© 2005
Robert H. Stoner - used by permission
Coastal
River Division TWENTY ONE: An Informal History
by Robert H.
Stoner, GMCM (SW) (Ret.)
Prologue.
The United
States Navy's traditional role in American history has been one of a "blue
water" force. It has been organized and equipped to control the
open seas and coastal areas. However, during the Civil War (1861
to 1865) the role of the fleet expanded to the inland waterways
of the United States. Decisive land battles were often
influenced by the Navy's success or failure to control these
vital transportation and communication resources.
One hundred
years later, the Navy was faced with similar situations while defending the
Republic of Viet Nam. Conventional naval presence was off shore in
the form of the Seventh Fleet with its aircraft carriers, cruisers,
destroyers, and amphibious units. In 1964 the inshore warfare
role was expanded
by the establishment of a base for fast patrol boats (PTF) at a Nang, RVN.
The PTF's were assigned to Mobile Support Team ONE (the deployed name
for Boat Support Unit ONE assets). From 1964 to 1972, the PTF's
conducted over 1,000 raids in a secret and deadly war with North
Vietnamese forces on and above the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
Six PTF’s were war losses: PTF-4, -8, -9, -14,
-15, and -16.
PTF-3, the lead “Nasty”-class boat for
the US Navy, shows off the speed that was the hallmark of the
PTF in this 1964 photo. PTF-3 survived eight hard years of war
and is now being restored by Boy Scout Troop 544, Orange City,
FL. (Photo: Mark Tondel)
As the Navy's
coastal patrol and interdiction resources grew, gas
turbine-powered gunboats (PG’s) and later hydrofoils [USS
FLAGSTAFF (PGH-1) and USS TUCUMCARI (PGH-2)] from BSU-1 joined
the effort. The PGH-1 and PGH-2 operated out of the Da Nang
base. The complex nature of the PGH and lack of logistics
support saw them phased-out of the coastal interdiction role
after a six month trial. Both PGH-1 and PGH-2 were returned
stateside in early 1970. USS FLAGSTAFF remained at Coronado, CA
while USS TUCUMCARI transferred to Little Creek, VA. In 1971,
the Boat Support Units ONE and TWO were re-designated Coastal
River Squadrons ONE and TWO.
At the end of
the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War in 1972, the
PTF’s and PG’s, were reassigned. Some of the boats went to the
Pacific Fleet Amphibious Base at Coronado, CA; some went to the
Atlantic Fleet Amphibious Base at Little Creek, VA. During the
period 1971 to 1972 period, the second commanding officer of
BSU-1, LCDR Jack W. Sudduth, was assigned to the Pentagon. It
was thought by many in the Navy that the PTF’s would be
scrapped. LCDR Sudduth decided that the Navy was not going to
scrap these boats if he could help it. Sudduth came up with the
idea of using the PTF’s for Naval Reservist training. The Navy
could thereby retain its hard-won lessons from the recent war
and provide real training for these sailors. Sudduth also found
the funding within the Navy budget to create these units: the
Coastal River Divisions.
The USS CANON (PG-90) shows why they
called it the Brown Water Navy in Viet Nam. (Photo: US Navy)
The USS FLAGSTAFF (PGH-1) as she was in
her Viet Nam service.
(Photo: US Navy)
The USS TUCUMCARI (PGH-2) as she
appeared in her Viet Nam service.
(Photo: US Navy)
Coastal River
Division TWENTY ONE.
In the July -
August 1972 time frame, Naval Reservists in the Midwest Were told
about the formation of two new units: Coastal River Division TWENTY ONE at
Great Lakes, IL and Coastal River Division 22 at New Orleans, LA. These
units were initially scheduled to operate fast patrol boats (PTF).
The Coastal
River Divisions in the Midwest were under the operational control of
Coastal River Squadron TWO, Little Creek, VA. In the case of CRD 21, as
constituted, it had billets for 47 active duty officers and enlisted and
SEALs, and 105 selected reservists. The billet structure of CRD
21 was heavily weighted towards LTjg and LT slots for the
officers and petty officers PO1 through PO3
for the enlisted. There were virtually no non-rated enlisted members, a few
PO3's, a majority of PO2's and PO1's, and no chief petty officer
billets. [This lack of CPO slots would become a problem later on
for senior PO1's.]
