The Vietnam War's Brown Water Navy Symposium

Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum will host a free symposium entitled “The Vietnam War’s Brown Water Navy” aboard the USS Yorktown on Thursday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. about the use of small commercial boats adapted by the Navy to patrol the tight and shallow waterways of South Vietnam during the war. The event will feature a panel of veterans who were often exposed to intense enemy fire while operating these types of vessels, many of which were water jet-driven and offered little to no protection from attacks.

The faction of these small river patrol boat support camps is often referred to as the “Brown Water Navy.” In December 1965, the U.S. Navy initiated Operation Game Warden to patrol the major rivers and canals in South Vietnam. Using a fleet of 31-foot patrol boats (PBRs), 50-foot aluminum boats (Swift Boats), pontoons, WWII-era landing crafts, attack helicopters, and SEAL units, this inshore naval force interdicted enemy troop and supply movements, and hindered large scale Viet Cong operations. The Navy operated in the inland waters until 1970 when the units were turned over to the South Vietnamese and Cambodian governments.

In addition to speaking about their memories of battle, the panelists will also discuss their return home from the war, and symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder that many river patrol boat crewmen experience today.

The event is FREE and open to the public.