedDiesel Or Gas turbine) two Cummins

diesels deliverinq 3,500 hp (2611 kW)or one General Electric gas turbinedelivering 13,300 shp (9922 kW) to twoshaftsMaximum speed: 38 ktsComplement: 28Armament: one 76-mm (3-in) Mk 34 AAguns one 4O-mm Mk 3 AA gnrn andtwin i2,7-mm (0,5-in) heary machrne-gunsElectronics: one Raytheon Pathflndernavigatron radar,,one SPG-50 fire-control radar and one Mk 63 flre-control system

Although I 7' Asheville' class patrolgvnboatswere built, only fourremain in US Naval Resewe service.These are scheduled for transfer toother nations in the near future.Many of the class served off lie coastof Vietnam, includlhgr USS Galup,seen here inJune 1967.

'PCF', 'PBR'and'PB' series patrol craftThe two pnncipal coastal warfare craftused by the Americans in the VietnamWar were the PCF (or'Swift'class) andthe PBR (or Plastic) type. The PatrolCraft, Fast desigm was adopted fromthat of a standard commercial workboat used for orl ng support work in theGulf of Mexico. The 200 or so PCFswere all constructed by Sewart Sea-craft of Berwick, Loursiana in 1965-6,The first 104 were of the PCF Mk Idesign, whilst the remarnder (with lesssheer, the pilot house located fartheraft and a broken deck line) wer'e builtto the improved PCF Mk II design,Cwrently three Mk I and two Mk IIcraft remain in service with the USNavy, A total of i04 was translerred toSouth Vietnam in 1968-70, 12 to the Phi.-hppines in 1966, nine to Cambodia in1972-3 and seven to Zaire, Additionalunlts were constructed for the Philip-pines (14), South Korea and Thailand(12). Others were lost duringr the Viei-nam War,

The Patrol Boat, River, of whichsome 500 were constructed in PBR MkI and PBR Mk II variants between 1966and 1973, is smaller than the PCF, witha fibreglass-reinforced plastic hull,ceramic armour and an open{oppedconning bridge, Propulsron and steer-ilg are by means of a waterjet system,For work in the narrow and shallowinland waterways of Vietnam the boatswere designed with a draught of lessthan I m (3.3 ft), Some 160 PBR Mk Iswere ccnstructed, the rest being PBRMk IIs. Only 22 of the lartcr remain inservrce with the US Naval Reserve for

=airiing purposes, Most (293) of the re-

nainder were transferred to Southvietnam, with others qoing to Cambo-cra (25), Thailand (37) and Israel (28,

:e majority ol which were built local-l:;)

The Patrol Boat was conceled of as-fe successor to the PCF. The first two,:r the PB Mk I variant, were built by

224

ffiSewart Seacraft in 1972 for delivery in1973, An alternative design, the PB MkIII, was then tested in competition withthe PB Mk I to meet the US Navy re-quirement for a multi-mission inshorewarfare craft, The PB Mk 11I won, and17 were burlt by Paterson Shipbuildersof Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, Lrke thePCF, the PB was derived from a Gulf ofMexico oil riq work boat design, Thewheetr house is offset to starboard toallow maximum weapon space, andthe boats can be rlgged to carry a widevariety of armament rncluding PengnrinMk 2 SSMs, mines, torpedoes orminesweeping equipment, The en-gines are quietened to allow the boatsto be used in clandestine operatiors,The mrssrng PB Mk 11 design was notbuilt.

SpecificationPCF MK IDisplacement: 19 tons full loadDimensions: length i5,3 m (50,2 ft);beam 4.0m (l3,1ft); draught 1,1m(36ft)Propulsion: two General Motorsdiesels delivering 850 hp (634 kW) totwo shaftsMaximum speed: 28 ktsComplement: 6Armament: two single 12.7-mm (0,5 in)heavy machine-gnrns and one com-bined B mm mortar and 12,7-mm(0,5 in) hearry machine-gmn mounttngElectronics: one LN66 navigation radar

SpecificationPCF MK IIDisplacement: 19,2 tons fu]I loadDimensions: Iength 15,6 m (51,2 ft);beam 4,1m (13.5ft); draught 1,1m(3 6 ft)Propulsion: two General Motorsdiesels delivering 850 hp (634 kW) totwo shaftsMaximum speed: 28 ktsComplement:6

Armament: as for PCF Mk IElectronics: one LN66 navigation radar

SpecificationPBR MK IDisplacement: 6,5 tons firll loadDimensions: length 9,5m (31.2ft);beam 3,2m (10,5ft)i draught 0.6m(2 ft)Propulsion: two General Motorsdiesels delivering 430 hp (321 kW) totwo pumpjetsMa.:<imum speed: 25 ktsComplement: 4-5Armament: one twin 12,7-mm (0.5-in)heavy machrne-gun, one 7.62-mm (0,3-in) medium machine-grr:n and one 40-mm gnenade-launcherElectronics: one Raytheon 1900 searchradar

SpecificationPBR MK IIDisplacement: 7,2 tons full loadDimensions: length 9,7 m (31,8 ft);

Above : A PB M k I I I patrol craft underway. K nown as tft e'Sea Specfre'cJass, lftjs design was derived from aGulf of Mexico oil rig work boat.

Seen during theVietnam war, thisPCF is returning to base after amission with a US Navy UnderwaterDemolition Team embarked . The

armament has been modified toinclude a twin I 2.7 -mm (0.5-in) heavymachine-gun mounting.

'PCF','PBR' and'PB' series patrol craft (continued)

beam 3,6m (11,Bft); draught 0,Bm(26ft)Propulsion: two General Motorsdiesels delivering 430 hp (321 kW) totwo pumpjetsMaximum speed: 25 ktsComplement: 4-5Armament: as for PBR Mk I plus one6O-mm mortar in some boatsElectronics: one Raytheon 1900 searchradar

SpecificationPBMKIDisplacement: 36,3 tons fuI1 loadDimensions: length 19,8m (65ft);beam 4.9m (16, 1ft); draught 1,5m(49ft)Propulsion: two General Motorsdiesels delivering power to two shaftsManimum speed: 26 kts

Modern Patrol CraftComplement:5Armament: one twin and irur sinoleI2.7 -mm (0, S-in) heavy machine-gninsor 20-mm cannonElectronics: one LN66 navigation radar

SpecificationPB MK IIDisplacement: 41,3 tons fuIl loadDimensions: length 19,8m (65ft);beam 5 5m (18f1); draught LBm(seft)Propulsion: three General Motorsdiesels delivering 950 hp (709 kW) tothree shaftsMaximum speed: 26 ktsComplement: 5Armament: four single 12, 7-mm (0, S-in)heavy machine-gunsElectronics: one LN66 navigation radar

A PBR Mk II craft on a high-speedpetrol in the Long Tau river, SouthVietnam. The PBR was especially

useful in patrolling the rivers andcanals to prevent movement ofenemy forces and s upphes.

€ ffiuerine warfare classesPor war in the Mekong Delta and otherriver.systems in Vietnam, the US Navyand the US fumy developed jornt taskforces. To outflt lhese the US Navy hadto organize river assault squadronswith specially designed types ofassault craft. These were mainly basedon modiflcations of the 'LCM6'landingcr€ift, The squadrons were deployedwith complements of 52 ArmouiedTroop Carrier (ATC), five Commandand Control Boat (CCB), lO fire-support Monitor (MON) and two ATCrefuelling craft. They also had 32Ass-ault Support Patrol Boat (ASPB)craft assigned, and these last were oithe only type specifically built forriverine warfare,

T\vo versions of the ASPB were builtin 1967-8. Both had welded steel hulls,aluminium superstructues and an en-gine silencing system fitted withunderwater exhaust outlets. The boatswere usually used as the leading umtsof assault forces, sweeping ahead witha chain drag to counter command-detonated river mines, They alsoacted as escorts, patrol craft and coun-ter-ambush vessels, The ASPB hullwas also converted to a riverine mine-sweeper variant, the MSR patrol mine-sweeper, and as a command and con-trol craft, Armarnent was usually asingle 20-mm gmn in a forward turret, atwin 12,7-mm (0,5-in) heavy machine-gun (HMG) rn an aft tunet atop theconning positton, two 7,62-mm (0,3-in)medium machine-guns (MMGs) in twofurther turrets just forward of tha HMGhffet, and two 4O-mm fully automattcgrenade-launchers. A dual 8l-mm/12,7-mm (0,5-in) mortar/HMG mountwas also carried on some boats in anopen well aft, The alternate fit mostfrequently adopted was the replace-ment of the aft l2.7-mm guns byanother single 20-mm gn_rn.

The monitors were either converted'LCM6' craft or specially constructedMONMk V craft that differed pnmarilyil having rounded bows instead of thelanding craft bow door arrangement ofthe 'LCM6', A typical armament of theconversions was a single 40-mm gmn rnan armoured turret forward, a single

T he s elf-pr opelled auxiliarybarracks sfi ip USS Benewah fie in !fi eSoil Rap river, acting as mother shipto the ilverine warfare assault craftalongside.

20-mm gmn in a small turret aft on top ofthe conning position, two single 12.7-mm (0.5-in) HMGs in srmilar turrets justforward of this to port and starboard,an Bl-mm mortar or two army Ml0-Bflamethrower units in a well locatedbetween the control position and theforward h:rret, plus various small armsmounted along the craft's sides. Thelater MON Mk Vs had a hvin 20-mmbow turret, an Bl-mm mortar in thewell, the two 12, 7-mm (0.5-in) HMG tur-rets and four 7.62-mm (0,3-in) MMGs. Afew ofthem had the forward turret andthe mortar well replaced by anaimoured hrrret containlng an armyM10i 105-mm howitzer for drrectfiremissions against riverside bunkercomplexes, Both types had screen andbar armow fitted to defend against hol-low-charge rocket-projectile and re-coilless-rifle fire,

The CCB was similar to the MONtypes except that the mortar well wascovered over by a command and com-munications facility module, The arma-ment was the bow turet with either asingle 20-mm or 40-mm qun, the aftturet with a 12,7-mm (0.5-in) HMGandthe tlvo other turrets with 7.62-mm (0,3-in) MMGs, A 60-mm mortar was alsocarrled by some craft, An alternativeweapon fit was three single 20-mmeruns in turrets, two single 7.62-mm(0.3-in) MMGs and two 40-mm automa-tic Anenade{aunchers. Both the MONand CCB could tow disabled craft via atowing ilg located on their sterns.

The ATCs were converted 'LCM6'craft with bar armour on the hull andsuperstructure, bulletproof awningsover the troop and cargo deck andspace for up to one platoon of 40 fully-

equrpped infantrymen, A few werealso fitted with a helicopter pad inplace of the awninss to aci as bittalionmedical aid stations for casualty evac-uation during operations, Others hada 4500-litre (990-lmp sal) diesel tueltank fitted to the carso deck so thatthey could act as refuellng craft. ACombat Salvage Boat (CSB) was alsoproduced as an 'LCM6' conversion.

Precise numbers of the variousriverine types built or converted havenever been revealed, although it isknown that at least nine CCBs, 84ASPBs, 42 MON Mk Vs, 22 MON con-versions, I00 ATCs and four CSBswere transfefied to South Vietnam inthe 1960s and early 1970s. The remain-9er were discarded, although un-known numbers were also lost i-n com-bat during the war,

Specification'CCB'classDisplacement: 75,5 tons fuIl loadDimensions: length IB,3m (60ft);leam 5.3m (17,4ft); drausht't,Om(3.3 ft)Propulsion: two diesels deliverinq330 hp (246 kW) to two shaftsMaximum speed: 8.5 ktsComplement: lIArmament see textCargo: none

SpecificationMonitor (converted tvDe)Displacement: 75 tons'fuil toadDimensions: length lB.3m (60ft);b-eam 52m (t7ft); draught.l.Om(33ft)P^ropulsion: two diesels delivering330 hp (246 kW) to rwo shafts

Maximunr speed: B ktsComplement: l0Armament: see textCargo: none

SpecificationMonitor Mk V typeDisplacement: 75,5 tons firll loaciDimensions: length 18.3m (61 :.beqm 53 m (I7.4ft); draught - : =(3 3 ft)Propulsion: two diesels deliver=:330 hp (246 kW) to tvro sha-ftsMaximum speed: 8,5 ktsComplement: l1Armament: see textCargo: none

Specification'ATC'classDisplacement: 70 tons firll loadDimensions: length 17, I m (36.. ::.beam 5.3m (l7,4ft); drauSht - -:.(3 3 ft)Propulsion: two diesels delive:::-:330 hp (246 kW) ro rwo shaffsMa,ximum speed: 8,5 ktsComplement:7Armament: see textCargo: 40 ful1y-equipped troops

Specification'ASPB'classDisplacement: 38 tons fr:-11 loadDimensions: length 15.3m (50.2_'beam 5,3m (l7.4ft); draughr I 2::(39f0Propulsion: two dresels deliver::::BB0 hp (656 kW) to two sha_ftsMaximum speed: i4 ktsComplement: 5Armament: see textCargo: none

River Warfcre in ViefnqmThe USA haddecided toundertakeco.mpreiensi v e s e ar ch - and - des troyopra tions against the omnipresent yet;atge\ 'invisible' Viet Cong guerrillas.-\icfir,lere was the enemy more elusive than in*.e i'ast swamps of theMekongDelta.Itr egu; red s pectal equipment, special troop s,as.d produced a special kind of warfare.

-:-:,=:-:a:: :avai involvement in the Vletnam-'-.'-:.-.ed n Augn-ist 1964, when North Viet-:-:r:-:s: a::ack craft were engaged by the des-::'.-:: -SS Maddox, but it was another year-=-::= r'.'errie and coastal operations begtan_:- :3tT-=S:.

---.: l':rpose of inshore operations was to:::: :e low of food, ammunition and rein--::::::ens to the Viet Cong, for in much of, .::-ri :he rivers are the only highways; large-:.s :i :he Mekong Delta, for example, are::-: =ssable to road traffic, On I August 1965 the::..::: suwerllance Operation 'Market Time'''.'.s

=ade the responslbility of Task Force 115

-:-i:: Rear Admiral Norvell G, Ward. Admrral-,''--i s rask was made easier by the provlsion

:: ::":: much better suited to the mission than-:-= -i Fleet's destroyers and frigates, Thel':-: Guard's Squadron One, with its 'Swift';e -5.2-m (50-ft) patrol boats marked a great::-!lovement in counter-insurgency tactrcs,-:.= Swrlts were driven by diesel engines and'.'.-::e armed with light automatic weapons.-:-=: came the US Navy's 'Asheville' class gnrn-:- rs larger and more sophlsticated but still-=:.J lor working in shallow water, The 'Ashe--,.-es' r,vere driven by combined diesel or gas...rcrne (CODOG) machinery and were armed',-;::i a single rapid-firing 76-mm (3-in) gun for-.,---i,. aJ

The opportunity was also taken to try out an=:-perimental hydrofoil, the 64-ton Tucumcari,..",'.:.ich could travel at very high speed on her:::-s. rf required to catch a Viet Cong junk,I: iever, it soon became clear that too much.::mology was being deployed against puny: pposition, What was also clear was that opera---:- must be extended to include the rivers,::r :he Vret Cong were operating there with::-punity, On 18 December 1965 a new Riveria:roi Force, codenamed'Game Warden' wasse: up as Task Force 116. As before it was':::der the command of Rear Admiral Ward aslcmmander-in-Chiel Naval Advisory Group,

The inshore patrols were stepped up rnSctober 1966, in conjunction with the US Air: crce's 'Rolling Thunder' offensive, The opera-,-cn, codenamed 'Sea Dragon', was initially-:nited to 17' 30' North, but when the Northr'retnamese responded by deploying coastalar:illery the Ine was moved to 18" North, andcy February 1967 rt was 20" North, In the follow-l.tg October the 'Game Warden' patrols were

reinforced by Helicopter Support SquadronOne, the 'Seawolves'flying Bell UH-l 'Huey'ground-support helicopters. They made adeadly combination wlth the 40 rrver patrolcraft in the Rung Sat and 80 operating in theMekong Delta,

Despite all the efforts, the political war wasalready lost when at the end of March 1968President Johnson called a halt to bombinqnorth of the 28th parallel; eight months later ailattacks on North Vietnam were halted as well,In February 1969 virtually the entire riverlneforce (242'Game Warden' and 'Market Time'craft worth an estimated $7,7 mitlion) wasturned over to the South Vretnamese navy, tobegin the hurried process of 'Vietnamization'. Itwas a hopeless task to try to inculcate efficren-cy on anythinq like the scale that the US navalforces had demonstrated, but there was noalternative, The Mobile Riverine Force wasformaily drsbanded in Augmst 1969, and in itsplace was ieft SEALORDS the South East AsianLake/Ocean River Delta Strategy, a grand-sounding name for the force.

It was not the end of the story, however, for inApril 1970 the South Vietnamese military com-mand in Saigon launched a majorattackon VietCong sanctuaries in Cambodia. As part of thisofiensive it was essential to keep the MekongRiver open, for it flows from Phnom Penh downlnto Vietnam. In May Cambodian forces farledin their attempt to open the Mekong, but aflotilla of South Vietnamese gunboats suc-ceeded in fighting its way througrh. When thegreat offensive finally petered out, possessionof the river route became even more crucialas a means of evacuating large numbers ofpeople,

A legacy trom the F rench involvement in I ndo-China was a number of ex-French riverine warfarecfaft used by the South Vietnamese navy. Includedrh lfiese yesse/s were several command boats asseeniere.

The 'Game Warden' craft were to patrol theRung Sat, a swamp which lies between Saigonand the sea, as well as the Mekong Delta, Spe-cial river patrol boats were built of fibreglass,drawing only 0 3 m ( I ft) of water but capable of25 knots, A number of elderly ex-French land-ing craft were also pressed into service, havrngperformed a stmilar function against the VretMinh ln the early i950s. Modern landing craftwere converted to 'monitors', and a series ofsteel-hulled assault boats was begmn, Thesemounted an rmpressive armament, includrng81-mm mortars, 20-mm cannon andflamethrowers,

A typrcal riverine operation involved floatingbarracks and supply barges, known as theMobile Afloat Force (MAF) While at anchorthe MAF was protected by assault support pat-rol boats (ASPBs) and monitors, and was knownas the Mobile Riverine Base (MRB), The MAFwould normaliy operate up to 48 km (30 mlles)from its main base, and in ideal ctrcumstancesoperated in conjunction with US Army unitsashore. The task of the ASPBs was to interdictattempts by the Vret Cong to withdraw bywater, and covering fire could be called downfrom the Fire Support Base, and from helicop-ters and tactical aircraft, Armoured troop car-riers (ATCs) were also to be used to iandassault troops, in conjunction with US Armytroops on the landward stde, lnterdictlng with-drawal overland.

Little ls known of the last days following theAmerican withdrawal in 1972, but the riverforces undoubtedly succumbed to the samechaos and collapse of morale which overtookthe South Vietnamese land forces when theNorth Vretnamese tide rolled over them. Someunits fought on to the end, and after the fall ofSargon in April 1973 a number of craft madetheir escape, packed with refugees. Themajority, however, lell into North Vietnamesehands, and official US rntelligence estimatesput the total at over 500 ex-US and ex-Frenchcraft in Communist hands. Many must havebeen worn out and short of vltal spares, but aconsiderable number are almost certarnlv stilltn use.

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Nicknaned the 'Battleships of the Delta', the USA'sriver monitors found that their heavy gunatmament was particularly useful in destroyingriverside bunkers thatwere imperuious to smallarmsfire.

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AnAssault Support Patrol Boat pulls alongside anArmoured Troop Carrier during a patrol in theMekong Delta waterways. Armament of the ASPBcould include machine-guns, cannon and 40-mmgrenade-launchers.

The Monitor proved to be a useful fire support vessel during thevietnam war,especially when ambushes were sprung on river convoys or patrols. The vastmajority were eventuaw turned over to the South Vietnamese.

Modern Patrol Craft

The only craft specially designed by the US Navy for riverine warfare was theAssault Support Patrol Boat; all the others were based on conversions oflandingcraft.

Pandemonium breaks out as an Assau/fSupport Patrol Boat beaches afterbeing holed byViet Cong mines or gunfire. Frantic efforts are under way to:epair the damage, whileother members of the crewreturnenemyfire using

the heavy machine-gun and small arms. These dramatic evenis ite:erecorded in the Mekong Delta area inJune 1968, butwere fyp:ca. :: ::: e:-- :warfare throughout I 2 years of US involvement.

t'lonifor llkVB e I ow : T he s pecially-cons tructedllonitor MkV version of the riverinewarfare monitor. It differed from theearLier version in having roundedco'tts instead of the landing craftbow d oor arrangement. Ift e yesse,lisequipped with a 40-mm gunlo ra a r d, two Army- type M I 0-8iamethrower units in thewelldeck, anedium machine-gun on the bridge,tto heavy machine-guns in turrets topart and starboatd aft of the bridge,a-nd a 2a-mm cannon in the aft turret.

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Above: One af the perils af theMekong fightingwas the ever-present threat of ambush. A potentresponse was the flamethrawer-c arrying Monitor, seen iere

de s tr oying pas s ible enemy am bu s hsifes a/onga na rrow stream in theDelta. The flamethrowers areconverted US Army M10-B systems.

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Surprise on the lvlelongThere were many dramatic incidents during the Americanoperations in the Mekong Delta. The following is a first-handaccount of just one of many operations undertaken by an

American naval serviceman during thatwar.

,: nad been a long night, that night of26 February 1966. I had the dawn,'.atch on the coxswain flat. Even the-adro had been dead. Base control had:a led for our coded position just afterrad taken the wheel and that was the

ast transmission I had heard for nearly:,'.,o hours.

t was 07.00 when I awakened the:::roi officer, Bill Jump, and the boat:.actarn, Benny Benson. We ate a fewr:i C-Rations we had heated on thesxraust manifolds of the engines. At:=.'1 5 I got on the radio and called for: -:- cover boat to meet us up-river. As I

::erated the radio, I was looking over:: :ne south side of the river, where I

-:: ced an object that seemed to be:^:nored to the bottom, for it was-: ling its position even though the::e wbs moving out at over 12 kts. I

- --g the radio mike back in its rack:-: c c<ed up the binoculars from the: : ^ sole dash. Through the f ifty-power; isses, it looked like a large coconut,', -:cped in wire mesh, and if our cov-:- aoat came up-river running the:::cn, it would hit it before the crew-3: seen it. I called Jump's attention:: t. He got out an M79 grenade-

'-icher and and fired a round at it.-:^n Sweatman was on the forward: - a .nount. I passed the other M79 up::. rim. John fired four rounds and, --p fired seven before they finaily::: a hit, and even then it was not a: ':ct hit. Jump scored slightly to the:-: of the 'coconut' and it exploded,^. :n a loud report. There was a large: crd of black smoke which indicated:.ad contained a black powder:-:-3e. lt was not really a big enough:- t'ge even to damage a fast moving:3i, but it was certainly enough tos:are the hell out of the crew in just.-r:her example of Viet Cong harass-

l:e crew of PBR I 25 on theCua Tieniver, eas t of My Tho during a briefs topover during December 1 I 66.:he weapons of the boatweresupplemented by the smallarms of&.e crew.

ment. I made a note of the object fordebriefing purposes.

At 07.40 the anchor was pulled up,and we started up river at 'l ,500 re-volutions. lt was already getting hot,and the air was very still.

At 08.00 I went foruvard and re-lieved John on the main gun mount.By 09.00 we had made rendezvouswith PBR 125. We then movedtogether upstream to the fish stakesnear the eastern end of the coconutgrove. I looped our bow line aroundthe main support to the stakes, andthe 125 boat came in and tied upalongside of our starboard side. Abreeze of sorts started to blow in fromthe South China Sea and we were ableto relax. Not a single boat or bargemoved on the river. That should havebeen our first warning that somethingwas wrcng, but it went unheeded.

VC contactIt was 1 1 .30. We could leave station

at 1 2.00, so we cast off and started upriver at a slow idle. We took the lead inthe 131 boat. The 125 boat fell in col-umn behind us at 275 m (300 yards). I

was the first on our boat to hear it, andthe 125 boat never did say anythingover the radio in the form o{ a warning.The wind from the sea brought thenolse in loud and clear. I knew what itwas even before I turned to look offthe port quarter: three ProPeller-drivdn aircraft spreading out intoattack positions. Their run would befrom north east to south west. I yelledthat we were not the target consider-ing the angle of attack. TheY werenow almost nose on to us at this stageof the attack and thus identificationwas as yet next to imPossible. Theaircraft on the eastern side of theformation broke f rom its 11 o'clockposition and moved over to the 10b'clock slot the better to cover hiscomrades. As he turned. I could see227-kg (5001b) bombs hanging underhis bellv. They were fighter-bombers,and I called out that I could see tiger

skin markings on the fuselage. Theaircraft were Douglas A-1 Skyraidersof the South Vietnamese 51 gth AttackGroup out of Can Tho. They passedover our stern, going right betweenour two boats, at tree-top level, and365 m (400 yards) into the coconutgrove the first bomb exploded, andthe remains of a hut wall and most ofits roof were hurled into the air. Withina very few minutes the whole grovewas covered with pinkish-purplesmoke. lntelligence had advised thatthere were no large Viet Cong forcesin Go Kong province at the time. I hadnot much faith in our intelligence, andthose 'fly boys' just about wrapped itup. US intelligence in the MekongDelta left a lot to be desired. The air-craft looped around and started asecond bombing run. This time theydropped their bombs 180 m (200yards) from the beach. The enemywas moving towards us. We were, atthis time, just opposite the canal thatled up into the coconut grove. Therewas a cracking sound up foward nearthe tip of the bow. I saw fibreglassfragments flying off f rom the port sideof the boat and realized that bulletswere passing through the hull fromstarboard to port. I fired severalrounds with my M16 at where I

thought the fire was coming f rom. Thepatrol officer called out: 'All guns tostaiboard! Stand by!' I put the rifledown and released the brake to thetwin fifties (12.7-mml1.5-in guns),swung them towards the beach andwaited for the order to commencefire.

FirefightI looked back across the boat to be

sure there was someone to order thefiring. Shells and bullets were hittingall around the boat but none of us hadbeen hit yet. The small arms fire wasgrowing more intense allthe time, andat last Jump finally called out: 'Fire.'

I pushed down on the triggermechanism. lt was like the crack ofdoom. The guns jarred. vibrated andspat forth their message. I wasspraying every spot I thought mighthide a gun emplacement.

Between bursts of gunfire I couldhere the radio transmitting: 'DruidAlfa One to Druid Alfa: Bullets arelanding all around you; speed uplllLook out. machine firing at yourstern !'

PBR I 25 at speed while on patrol inthe D elta. Tiese vessels s aw a gooddeal of action, Iosing a number ofcraft to enemy mines, small arms,rocke t- propelled grenades andrecoilIess rifle fire.

Jump called across the emergencyfrequency for Alfa One to clear theprimary radio band.

I felt the boat increase in speed asrevolutions built up from 500 to 1,500.At that speed the boat answers thewheel fairly well and yet is still travell-ing slowly enough for the gunners toshoot straight and true.

I had to stop firing to straighten atwisted ammo belt and again I couldhear the radio as Jump talked to theCO: 'Druid Alfa to Druid Base: Wehave run up on a large size force of VCattempting to cross the river to avoidan air strike. We need assistance assoon as possible. Vietnamese Sky-raiders are overhead at this time butthey are low on bombs.'

'Druid Base to Druid Alfa: Beadvised will Sortie afternoon patrolearly. lt will still be over an hour beforewe can get help to your location. Canyou hold the enemy pinned to thebeaches?'

'Druid Alfa to Druid Base: JimlLieutenant Lindseyl, I don't know.We're using up ammo pretty quickand were under intense fire f rom riflesand machine-gun emplacements. Canyou get hold of Andy 88 and send himover? lf he can get us more air supportthen we can possibly hold them for awhile.' 'Druid Base to Druid Alfa:Willdo, Jump. Can you advise how biga force you are up against?'

I had the guns cleared and returnedto firing. Everyrvhere I looked the VCwere running. You could hardly decidewhere to shoot next. I took a quicklook back at the 125 boat just as acolumn of water cascaded down onher. They were not getting off toolightly either.

By now we had run from the canalat the eastern end of the coconutgrove to within 180 m (200 yards) ofthe rice mill at the western end. Thatwas a distance of over 3000 m (3,280yards), well over a mile and a half ofenemy beach-head. We turned out tomid-river to rearm our guns and checkon our battle damages.

ln one long firing run we had usedup nearly a third of our entire ammuni-

: cn supply, Benny had completely ex-:ended the ammunition for the M60gnt rnachine-gun. Before we finished

:rrs day we would be down to using:re capiured weapons we had on-JCtU.

We decided we had to conserve:mmunition until the other patrol::rld arrive. Thus we decided to con-:3ntrate on the heavy gun emplace--ents with only occasional heavy bar-':ges. lt would not be easy to let those''emen snipe at us, but we had to<eep the VC from moving out until we^ad enough ammunition to shoot any-:^ rg and everything that moved. This.'.3s the only drawback to PBRs hav-^9 to patrol with small quantlties of:rmunition on board: we had thesleed but we were poorly prepared to'gnt a prolonged engagement. Unfor-:,xately that was exactly what we"',ere now being called upon to do.

We had our guns reloaded and::arted back in towards the beach and: those VC guns. We tried to keep::e firing to a minimum but'Charlie'* JSt have been wise to us, or he wasstening in on our radio frequency and

<.ew our plan. At any rate, he started^:trng us harder than ever. Bullets.', ere sailing through the hull and:ouncing off the armour plate. Luck- aC been with us so far, but we could-ot rely on it lasting forever. As yet no:re on either boat had been hit, but.^, e w,ere running the odds against our':vour. Shortage of ammunition or-ct, we were forced to return concen-:'ated fire again.

Heavy exchanqesWe were laying down a heavy bar-

-age of automatic fire and yet the re-:..:rn fire was growing more Intense all:re time. Jump yelled at me to spray:"re tree tops. I brought the 'fifties'to:ear. Coconuts and palm branchess:aded flying. Suddenly a body drop-:ed f rom one of the trees. Jump was- ght. The incoming fire momentarilysiopped. The Skyraiders had ex-:ended all their bombs and were nowsirafing the beaches. Andy BB cameln the radio and advised he was over--ead and that three North American:-100 Super Sabres were on the way"om Saigon, The Skyraiders made:ne last pass over the beaches,

The narrow confines of sorne of thecanal areas in which the PBRs had tooperate were ideal territory for'Charlie' and his lethal ambushes.

looped over the target and flew off tothe south west. Andy 88 advised thatthe jets would be along in another fiveminutes. The firing picked up as soonas the Skyraiders left. As weapproached the west end of the coco-nut grove several VC ran out onto thebeach and headed for a large junk par-tially hidden at the water's edge in theundergrowth. We turned all guns on itand opened up. I hit the lead man andhe was knocked to the ground. The aft'fifty' and the 'thirty' were dealingwith the rest of the VC soldiers so I

turned the twin 'fifties' on the junkitself. I could see two gun barrelspointed out of the porthole! to the rearof the wheelhouse. A BAR (Browning

-Automatic Rifle) started firing fromone of them. The bullets struck thewater and were walking out towardsus. Just as the line of fire reached thehull of our boat, it stopped. The cliphad run out. He started a second clipat the same point and attempted towalk in again. Once more, just as theline of f ire reached the hull, the clip ranout. Before he learned to correct hisfire, I pushed down on the trigger barand started walking my fire in. Thefifth or sixth round caught the bowsquare and I continued to fire withoutletting up.

The 'fifties' rattled and shook. Thesmell of burning powder grew strongin the air. I could see large chunks ofthe hull flying off into the air. The in-

cendiary ammunition finally set lightto the fuel and the junk was envelopedin flames. Then the old oil in the bilgesstarted burning, and thick blacksmoke filled the sky,

We again returned to mid-river torearm the guns, The Super Sabreswere rolling in now so we stayed outin the river as they bombed andstrafed for the next half hour. As theyre-formed to return to Saigon, theyadvised they would get more bombsand return. There were plenty of VCstill running amok.

As soon as the jets left, the VC re-grouped and once again we cameunder heavy fire, as there were sever-al machine-gun emplacements stilluntouched by the bombing. We werealso getting heavy rifle frre from thecentre of the grove. Benny yelled upto hit the tree tops with M79 gre-nades. Sweatman opened up with thebeltfed launcher and the rifle fire sud-denly stopped. Benny had realizedthat the VC were hidden down behindthe embankments along the beachwhere our gunfire could not possiblyget at them, but where they werevulnerable to the shrapnel of M79 gre-nades raining down on them, forcingthem to abandon their positions.

Low ammunition

For over two and one half hours, inthe hot afternoon sun, we fought withthe VC beach emplacements. Everytime we saw a sampan or junk hiddenin the underbrush, we would shoot upthe hull so they could not use it tocome out and attack us in mid-river orto use it to escape down river.

We were running very low onammunition by now, Jump called onthe radio for the outcoming patrol'slocation. They were only a little overhalf way to our position and one of theboats was experiencing bilge-pumpdifficulty. lt was taking enough waterto slow it down, The other boat pickedup some of its ammunition and con-tinued on at high speed to our assist-ance. The f irst boat finally had to cometo and repair the faulty bilge pump,

It was still 15 minutes before wespotted the approaching boat. lt wasJohn Gilman's PBR 142. By now I wasusing my old 'Tommy' gun. Benny

A PBR at speed in company with a USN avy B ell UH - I I roquois helicopterduring a sweep of a Delta river.Wor king toge the r, a ttac ks wouldoften bemade from theair aswell asfrom thewater-

was using an AK47 and John Sweat-man was using a ChiCom that hadbeen converted to fire 308 ammuni-tion. Jump turned the boat up river tomeet the 142.fhey came in alongsideand started passing ammunition overeven as we headed back into the VCfire zone. We rearmed the 'fifties' aslhe 142 boat went up the line to meetthe 125 boat. When all three boatswere ready we moved in to make thekill, As we were closing the beachAndy 88 advised that the SuperSabres had arrived again above thetarget area. Jump advised him that wewould make a co-ordinated attack.Now the Viet Cong found themselvesconfronted from the sea and air at thesame time. The jets roared in over ourradio antennae to drop their deadlypayloads. We were now in closeenough to help call the locations of thegun emplacements. We were alsoclose enough to hit the buildings ln thejungle effectively, and before long sixof them were on fire. There weresecondary explosions in four of them.We then made a slow run along thebeach continuously levelling concen-trated fire into the enemy positions.As we did this, the jets strafed thegrove with 20-mm cannon fire.

By 16.00 we were finally headedhome, passing the 139 boat en route.They now had their bilge pump re-paired and were headed down to joinlhe 142 boat. They were a unhappycrew, having missed the whole fight.

We docked at the pier at 15.30 and,to our surprise, we were taken up tothe hotel to a big steak dinner that theCO had gotten fixed for us. lt wasquite a day. We truly felt we hadaccomplished someth.ng on this day.

Two weeks later an intelligence re-port came in f rom Saigon informing usthat a document had been captured bya SEAL team operating in Go CongProvince that stated the Viet Cong hadlost 54 killed and 27 wounded in thebattle of 26 February at the coconutgrove. lt did not make menticn ofmaterial damage done.

40J

E iillirli'American river warfare craft

The Amazon and the other large riversof South America provrde one of thelast havens for the river gn:nboat and itsmodern day counterparts, Brazil, Col-ombia, Peru and landlocked Paraguayall have such craft in service, TheBrazrlians have the largest fleet withfive vessels (two'Pedro Teixeira' classand thee'Roraima' class patrol ships)rn the Amazon flotilla and one'Thor-nycroft'type river monitor in the MattoGrosso flotilla. The latter dates ftomthe l93Os. Colombia utilizes two'Arauca' class patrol craft dating fromthe 1950s and a tsaranquilla' class rivergunboat built in 1930, Peru has fourpurpose-built (two'Maranoni class andtwo 'l,oreto class) gn:nboats for use onthe upper Amazon, Paragnray has tvuopurpose-built'Humaita' class river-defence ships, three'Bouchard' classconverted ex-Argerrtinian mine-trr'eepers, and a 1908-vrntage con-verted tug for use on its internal riversystems,

Recently Brazil has built a new giun-Doat based on one of lts designs forParagmay. The flve Brazilian vesselsbelongring to its Amazon flotilla are byfar the most modern with the two 'Ped-ro Teixeira' craft carrying a light heh-copter in a hangar and hvo LCVPs toland troops if required. The smallerRoraimas' carry only a single LCVPand no helicopter. Brief characteristicscf all the purpose-burlt craft are givenrr the accompanying specrfications.Colombia also has a third 'Arauca'class vessel which has been drsarmedand equipped as a floatrng hospital foruse on the country's rivers, Brazil isknown to be interested in buildingfurther craft for use on its rrvers; a de-sign between the 'Pedros Teixeira'and 'Roraima' classes in size is be-leved to be under construction.

Specification'Pedro Teixeira'classNames:Pedro Teixera andRaposo 7a-varesDisplacement: 700 tons full loadDimensions: length 62.0 m (203,4 ft);beam 9.35m (30,7ft); draught 1,65m(5 4 ft)Propulsion: two diesels delivering3,840 hp (2865 kW) to two shaftsMaximum speed: i6 ktsComplement: 78Armament: one 40-mm AA gnrn, hvosingle Bl-mm mortars, six single 12,7-mm (0,5-in) heavy machine-euns, onehelicopter and hvo LCVPsElectronics: two navigational radarsBuilt 1972-3

Specification'Thornycroft' typeName: ParnarbaDisplacement: 720 tons fuIl loadDimensions: length 55.0 m (180.5 ft);beam 10, 1m (33,3ft); draught l,6m(51ft)Propulsion: two Thornycroft trtple-expansion steam engines dehvering1,300 hp (970 kW) to two shaftsMaximum speed: 12 ktsComplement:90Armament: one 76-mm (3-in) dual-purpose, hvo srngle 47-mm, hvc sx 40-mm AA and six single 20-mm AA gn:nsElectronics: noneBuilt 1937

Specification'Roraima'classNames: Roraima, Rondonia and Ama-paDisplacement: 365 tons full loadDimensions: length 45.0 m (147.6 ft);beam 8.45 m (27,7 ft), drausht 1.37 m(4 5 ft)Propulsion: two diesels delivering912 hp (680 kW) to tvuo shaitsMaximum speed: i4,5 ktsComplement:63

a:i.1. i:r:.i

Armament: one 40-mrn AA gnrn, twosingle Bl-mm mortars, six single 12,7-rnm (0,5-in) heavy machine-gn:ns andone LCVPElectronics: three navrgational radarsBuilt 1975-6

Specification'Arauca'classNames: Rio Hacha and .AraucaDisplacement: 184 tons fuIl loadDimensions: length 47,25 m (155 ft);beam 8.23 m (27 tt), draught 1.0 m(3.3 f0Propulsion: two Caterpillar diesels de-livering 800 hp (597 kW) to two shaftsMaximum speed: 13 ktsComplement: 43Armament: two single 76-mm (3-in)dual-pwpose and four srngle 20-mmAA gmnsElectronics: noneBuilt: 1955

Specification'Barranquilla' className: CarfagenaDisplacement: 142 tons fuIl loadDimensions: length 41,9 m (137,5 ft);beam 7. 16m (24,5 ft); draught 0,Bm(2.6 ft)Propulsion: two Gardner diesels de-livering 600 hp (448 kW) to two shaftsMaximum speed: 15.5 ktsComplement: 39Armament: two single 76-mm (3-tn)and one 20-mm AA gnrns, and fow sing-le 7,7-mm (0.3-in) machine-gmnsElectronics: noneBuilt 1930

Specification'Humaita'classNames: Paraguay and HumaitaDisplacement: 865 tons full loadDimensions: lengrth 70, 15m (230.2ft);beam i0,7m (35.lft); draught 1.65m(s,4 f0

Pedro Teixeira one of the Brazilianvesse,ls desrgnedtoruse on theAmazon. It can carry a Wht BellJ etRanger helicopter and two armedLCYPs for use in the region. Thislarge, corvette-sized vessel formsp art of the Am a zon F lotilla.

Propulsion: hvo Parsons gteared steamturbines delivering 3,800 hp (2835 kW)to two shaftsMaximum speed: i7.5 ktsComplement: 86Armament: two twin 120-mm (4,7-in),three single 76-mm (3-in) AA and twostngle 40-mm AA gmns, plus sx minesElectronics: noneBuilt: 193i

Specification'Maranon'classNames: Maranon and UcayaliDisplacement: 365 tons fulI loadDimensions: lenglh 47,22 m (154,8ft);beam 9,75m (32ft); draught 1,22m(4 ft)Propulsion: hvo British Polar dieselsdelivering 800 hp (597 kW) to twoshaftsMar<imum speed: 12 ktsComplement: 40Armament: two singie 76-mm (3-in)dual-purpose and two twin 20-mm AAgunsElectronics: noneBuilt 1951

Specification'Loreto'classNames: Amazonas and l,oreloDisplacement: 250 tons fuIl loadDimensions: length 46,7 m (153,2 ft):beam 6,7 m (22 ft); draught 1.2 m (4 ft)Propulsion: two diesels delivering750 hp (560 kW) to two shaftsMaximum speed: 15 ktsComplement: 25Armament: two single 76-mm (3-in)dual-pwpose, tvuo single 40-mm AAand hvo single 20-mm AA gmnsElectronics: noneBuilt 1934

T he B r a zilian Parnaiba d ating fromI 937, is one of the oldestnavalvesse/s serrrng anywhere in theworld. Armed wilh one 76-mm (3-in)grun and 20-mm,40-mm and 47-mmcannon, Parnaibaserves in the MattoGrosso.

234

ttie rififfiiJ.

II tp"*i"ro'class fast attack hydrofoil (missile)Together with the United States Navy,Italy is unique among NATO nanes inhavrng missrle-armed hydrofoils aspart ofrts operatronal surface fleet, Theprototype of the lSpawiero' class wasbased on the Boeing Thcumcart de-sigrn and assessed in detall by the Ali-navr Society, whrch was formed in 1964

by the Italian government's IRI, CarloRodriguez (a builder of commercialhydrofotls) of Messina and the USBoeing Company. Built behveen 1971and 1974, the onginal craft was fol-Iowed by s:x others between 1980 and1983, They use the Boeing jetfoil sys-tem, with one foil forward and two aft,

Modern Patrol Craft

Astore, Grifone, Gheppio and Con-doreDisplacement: 62,5 tons full loadDimensions: hull length 23,0 m (75,4 ft),beam 7,0 m (22,9 ft) and draught 1,6 m(5,2 ft); foilborne lengrth 24,6 m (80,7 ft)and beam 12,1 m (39,7ft)Propulsion: CODOG (COmbinedDiesel Or Gas turbine), foilborne oneRolls-Royce Proteus qas turbine de-livering 4,500 hp (3357 kW) to waterjet,and hullborne one diesel delivering180hp 9134kW) to one shaftMaximum speed: foilborne 50 kts andhullborne 8 ]<1s

Armament: one 76-mm (3-in) dual-purpose gnrn and hvo Otomat Mk i(Teseo Mk II in Iast six) SSMsElectronics: one 3RM-7 radat, oneRTN-10X fire-control radar and oneNAiO fire-control system

Power for the foilborne mode comes"from a gas turbine driving a waterjetsystem, whrlst hullborne power comesfrom a single diesel, The hull is madeentirely of aluminium, and it has beenfound that the craft have a relatrvelyshort range and limitedarmament forcombat operations, However, the lta-lian navy is willing to accept thrs asItaly is surrounded by restricted wa-ters ideal for such craft.

The srx later vessels have a moremodern surface search radar than theSparviero, and also carry the later 150-km (93-mile) ranQle Teseo Mk 2 SSMvariant of the Otomat SSM, though useof this extra range capability requiresa helicopter for mid-course gnridanceand targetlnq, The radar is fitted withan IFF interrogator unit, and the Qunarmament is a sinqle OTO-Melara 76-mm (3-in) dual-purpose enrn forward,

SpecificationNames: Sparviero, Nibbio, Falcone,

The ltalian hydrofoil Spawiero. Ifalris unique in European NATO nauiesin having missile-armed hydrofoilsin Fleet service.

lHo*U"ttante II' and'Combattante III' class fast attack craft (missile)Surprlsingly enough, the French navyras not adopted either the 'Combat-tante II' class or the 'Combaftante III'class for its own use, The 'CombattanteII' class is reported to be derived froma West German Liirssen design and,:cgether with its larger version, hasproved very popular with a number ofral'res. The hull is made of steel whilst:he superstructure is made of lightalloys. The versatility in the destqmallows the operator country to choosei's own electronics and weapon flts,although the French tend to be a lothappier if its Thomson-CSF fire-3ontrol systems and radars with A6ro-spatiale MM38 or MM40 Exocet SSMsare selected. At present the followingcountries have the 'Combattante II' in

service: Greece (four with MM3Bs),Iran (12 urth Harpoon SSlvIs), Libya (10with Otomat SSMs) and Malaysia (fourwith MM3Bs). The lranian craft, knownas the 'Kaman' class, are seeing exten-sive sewice in the current lranian-Iraqi Gulf War, at least two and a l,135-ton frigate having been lost to AM39Exocets air-launched from A6rospa-tiale Super Frelon helicopters flown bythe Iraqi air force. The craft haveapparently launched several Har-poons against Iraqi naval ships, with atieast one 'Polnocny' LSM and several'P6' MTBs being sunk by them,

Both the 'Combattante II' and the lar-qer steel-hulled 'Combattante lll' haveexcellent habitability, the latter beingdesigned for longer endurance and to

act as command ships for smaller craft.The 'Combattante III' has beenadopted by Greece (four with MM3Bsplus six locally built with cheapermachinery, electronics and mrssile f,tof Penqlrin Mk II SSMS), Nigeria (threewith MM3Bs) and T\.rmsia (three withMM40s), Typical class charactedsticsare grven in the accompanying spe-cifications. The bullder for both ver-sions is CNM at Cherbourg, The Greek'Combattante IIIs'of the first type differfrom the rest in having two rearward-

firing 533-mm (21-in) torpedo tubes.These carry the West German SST4wire-gmided anti-ship active/passiveacoustic homingr torpedo with a war-head ol 260 kq (573 lb) and maximumrange of about 20 km (12,4 miles),

Specification'Combattante II' or'Kaman' classNames: Kaman, Zaubin, Khadang,Peykan, Joshan, Falakhon, Shamshjr,Gorz, Gardouneh, Khanjar, Heyzehand Tabarzin (minus at least one craJtreported sunk)Displacement: 275 tors full loadDimensions: length 47.0 m (154,2 ft);beam 7. 1m (23,3ft); draught 1.9m(62ft)Propulsion: four MTU diesels deliver-

A Ty pe I G reek navy' C om battante/I/'cjass missrJe boatwith four MM38Exocet container-launchers, two 7 6-mm (3-in) guns and two torpedotubes.

235

'Combattante II' and'eombattante III' class (continued)

rng 14,400 hp (10740 kW) to four shaftsMaximum speed: 36 ktsComplement:31Armament: fow sinqle Harpoon SSMcontainer-launchers, one 76-mm (3-in)dual-purpcse gnrn and one 40-mm AAgnrnElectronics: one WM28 radar fire-control system

Specification'Combattante III' class (Greek version)Names:lntrb]or'ari os Laskos, PlotarhisElessag lpoploiarhos Mikonios andIpoploiarhos Troupakis (Type I);Simeoforos Kavaloudis, Anthipo-ploiarhos Kostakos, IpoploiarhosDeyiannis, Sjmeoforos Xenos,Simeoforos Simitzopoulos andSimeoforos Slaraks (Type Ii)

Displiacernent: 425 tons fi-r1l loadDimensions: length 56. 15 m (184,2 ft);beam B.0m (26,2 ft); draught 2.5m(8.2 f0Propulsion: (Type I) four MTU dieselsdeliverins 18,000 hp (13425 kW) to fourslrafts; (Type II) four MTU diesels de-liverins 15,000hp (11190kW) to fourshaftsMa:<imum speed: (TYpe I) 36.5 kts and(TVpe II) 32,5ktsConnplement: 42Jlrmament: (I'ype I) two single 76-mm(3-in) 76-mm (3-1n) dual-purpose guns,twc twrn 30-mm AA guns, foru singleMM3B Exocet SSM launcher-containers and hvo 533-mm (21-in) tor-pedo tubes; (TYpe II) tvro single 76-mm (S-in) dual-purpose guns, two tw'in30-mm AA guns and six Penguin Mk 2SSM launcher-containers

Electronics: (Type I) one Thomson-CSF fire-control system, one Castorradar, one Poliux radar and one Tritonradar; (Type II) one Thomson-CSFfire-control system, one DeccaTMI226 radar and one Dl2B0 radar

The first of the TYpe I I Greek navy'Combattante I I I' c,lass, SimeoforosKavaloudis, eguipped with skcantainer- Iaunchers tor the cheaperP engain M k I I surface- to- surtacemissile system in place of Exocet.

>K ha*aaan'class fast attack eraft (missile)As a duect result of the break with theSoviet Union in the early 1970s, and tomake good the war losses from the1973 'Yom Kippur' War with Israei,fu,ypt turned to the British shipbutl-ders Vosper Thornycroft in 1977 with a! 150 million contract to bulld a sx-boatclass of missile cralt to complement itsageing missile craft force of si:i 'Osa I',four 'Komar' and six 'October' classcra.fi, of which the iast is a locally builtvariant of the 'Komar'wiih two OtomatSSMs). Vosper came up with a 52-m( I 70,6-ft) desigm that was subsequentlydesiemated the'Ramadan' class by theEgyptians. The first was launched in1979 and the last in 1980, and all werern sernce by 1982, Capabie offacingthe Israeli missile craft classes onequal terms the boats have an opera-

tions room equipped with a MarconrSapphire fire-control system wrth tvvoradar and TV gun directors for theweapons aboard, Two alternativeoptical flre-control directors are alsocarried, A Decca-Racal Cutlass ECMoutfit is also fitted for electronic war-fare purposes. The main grun anna-ment comprises a sinqle Italian-built76-mm (3-in) OTO-Melara duai-

purpose grun forward. The gnrn is effec-tive up to 7000 m (7,655 yards) for antr-aircraft fire and to l5O00m (16,405yards) in the surface-to-surface role,Ordered by some 20 nations, .the gmn rsused extensively on largrer missiie andpatrol craft: A-ft is a twin Breda 40-mmAA rnounting, whilst the missile arma-ment comprises four launcher-containers for Otomat Mk I SSMs. To

back up the'Ramadans' the older mrs-sile boats are gradually being putthrough modernuation proeEarnmes.

SpecificationNames: Ramadan, Khyber, EI Kades-seya, El Yarmouk, Hettein and BadrDisplacement: 3I2 tons full loadDimensions: lengrth 52.0 m (170,6 ft);beam ?.6m (25ft); draught 2.0m(66ft)Propulsion: four MTU diesels deliver-ing 17,150 hp (12795 kW) to four shafts-Maximum speed: 40 ltsComplement: 40Armament: see textElectronics: one SB20 radar, one SBi0radar, two STB02 radars, one Sapphirefire-control system and one CutiassECM suiteT he Vosper T homycroft- built

Ramadan rnrbsile boat, lead vessel ofa srx-vesse/cJa ss that has given theEgryptian navy a quantum leap in itsnissile boat capabilities.

'Saar', 'Reshef and'Alia'elass fast attack eraft (missile)forward, two srngle 12.7-rrun (0.5-in) ble-depth sonar ajl and two to four Mkheaw machine-gnrns and hvo triple 32 tubes for 324-mm (12.75-in) Mk 46mountings for the Gab,riel Mk I SSM, 45-h, ll-kn (6,8-mile) range active/Currently all tlre 'Saars' have been passive acoustic-homing ASW torpe-modrfied to carry new armament. Four does, The gtn fit is hvo single 40-mmof the origrinal 'Saar I' have been mod- AA and hvo single 12.7-mm (0.5-in)ified as ASW units with EDO 780 vari- heavy machine-gmrs. The remaining

tlvo units have been given the samegnm amament plus one triple and twosingle launchers for Gabriel Mk I andMk II missiles, They have been rede-signated 'Saar II', while the original six'Saar iI'craft have been re-equippedwith a pair of Harpoon SSM launchersin place of one of the triple Gabrielmountings and redesignated the'SaarIII'class. The remaining Gabriel laun-cher has been equipped to fire Mk Iand Mk II missiles.

For longer-ranqe mtssions in theMediterranean and the Red Sea Israelrequired a new design, so the locallydesigned and built'Reshef (or'SaarI\r) class of steel-hulled craft was pro-

,Aier the USSR, and hastened in itsplans by thb loss of the Etk f to an Egryp-tian missile attack in 1967, the Israelinavy was the first of the 'European'powers to realize the impodance of themrssile craff. The first class that Israelordered was the 'Saa/ class, built bythe French CMN shipyard in Cher-bourg between ]967 and 1969 to aWest German Liirssen design withsteel hulls and light ailoy superstruc-nues. The first six units were orignnallybuilt as the 'Saar I' class mth an all-gnrnamament of three singie 40-mm AAgiuns, The second six were con-structed as the 'Saar II' elass with asrngle 76-mm (3-in) OTO-Melara gnrn

An ! sraeli'Reshed' classmissile boat. EquipBed with acoektailofmissiletypes,the .:vessels oflftis c/ass areamangst tke tnosf eapablernrb'siJe boals r'n sewice.

236

Saar','Reshef' and'"f;.lia' elass (continued)

iuced. The first two of these, lieslefand Kesj:et, were involved in the 1973fuab-israeii war, These craft have ar-:cndrtioned quaners, a combat opera-:ons centre, and Italian- and Israeli-curlt ESIv{/ECM systems. A total of l0,r3s constructed (two subsequentlyberng transferrd to Chile), whilst three:-:er! were buitt in Israel'for South-:grca vnth another srx built at Durban'-::der hcence, Currently the Israeli?eshefs' carry an armament formed:rm the following: tv,ro or four I'larpoonSSMs, four or five Gabriel Mk II or Mk-'I

SSMs, one or two single 76-mm (3-:-, ciual-purpose guns or one 76-mm:-in) dual-pury:ose and one 40-rnm AA;:a plus, in a1l craft, two single 20-ntnji. cannon and three hrtn 12.7-mm, 5-rr) heavy machine-gnrns. An EDO

:-.:la-r rs fitted ir some craft.FoUowinq the testing of the 'Reshef

:,aqq NiErton with a temporary he[-::pter landrnq pad aft, and to meet a:equrrernent for a missile craft grroup-:ader, the 'itlia' (or Saar 4.$') classras desigmed and built. Using the suc-:.-ssful 'Reshef class hull as the basis:e 'Alias' have a helicopter hangar

=d landing platform aft for a Bell Mod-=l 206 ASW and target-spotting heli-::pter. The latter rs particularly useful::r over-the-horuon .targetting of theiarpoon SSMs carried on one quadru-

-!ie or hvo tvrin launchers, Ttre other:i.mament is four single Gabriel Mk I1

-r:d Mk III SSMs, a twin 30-mm AA gnrn

:ounting, hvo single 20+nm AA gn:ris

=nd four single I2.7-mm (0.S-in)

Silodern Patrol Graft

machine-gn-:ns. Provision is also madeon the hangar roof for a Barak short-range arr-defence missile systemwhen it comes into service, Furthermissile boat designs are believed tobe urder consideration.

Speeification'Saar fi and III'classesNames: Mivtach, Miznag, Mifgav,Eilattt, Haifa andl.kko ('Saar II'); Saar,Soufa, Gaash, I'lerev, Hanit and Hetz('Saar III')Displaeernent: 250 tons fuIl loadDimensions: length 45.0 m (147,6 fi);beam 7.0m (23ft); draught 2.5m(8.2 ft)Prapulsion: four Maybach (MTU)diesels delivering 14,000 hp(10440 kW) to lbw shaftsMaxunum speed: 40 ktsCornplement: 35-40Armarnent: see textElectronics: one Thonxon-CSF Nep-tune TH-D1040 radar, one SeleniaOrion RTN-l0X radar, ECM equip-ment and EDO 780 variable-depth so-nar

Speeification'Reshef classNames: ft esfi ef kidon, Tarshish, Yaffo,Nitzhon, Komenuit, rlfsmout andMoledetDisplacement: 450 tons firll loadDlmensions: length 58, 1m (190,6f1);beani 7.6m (24.9ft); draught 2,4m(8 ft)Propulsion: four Maybach (MTU)

diesels delivering 14,000 hp(i04r,0 kW) to four shaftsMaxirnunn speed: 32 ktsComplement:45.A:mament: see textElectronics: one Thomson-CSF Nep-tune TH-D1040 radar, one SelerriaOrion RTN-10X radar, one Elta MN-53EClv{ systerrr, chaff launchers and (insome craft) ELAC sonar

Specification'AIia'elassNa.rnes: Nia, Geoula, Rornat, Keshetatid two rnoreDisplacement: 500 tons fi.rll loadDimensions: lengrth 6LZm (?,02.ati;

,4 'ftesfief cJass ressel, usedas lftetestbed far the trA! Earak short-rangep oin t- de te ne e rnissl'Je syslern. fft rbwill take the placc af the SA-7'Grail'and the Redeye sfiosJde!"-/aunefi edrn.Lqs#es curren tly used.

beam 7,6m (24,9ft); draught 2.4m(7;9 ft)Propulsion: four Maybach (MTU)diesels deiiverirrg I4,000 hp(10440 kW) to fow shaftsMaximurn speed: 31 ktsCornplernent: 53Armament: see textElectronics: as on the 'Reshef classcralt

E iilo**r', 'Osa'and'Matka'elass fast attaek eraft (missite)seii Slruts were fitted to protect thelaunchers from spray. No 'Komars're-main in service with ttre Soviet navy,but several still.serve in other navres.The Chinese still build a steel-hulledvariant, the 'Hegru' class with hvo 25-mm AA mountings. The 'Komar'wasthe world's first missile boat to be usedin action when in October 1967 twoEgptian boats sank the Israeli des-troyer Eilat.In April 1972 a North Viet-namese 'Komar' launched a 'Styx' SSMat three American warships bombard-inq coastal targets in North Vretnam,

lhe 'Komar' class of missile craft.Sovret desismation RKA, or raketnyy!'-ater) was built between i959 and-361, Heralding an entirely new con-:ept un coastal forces, the first of thel(cmars were conveded frorn newly:cmpleted 'P6' motor torpedo boat:::11s, About 100 were built of the,rooden-hulled desiEn. The'Komar':ames one fixed forward-frring open-:rded mrssrle-launcher bin armed ata-i:out 1,5" outboard and elevated at-=bout l2o, on each side of the deck ait.lhe missiles carried are the speciallyeesigmed SS-N-24 'Styx', a liquid-fuel:rcket-engined type with a solid-fuel'effisonable booster motor. The 6,3-m.20.66-ft) long SS-N-2A has fixedwings,ld rs fitted with an autopilot and an.-band active-radar terminalhomingseeker, The warhead is HE and;;eighs 500 kg (1,102 lb) andma:<imumrange rs 46 krn (29 miles), To decrease-re load placed on the bowof the mod-ied 'P6' design, the single 25-mmmount and the bridge were nioved aft,,Vedge-shaped sponsons were also:ited at deck level a-ft as the missile:xtallation was wider than the boat it-

The USS Slereff, a guided-missilecruiser, engaged the missile with aTerrier SAM and shot it down, thisbeing the first time an anti-ship missilewas deshoyed by another missile incombat.

From 1961 onwards to 1966 ti:e re-placement for the 'Komars' was built,this being,the steel-hulled'Osa I' class.The design carried four completelyenclosed iauncher bins for the SS-N-2A, two on each side of the superstzuc-twe and arranged so that the aft laun-chers, elevated to iso, flre over theforward pair, elevated to l2'. From1966 to i970 the'Osa II'class was pro-duced for the Soviet navy, and thensubsequently for export. This versionhas four cylindrical launcher-ccntainem for the SS-N-28 'Stfx', whlchdiffers from tlre SS-ltl-ZA variant in hav-ing infra-red terminal htirning and fold-ing vtrtngs, The 'Osa' class has an NBCcitadel for nuclear and chemical war-fare envirorunents, Many of the 'Osa iI'craft have now been fitted urith a quad-ruple launeher for the SA-N-S SAMsystem (the navalized version of the

t-tn*'*-""

SA-7'Grall' man-portable infra-redhoming missile). Currently there aresome 120 'Osa I' and 'Osa II' class craftin service with the four Soviet fleets,'Osa I' has seen combat service wrthfour navies: those of Eerypt ( 1973), India(197I), Iraq (current Gulf War) andSyria (1973), The 'Osa II' has seen com-bat with Iraq, The type has been ex-ported rvidely, and ihe Chinese alsoproduce thelr own variant,

In 1978 the first cif the 'Osa' replace-rnent class rvas eeen. This is the 'Matka'class, which utilizes the 'Osa hull buthas a hydrofoil.system similar to that ofthe "Iurva' class of torpedo hydrofoil inorder to improve seavrorthiness, Themissile annament rs reduced to twosingle cylindrical container{aunchersfor the much improved SS-N-2Cvariants of the 'Styx', this having a 74-km (46-mlle) rahge and the choice ofeither infra-red or active-radar termin-al homing. The sun armament is con-siderably enhanced" wrth a new modelof singie-barrel 76-mm (3-in) dual-pupose iurret forward and an ADG6-30 Gatling-type ciose-in defence sys-

The'Kornar' class was ffteltrsf srna/,|coastal eraft to be armedwitttmissiJes. /f r'snaw aut of service in theUS,Sft buf rs use d by several S avie te/r'anf sfefes.

o2a

tem aft, Current building rate of the'Matka' class is three per year,

Specification'Komar'classOperators: Algeria (6), China (2 plus 96of locally-built variants), Cuba (10),Eqypt (4 plus 6 of a locally-builtvariant), North Korea (6 plus 4 of aIocally-built variant) and Vietnam (3),Displacement: B0 tons full loadDimensions: Iength 26,8 m (87,9 ft);beam 6,4 m (21f1); draught 1.8 m(5eft)Propulsion: four diesels delivering1800 hp (3580 kW) to four shaftsMaximum speed: 40 ktsComplement: 11

Armament: two SS-N-2A 'Styx' SSMlaunchers and one twrn 25-mm AA gn:nElectronics: one'Square Tie' search:adar, one 'high Pole-A' IFF and oneDead Duck' IFF

Specification'Osa I' classOperators: Algeria (3), Bulgaria (3),Chrna (i15), Cuba (5), East Germany1 I 5). Eqrypt (B), lndia (6), Iraq (4), Libya.i2), North Korea (B), Poland (14),?.cmania (5), Syria (6) USSR (70),Yuqoslavia (10)Displacement: 210 tons full loadDimensions: length 39,0m (128ft);beam 7.7m (25,3ft); draught LBm:tr9ft)

Propulsion: three diesels delivering12,000 hp (8950 kW) to three shaftsMaximum speed: 38 ktsComplement: 30Armament: four SS-N-ZA 'Styx' SSMlaunchers and two twin 30-mm AAgunsElectronics: one'Square Tie' searchtadar, one 'High Pole-B'IFF, one'DrumTilt' flre-control radar and two 'SquareHead' IFF interogators

Specification'Osa II' classOperators; Algeria (9), Anqola (4), Bul-saria (2), Cuba (13), Ethiopia (4), Fin-land (4), lndia (B), Iraq (B), Libya (12),Somalia (2), South Yemen (6), Syria (B)

USSR (50), Nofih Yemen (2), South Ye-men (7) and Vretnam (B)

Displacement: 245 tons fulI loadDimensions: 39,0m (12Bft); beam7.7 m (25.3 ft); drausht i.9 m (6,2 ft)Propulsion: three diesels delivering15,000 hp (11190 kW) to three shaftsMaximum speed: 40 ktsComplement:30Armament: four SS-N-2B 'Styx' SSMlaunchers, one quadruple SA-N-5 SAMlaunchers and two twin 30-mm AAgunsElectronics: as on 'Osa I' class

Specification'Matka'classOperator: USSR (17+)Dispiacement: 260 tons fuil loadDimensions: Iength 40,0 m (131,2 ft);beam 7,7m (25,3ft) for the hull and12,0 m (39.4 ft) for the foii; hull draught

An Egyptian'Osa I' missile boat. MostEgVptian Souiet-built missile boatshave undergone refits with Westernelectronic equipment in place of theSow'el syslems . They also carrySA-IV-5Stilt4s.

1.9 m (6.2 ft)Propuision: three diesels delivering15,000 hp (11190 kW) to three shaftsMaximum speed: 42 ktsComplement:30Armament: two SS-N-2C Styx' SSMlaunchers, one 76-mm (3-in) dual-purpose gun and one ADG6-30 AA'Gatiing'gmnElectronics: one'Cheese Cake' searchladar, one 'Bass Tilt fire-control radarone 'High Pole-B' IFF and one 'SquareHead IFF inteffogator

U fiL', 'P6', 'shershen', 'Mol'and'Turya'class fast attack craft (torpedo)The'P4'class was the second Sovietpost-war torpedo boat class, Built withaluminium hulls from around 1952 to1958, their small size restricted em-ployment to inshore waters, Armedwith tlvo 457-mm (18-in) antrship tor-pedo tubes, a ftvin healry machine-gnrnrnounting and between four and eightdepth charqres, the 'P4' has long beenstruck from Sovret navy service,although it still can be found with otherNA1IIES,

The successot to the 'P4' was thewooden-hull'P6' class, built from 1953to 1960, Thrs was the standard Soviettorpedo attack craft until the mtd-l97Os, over 500 hulls being con-structed. The basic hulls were aisoconverted to other types, such as the'Komar' (about 100), the'MO-VI' patrolcraft (50), the 'PB' and 'P10' ex-perimental torpedo attack craft (20)and as target and KGB border surveill-ance patrol craft, Large nurribers wereexpoited. whilst the last versions inSovret sewice have now been retired.

The largest conventional torpedoattack craft built was the 'Shershen'class from 1962 to 1974. This designwas based on a smaller version of the'Osa I' hull with the same powerplantand four 533-mm (21-in) tubes lor long-range anti-ship torpedoes instead ofmissiles, Fitted with an NBC citadel,the class is intended to work with the'Osa' missile boats in mixed brigadesof coastal craft. The 'Mol' class is a

modified version for export and basedon the standard 'Osa'hull. These carryshorter-ranqe torpedoes than thosecarried on Soviet nalry torpedo craft,The Soviets have burlt some 85 'Sher-shens' and seven 'Mols', but have onlysome 30 'Shershens' in service at pre-sent. These are slowly being phasedout,

In 1971 the 'Shershen' was joined inproduction by the 'Turya'blass torpe-do-armed fast attack hydrofoil, Thishas the 'Osa iI' hull and machinery witha single foil system forward. The classis usually stated to be for anti-shipattacks, but the four 533-mm (21-in) tor-pedo tubes fitted actually carry acous-trc-homing anti-submarine torpedoes.The vessels act as fast-reaction ASWunrts and work in conjunction withshore-based ASW helicopters and air-craft (and other small ASW surface un-rts) for coastal defence. For these op-erations they carry a dipping sonar (ofthe type seen on the Kamov Ka-25

'Hormone-A' ASW helicopter) fitted totherr transom. The sonar is particularlyuseful in the Baltic and Pacific areas forsearchrng below thermal layers, Pro-ductron for the Sovret navy stopped in1979 after some 30 units had been pro-duced, although a further six have sub-sequentiy been built for Cuba withoutthe sonar and fitted wrth 533-mm (21-in) anti-ship torpedoes,

Specification'P4'classOperators: Albania (12), Benin (2), Bul-garia (4), China (60), Cuba (12), ESrypt(4), North Korea (12), North Yemen (4),Syria (B), Tanzania (4), Vietnam (3) andZaire (3),Displacement: 25 tons fuIl loadDimensions: lenqth 22.0 m (72.2ft);beam 4,7m (i5.4ft); draught 1,5m(4eft)Propulsion: two diesels delivering2,400 hp (1790 kW) to two shaftsMa:rimum speed: 42 lls

-.!-,

Complement: i2Armament: two 457-mm (18-in) antr-ship torpedo tubes, one twin 12.7- or14.S-mm (0.5- or 0.57-in) heavymachine-gmn and between four andeight depth chargesElectronics: one'Skin Head' searchradar, one 'High Pole-A' IFF and one'Dead Duck' IFF

Specification'P6'classOperators: Algeria (4), China (65),Cuba (6), Egypt (20), EquatorialGuinea (l), Guinea (4), Guinea-Bissau(l), Iraq (12), North Korea (64 plus B of alocally-built variant), Somalia (4), SouthYemen (2), Tanzania (3) and Vietnam(3)Displacement: 73 tons full loadDimensions: length 26,0 m (85,3 ft);beam 6,0m (19,7ft); drauqht 1.5m(4 I ft)Propulsion: four diesels delivenng5,800 hp (4325 kW) to four shaftsMaximum speed: 43 ktsComplement: 12Armament: tvro 533-mm (21-in) antr-ship torpedo tubes, two twin 25 mmAA gmns and eight depth charges

A'Shershen' class torpedo attackcraft. Latest Intel@ence reportsindicate that only I 7 now remain inSoviet navy seruice, being replacedby missile vessels and hydrofoils.

5sw6eff ff#$ssfr&e mmdT*wffiwdm ffimmff Tmsfffles.-.r e,$or"ief neBry r8.{?#€J?fr*fed ffi rusJr of,ifs fmnredia te past-; ;'.r r. *f'fsr-f on torTredo &*af davelogrumenf and faefdcs, ffter deifisEz *f f&e meevJy-devefcAred srurf*se-fo*srx-r.faee mrlss-aJerr'a s a nafnsaf gu"r*grress:fem, a"eid ffae "nrissdle &oaf emrerEed f*' e.re ifs pJace :'n f&e $cwief raauryr of fodav"

:r! ets conrienirate iiterr training on nocturnal attacks bv sevei'al rrissrle- ':ecjo craft squadrons against important ccnvoy.:, amphrbior-rs i':rces in. - ;rr high+ralue warshrps in coastal waters. Fcir dayiime altacks laige

. :,.s cf {rghterbr:mber"s are provideC 1o aid the cralt.i :rgest unii in ihe cnastal {r:i'ces is a brigade, lvhicn nclrrnaiiycoirsi:jts {,)l.. .:r'ciri-squadrons of missrle and/or iorpedo craft Each sqiiildrln ha:; srr: ;iLied nlcr gro;ps r:i two. v;hrcil stay tDgeihcr even when the craii

--:;r; refit. A lypical attack lvould consist oi a rntssije craft. squadrcn.:ncl'-'cedo bcat sciuairons y.rrth the attack mornte,l in frve phases The tirst,.- s the co!'eri approach. w,hich st?rris from the riroment the i:oa1s ieave:. :- jse and finishes urhen rhe iarqet rs located ancl rdenLified. Cnce thrs has' ..:r-reVeci then the second phase, the tactical rleployment, beg ns arrd the''. ^ d vrsional squadrcn i:rilumn fc;rmatioir) lread tow'erds the i:r€si atla0k

. - ns that avoid niuiuai iitterlerrince. ,i\t- these poin'rs ihe squadrons adopt. .: -oit or rglrt vee forrraiiln or a line abreast fcrnaiion for rhe thirrj phase,- 1lo ihe targ*.t. The ic;urth pilase is the actuaiaiiack, and lasts olllv'l tl'i 5-:s for eacir groL:p as it fires rts weancns. For the torpedr: r:rerit this is al. t,Ot-i0-m {i-:,470 yard) rarrqts, \!iren a pair o1 strarght runntng cr p:assive

': i homing tcrpednes is launrhed: for the rlrssiie boats, the rrissries are:. , aunche d at hetween i 7600 and 20800 rl (19.250 and 22,75A yards) rn: :-iil i'lumber fiiect cjependirig on the target type. Typically tne nurnber;s'- lr eight for a cruiser,:r above, four fclr a destroy,ar, one or t\ 1c for a sniail:: rrI or landing; craft, afid betr.reen iwr: and four for a fast attack mtssil* oi'

.:-l.r craft and snrail es{lcits. The fifih anc Iinal phase rs tnc group's rapiil--.rrgery,'rent irom the: bartie zL-ne For the fiist, second anri final pl'ra;es tne

r rg ciaft use their hillhest continuous speed whiisr for th-- thrrd ar:d {ourtir.,:s ifiey use nraxirnuri speec.'lhe niisstle crait are usually assiltned thc),,'' engaging any w'aishrps present even in the i"nidsi of a ccnvoy, \vhiisi lhe.;r cralt are used pr"rirarrly to aitscK tile merchant sirips and any damagerl:- irs.inat rnay result from rfe rlissile attar:k. l'he attacks by Lrctl'r tvpes cl

tratt are '-ir-l:tdrnlioi: itv- ilr,: itiri'. {r(.rfTr:-r)tirilaje! r:lir-, l.irt j:.il \,'iiitvir.i:i r] ||r-) ftl lttalf - )t. n I' i.i: rl: ..

AltlroLrrll't 1ne,-tSe Oi .il-te i.t[)r]dit i'r;r'it,:;,:1rr:iil,'rt{l r, l, ,i t , r v i \plonabie li;T ne,n ili::6ros lr,-r, :, 'tv i i.te v;!, ,..., j ,-.,i f, jr ll.t|, hr qaijets;. ir',: lrj t;ivrnissi e L:oal:; n rhe sr-1r.:ad(Ir:; Fossibit ili)iiiil;f ,,ii.iir.i !:lir.: i:r :ialira{itait Lrl ilta,,,{] r'y' lafge'Natii:chka'class ilissiti-. crait i:ttjfircitrrtr:! ti]r , rt i- ,s: l' ot\ rlr,r',/rtlr iWo or three siiuadi"crns ctf 'l-.:rairiltl' 'M:jtka iii 'il:ti'r r,:i:.tsl {)iJii {jl ;tgilLradrori of ".i-iti-ltr-tiLtl cl3ss rrafl rivill: i.w'c Or litrei-] rJs.: ..:i l.'1.,it.. ..1..rsttL-l:idron,s. Bcli vartel o|ts g.l"cvide grave pioitir-'l L i.o tli;leitrJ rrq 1t)ireij ali-ti: l(_r

ifc ilrr,ers ly of tlle m ssiie type:; i-arriecj lrrd Lnet erlil ;rvoi.iei.j a.i(rwi:virrlon-Scrriiet Warsaw l-)aci nave:i strll Lrlild ard ulit torpeor,, i:i.:ii rr:ji.)i|r::t,1,bert,-.tolnetlacliii;cievlstdrr,,ir '-!rvIL-',.i r tLr,r ,crCir.irr::a,':,i-)l fl.r,riti {,:, ir,tLiicrp-o,jiJ'irtfi-rcl cralt cvili sti iitc itrotird iilr Tr';:t.iy yr.:itis tu r_)oir)i.' Wilalev|i ir-lf:co!-nOrJS trori. ifto Wiirsew Falat cLlalltai toi,.:es t:iovii]e.:;i t(ir.li ii ieirl i(J i..ll]\ il).r ,il:\L"l\l rl t,.. . .'. t..t.'.. !, lr)) -' :i'.rl r': ..., l, ,.'

LrsI irr.ited. Tf;e irtririands V\at qavc ii sa,il,rlai'y leSjOi, fL ttrrr\!, \.t,r,. ,r,1, I i I

l:i,lse-la|qe air deicrri:0 oj warsn i)s,Jr-laiiirii.r ii,'iijl

8*ksw:'Asa'classmlssde dr6tlprorrtde t&e &ackbone oJSr_,r'.re{ (:oasji?J/r;rces. dperalrng up fofir'rrg€ds {24 tt*ssetsl stt*nqrll. f)-la,s ci;i: jeul*flatiacks Irom uv er Mrm { t ri :'t nies)

B e law : A'N anuehka I' class mtssilecarvette, desr'Ernaled Maly raketnykorabl' {smaJ/misszle sir4p) Iry ffie,Soi4efs" If can acf as a comm€nd andcontral ship far smei,lerm:ssiJeboafs"

?4', 'P6', 'shershen, 'Mol' and 'Turya alass (continued)

Elegtronics: one 'Pot FIead' searchrada;, one 'High Pole-A' IFF and one'Dead Duck IFF

SpecificationShershen'classOperators: Angola (4), Bulgaria (6),Cape Verde (2 without torcedo tubes),Congo (3 wrthout torpedo tubes), EastGermany (18), Egypt (6), Gutnea (l),Guinea-Bissau (2 without torpedolabes), North Korea (4), USSR (17),Vietram (12) and Yugoslavia (4 pius l0lccally butit)Dispiacement: 180 tons fuIl loadDimensions: length 34,0 m (11i,5 ft);beam 7,2m (23,6ft); draught 1,5mi4.9 fi)Propulsion: three diesels delivering12,000 hp (8950 kW) to three shaftsMaximum speed: 47 lIsComplement: 23Armament: four 533-mm (21-in) anti-s:ip torpedo tubes, tvr;o twin 30 mm-r-{ qtms and 12 depth chargesHlectronies: one 'Pot Drum' searchradar, one 'Drum Tilt' fire-control:adar, one 'High Pole-A' lFF and two

'Square Head' IFF interrogPtors

Specifieation'MoI'classOperators: Ethiopia (2), Somalia (4wrthout torpedo tubes) and Sri Lanka(1 vrithout torpedo tubes)Displasenrent: 220 tona fu]l loadDimensions: length 39.0m (128ft);bearn 7,7m (25,3ft); draught 1.7m(5.6 ft)Propulsion: three diesels deliverinql5 000 hp (11190 kW) to three shaftsMa:*inrunr speed: 36 llseomplernent: 25Armiment: four 533-mm (21-in) anti-ship toqpedo tubes and two t''rvin 30-mm AA enrn^sElectronics: one 'Pot Head' searchradar, one 'Drum Tilt' fire-controiradar, one 'High Pole-B' lFF and one''Square Head' IFF interroqator

$peeification'Turya classOperators: Cuba (B) and USSR (30)Displacement: 240 tons firll loaclDimensions: lengrth 39.0 m (128 ft);

beam 7.2m (23,6ft) over the hull andi2,0m (39.4ft) over the foil; draught1,8 m (5,9 ft) wrthout the foilPropulsion: three diesels delivering15,000 hp (l I I90 kW) to three shaftsMaximunn speed: 42 ktsComplement:30Arrnament: four 533-mm (21-in) anti-sukrmarine torpedo h:bes, one hvin 57-mm AA gun and one twin 25-mm AAsun

The'Turya' class hydrofoil, of whichC wha received eigh t by mid- I I I 3.?fre 30 vesse/s in Soviet sewice haveheen given the desismafibn torpednykater (lorpedo ct tt er ).

Electronics: one 'Pot Head' searchradar, one 'Muff Cob' fire-controlradar, one 'High Pole-A' IFF, one'Square Head' IFF interogator andone helicopter-type dipping sonar

L il*on*','Zhuk' and'Shmel' elass patrol eraftDesignated as a border patrol ship(PSKR, or pogranichnyy storozhevoykorabl) by the Soviets, the 'Stenka'class currently comprises the secondlargest coastal-force class in service,',vrth some 90 vessels, These are pri-marily operated by the Maritime Bor-der Guard Directorate of the KGB andwere built ftom 1967 to 1977, T'he de-sgrn utilizes the 'Osa' hr-rll with the sameraachinery outfit as the 'Osa I' but amodified superstructure and bridgeihat reflect the operational role,Although used for maritime patrol, thecraft have a usefi:l ASW outfit with foulsingle torpedo tubes for the 400-mm(15. 75-in) electric-powered acoustic-homing ASW torpedo and tvro depth-charge racks for a total of 12 charqes, Adrpprng sonar bf the type carried onthe 'Turya' class of hydrofoil is also car-ried. Several of the boats have had thetorpedo h-:bes removed to make spacefor a motor launch, presumably forclose inshore patrol where the m.othership cannot go.

To support the 'Stenkas' in their KGBrole the Soviets heqan to build a smallcoastal patrol boat fuom 1970 onwards.ii:rovrn as the'Zhuk'class the desigm xstill ln production primarily for export,Some 30 or more are in service rvrththe KGB and Soviet navy, whilst over65 have been built for transfer to l5other countries.

The Sovlets also have a great tradi-tion rn riverine and inland v/aterwaywarfare, During World Wat Ii they de-veloped a series of improvisedarmowed craft for use on the Danube,Volga, Amur and Ussuri river com-plexes and the many larqe lakes formdin the Soviet Uninn. They continuedthis practice with post-v,rar desigrns, ofwhich tire most recent, built between1967 and 1974, is the'Shmel'class. Themost clistinctive feature of the 85-vessel class rs the for,ryard 76-mm (3-in) gun twret, which is simtlar to that ofthe PT-76 light amphtbious tank with itsco-axal 7,62-mm (0.3-in) machine-grun,Behind the turret is an armouredbridge and enclosed space fitted vnihbulkheads, a heavy macirirre-grun posi-tion and several firing slits for smallanns and LMGs, A tririn 25-mm AAmorrntinqwith light protection is on theaftev deck, On a number ofboats be-tween thjs and the battle posrtion aremounted one or tvvo l7-tube BM-14140-mm (5,5-in) multiple rocket-Iauncher systems for shore bombarci-ment, it is estimated that for short-clistance r-aiding missions, a platoon of

The'Stenka' class of Bal,rol eraft isalrnast exelusively operated hy theM art$me B arder Guard D irectorateof the KGB to help prevent'eseaPes'from ffte [/SSr?.

Naval Infantry or army speciai forcescou-ld be carried on three 'Shmels',

Specification'Stonka'classOperators: USSR (90)Displacement: 210 tons frrll loadDimensions: length 39.5 m (129,6 ft);beam 7,7m (25.3ft); draught l.Bm(5.9 ft)Propulsion: three dtesels delivering12,000 hp (8950 kW) to three shaftsMaxinrum speed: 36 ktsConrplement: 22Arrnament: irur 400-mm (15,75-in) anti-submarine torpedo hrbes, two hvin 30-mm AA gnrns and 12 depth charges ontwo racksEleetronics: one 'Pot Drum' searchradar, one 'Drum Tilt' fire-controlradar, one 'Hig'h Pole-B' IFF, two'Sqtrare Head' IFF interroqators andone he[copter-type dippinqr sonar

Speeifieation'Zhuk'elassOperators: Algeria (l), Angola (i), Be-nin (4), Bulgarra (5), Cape Verde (1),Cuha (22), Ethiopia (2), Ee{uatorial

A',SefrrneJ' cjass riverine warfareeralt seen on theRiver Danuhe atVienna " T he S oviet navy uses manysueh eraft on its inland waterwaysand is building mare"

Guinea (3), Iraq (5), Mozambique (5),North Yemen (4), Seychelles (2),Somalia (3), South Yemen (2), NodhYemen (4), Swia (3), USSR (30+) andVietnam (6)Eisplacement: 50 tons firl1 loadDimensions: lenqth 22.9m (75, 1ft);beam 4,9m (16. I ft); draught i.5rn(4.e ft)Propulsion: two diesels delivering2,400 hp (1790 kW) to hvo shaftsMa:<imurn speed: 30 ktsComplement: 17Armament: one or two twrn 14,5-mm(0.57-in) heavy machine-gnrsElectronics: one'Spin Trough' searchradar

Speeification'$hmel'classOperator: USSR (85)Displaeernent: 60 tons frrll loadEimensions: lenqth 28.3m (92 8ft);beam 4.6m (I5, l ft); draught l.Om(3 3 ft)Propulsion: two diesels delivering2,400 hp (1790 kW) to two shaftsMaximum speed: 22 ktsArrnament: one 76-mm (3-in) cnm inlight tank turret, one tvuin 25-mm AAgun, one or two l7-tube l40-mm (5.5-in) rocket-launchers, plus provision forhearry and medium machine-gruns, andfor minesElectronics: none

Armed Forces of the World

RoUtrt Afr Forqe trK*d ffi,ffi

Jne of the three major comporrents forming today'sSoyal Air Force, Strike Cornrrand is, as its namemplies, the controlling element of the UK's home-rased air power. Mirrored in some respects by RAFi3ermany, and provided ',nrith personnel and equip-ment by Support Command, it undertakes a broad'ange of offensive and defensive tasks, omitting:nly the strategic nuclear deterrerrt role assigned toihe Royal Navy's Polaris submarines in 1969,

Proudly perpetuating the traditions of the Battle of3ritain fighter squadrons, the bomber units whichwrought devastation upon enerny industry andcties, and rnaritime patrol forces responsible forsweeping U-boats fronr the sea$, the commandcornprises three groups, each rnaintaining a rolebroadly similar to those described. With the passagecf tirne since World War ll, however, new responsi-bilities have been added, whilst a steady coniractiann the RAF's size has led to arnalganration and dis-bandrnent of some fonratirtns.

Nevertheless, Strike Cornrnand is currently in thethroes of a re-equipment anci upgrading prograrnrneno less dynanric than that seen during the franticexpansion of the late 1930s, and though it is toemeige oniy marginally larger than before, capabili-ties will be greatly eniranced.

Part of this is the result of pians dating back rnanyyears. such as introduction of the Panavia Tornadr.>

to strike and intercepto!-squadrcns and aui;menta-tiorr of tire tanker fleet, but other r.ievelr:pmentsstern frorn the Falklands war and the added inrpeiuswhich this conf lict gave to a wide range of operation-al improvernents previouslyawaiting fuirding. In thisconnection, high priority has been given io activeand passii,e self-defence for strike aircraft and earlyintroduction of new or modifieci we:rponry, whilstrapid deployrnent capability will i'eceivo a boostfrom recent purclrase of wide-bociicd tanker-transports.

Attack fsrcesWiihdrawal of the rnajestic Avro Vulcan frori-r

theatre-nuclear roles irr "l 982 was responsii:le for af urther i'ound of group rnergers in Strike Coirrmand,with the effect that fronr November 1983 strii(e,close support, i nf light-ref uelling, tactical r ecorrnaiss-ance and trai-rsport duties have been combined inl\o. 1 Group, with its headquarters at Upavon.

The spearhead cf this force is the Panavia -[oi-na-

do GR.Mk i, No. 1 Group having attained its plannedTornado establishrnent of three operational squad-rons, a vr'eapons training unii and a conversion unit(the last-mentioned also training studei'tts froniWest Gei'rnany and ltaly) irt 1983. Most of tl-re re-rnaining'i"ornado squadrons wiilforrn in Gei'rnany, tobe joined by one erf tlre U K-based units; in 1 936, No.

SEPECE,TJagu7rs provide tactical strike and elasesuppor{forRAi",Sdrike Comn:an d, with th.reesquadrons all hased al Co,lfii*ail.

1 Group i,lill receive a tactrcal reconrraissance ver-sion of the aircraft

"vith whicii tc equip a furiher

sqttaeli-on.Wir:lr its al!-v,ieather penetiation capability and

armed rn;ith conveniioi-ral or nuclear \,veapons, theTornarlo is a iriial elernent of Strike C,omntand'soffcnsive forces, althougir it is supporied in thetactical strike; and close .iupport role by the SEPE-CA"f ,laguar and remarkable BAe Harrier. A productof Arrglo-i-renclr collaboration, tlie Jaguar carriesr:lusier bombs (Ctstls), i,000-lb la5a-kg) free-fail orreiai'dr:d borrrbs or a reconnaissance pod, whilst theSI'OVL (short take-off, vertical landing) l-lari-ier has asimilar arirroury, plus a SNEB rocket port. lr has a

single oblique carnera {oi' reconnalssance dutiesand can also cairy a reconnaissairce pod.

Boilr aircralt are now receiving new equip,rnent toenhance their capa[tilities in the low level close-suppori role, the Jaguai adding a new and mcrreaccuraie inertial navigation and w,eapon-airrring sys-tem, electronic jamrning pods and chaff/flare dis-penseis; and tlre Harrier receiving self-defenceSidewinder AAMs and Marconi Zeus integratedradar wariiing and jarnnring appaiaius.

Rapid deploymentJaguar and Harrier units are prepared for rapid

deployment to Europe in an emergency, theiroroundcrews. equipment and much else besidestravelling inside the aircraft of No. '1 Group's tactical:fansport force. The brunt of this fetching and car-

"r'ing is allocated to that airborne workhorse, therockheed Hercules, augmented by a squadron of3Ae VC10 C.Mk 1s and two BAe 146 C.Mk 1sCelivered in 1983 for evaluation as potential replace-.nents for the BAe Andovers of The Oueen's Flight,

At a time of crlsis, fixed-wing transports woulddelir,,er equipment and supplies for the Army andf,AF to rear areas, where helicopters are then re-soonsible for transfers to the front line. A majorTprovement in capacity has come with recent in-:roduction of the Boeing Vertol Chinook twin-rotor.elicopter (capable of lifting a 10-ton load), the light-3: Aerospatiale Puma nonetheless remaining a valu-aole transporter of smaller cargoes.

Tne Falklands war proved beyond doubt the vital-coriance of inflight-refuelling to all categories ofl;e rational aircraft, and was directly responsible for:^e purchase of six Lockheed TriStar 500s which are:-'r'ently being converted to TriStar C(K).Mk 1 stan-::'d. Far more adaptable than the Victor K.Mk 2' :et. in that they can carry cargo and passengers as,',eii as fuel, the TriStars will be partnered by nine,C-0 K.Mk 2s and VClO K.Mk 3s (five and fourr.soectively), the first of which was delivered in- 3E3, although a f urther 1 '1 Super VC10s are held lnsicrage for possible K.Mk 3 conversion as Victor-eclacements,

Six Vulcan B.Mk 2s, hastily converted to Vulcan(.Mk 2s, entered service just too late to participate^ the Falklands hostillties, and are being withdrawn3s the first VCl0s arrive. A similar number of Her-cries C(K).Mk '1 s assist in maintaining the Falklandsa r bridge.

To be continued

The Pumas of N o. 33 S qn perform light transportduties. They can deploy rapidly around the world,as here to Belize.

RAF STRIKE COMMAND ORDER OF BATTLEStrike Cornmand HO: High Wycombe, Bucks

No. 32 Andover C.Mk 1/CC.Mk 2BAe 125 CC Mk 3Gazelle HCC.Mk 4Puma HC.Mk 1

Jaguar GR.Mk 1

Hercules C.Mk 1iC.Mk 3Vulcan K.Mk 2

Nimrod R.Mk 1

Jaguar GR.Mk 1

No. 47No.50

No. 51

No. 54

No. 55 Victor K.Mk 2No. 57 Victor K.Mk 2No. 70 Hercules C.Mk 1/C.Mk 3No. 72 Wessex HC.Mk 2No. 115 Andover E.Mk 3No. 207 Devon C.Mk 2No. 617 Tornado GR.l\,4k 1

No.226 OCU Jaguar GR.Mk 1lT.Mk2No. 232 OCU Victor K.Mk 2No. 233 OCU Harrier GR.Mk 3/T.Mk 4No. 240 OCU Chinook HC.Mk i

Puma HC.Mk 1

No 241 OCU VCl0 C.lvlk 1/K.N/k 2BAe 146 C.Mk 1

No. 242 OCU Hercules C.Mk 1/C.Mk 3TITE TcrnadoTWCU Tornado GR.Mk 1

TOF Andover CC.Mk 2Wessex HCC.Mk 4

ATF Andover C.Mk 1

(in process of formation)101 VC10 K.Mk 2/K,Mk 3214 TriStar C(K).Mk 1

No. 33No.41

Northolt

OdihamColtisha ll

LynehamWaddington

WytonCohishall

MarhamMarhamLynehamAldergroveBensonNortholtMarhamLossiemouthMarhamWitteringOdiham

Brize Norton

LynehamCottesmoreHoningtonBenson

Benson

Brize NortonBrize Norton

communlcattons

tactical transporttactical recce and

close supporttransportairborne refuelling

(disbanding)I ntelligence-gatheringtactical strike and close

supportairborne refuellingairborne refuellingtransporttactical supportnavaids calibrationcommunicationsi nterdictorstrikepilot conversioncrew conversionpilot conversioncrew conversion

crew conversion

crew conversioncrew conversionweapons trainlngThe Oueen's Flight

crew conversion

airborne refuellingtan ker-transport

No. 1 Group (HO: Upavon, Wiltshire)Squadron Equipment\o. 1 Harrier GR.Mk 3

No. 6 Jaguar GF.Mk 1

BaseWittering

colrishali

Roleclose support and

tactical reccetactical strike and

close supporttactical transportinterdictor-strikestrategic transporttransportinterdictorstri ketransport

No. 7 Chinook HC.Mk 1 OdihamNo. 9 Tornado GR.Mk 1 HoningtonNo. 10 VC10 C.Mk 1 Brize NortonNo. 24 Hercules C.Mk 1/C.Mk 3 LynehamNo. 27 Tornado GR.Mk 1 MarhamNo. 30 Hercules C.Mk i/C.Mk 3 Lvneham

NoNo

StrikeCommand relies ontheLockheedC-130 Hercules for mostof its heavytrcnsport, which with flight refuelling equipment plays an important pail inthe supply oI the Falklands.

iv

To be continued