The CRD was special in that it required 60 drills per year, as opposed to
the normal 48, plus the annual two week's AcDuTra. The mission
statement of CRD 21 was this:
"Coastal River
Division TWENTY ONE was commissioned to perform the following missions: to
maintain craft to support coastal surveillance operations; develop small
boat tactics; train personnel in the operation and maintenance of coastal
craft in cold weather; conduct and support special and naval inshore
warfare operations; conduct and support special psychological
and tactical cover
and deception operations; and train the selected reserve component to
support these tasks in the event of mobilization."
Insignia of Coastal River Division TWENTY ONE: a PTF
superimposed over the background of the five Great Lakes of the
Midwest. (Photo: Bob Stoner)
I arranged
with the personnel office at my local unit, NRSD 9-17(M), to do an interview
for prospective members at Great Lakes as my September drill. With my past
experience on PTF-13 while attached to Boat Support Unit ONE in Coronado, I
was easily accepted and joined the interview team. By October 1972, CRD 21's
billets were being filled, and in November 1972 we began our scheduled
drills. Drills were held at the boat house, Building 13 at the Naval Base,
Great Lakes, IL.
PTF-17
underway in 1972. (Photo: Mike Prather)
ETN3 Mike Prather receives his
commendation from the Chief of Naval Operations on the arrival
of PTF-17 and PTF-19 at Great Lakes, IL. The presenting officer
is RADM Draper L. Kaufman, Commandant of the Ninth Naval
District. RADM Kauffman was the father of Explosive Ordnance
Disposal (EOD) and the Underwater Demolition Teams that became
today’s SEALs.
A copy
of the PTF-17 and PTF-19 crew list taken from the handouts given
to the public during their port calls as the boats made their
way from Little Creek to Great Lakes. The top photo shows an
“Osprey” PTF in the foreground and a “Nasty” PTF in the rear
background. The “Osprey” boats were 15 feet longer than the
“Nasty” or “Trumpy” PTF’s and were made of aluminum instead of
laminate wood. (Mike Prather)
PTF-17 and -19
coming into the harbor at Great Lakes in the Fall of 1972.
(Photo: Ed Ellegood)
A broadside shot
of PTF-17 as she passes the Great Lakes breakwater to the inner
boat basin. (Photo: Ed Ellegood)
PTF-17 (inboard)
and PTF-19 (outboard) nested alongside the pier at Great Lakes.
The boat house, Bldg 13, is directly behind the bridge of
PTF-17. The large building on top of the hill (above the PTF-19
radar) at the far left is the Great Lakes Naval Hospital.
(Photo: Ed Ellegood)
Aboard PTF-17
showing Bldg 13 that became the headquarters of CRD 21. The
large silver pipes (and large pipes on the pier) are part of the
steam heating system for the whole base. (Photo: Ed Ellegood)
Bridge shot of
PTF-19. Note that Plexiglas windshields are erected in all
these fall photos. Being on an open bridge in early spring or
late fall/early winter was COLD. The hinged windshield gave
some weather protection in these conditions. (Photo: Ed
Ellegood)
The big tree on
the far shore to the left of the 40mm on PTF-19 is where the
synchrolift was built in 1973. (Photo: Ed Ellegood)
PTF-17 visitors
check out the boat. (Photo: Ed Ellegood)
Another shot of
the nested PTF-17 and PTF-19 from the pier. (Photo: Ed
Ellegood)
The pier at Great
Lakes in the fall of 1972. By the time CRD 21 was
decommissioned on 30 June 1976, a permanent guard shack had been
erected at the entrance as well as a chain-link fence and gate;
mooring facilities on both sides had been improved, shore power
and sanitary facilities were upgraded, and the inner basins on
both sides of the pier had been dredged and deepened. PG's
usually tied-up to the left of the pole; PTF's were on the right
as shown here. (Photo: Ed Ellegood)
As organized, CRD 21 operated on two weekends out of a given
month for training when
we received our first PTF’s (PTF-17 and PTF-19) in the summer of 1972 to get
the maximum training time for the reservists. The members riding the
boats were split into BLUE and GOLD boat crews and BLUE and GOLD maintenance
staff. One drilled the first or second weekend of the month and the other
drilled the third or fourth weekends. The boat crews ran the
boats and the
maintenance staff made sure the boats could operate. As luck
would have it, CRD
21 was heavily staffed with Vietnam combat-savvy Reservists. Not only did the
combat-savvy Reservists outnumber their active duty counterparts,
but they had more operations expertise -- although most of it was on "Swift"
boats or river patrol boats (PBR).
PTF-17 of CRD 21 gets underway on a
chilly fall morning at Great Lakes in 1974. (Photo: Bill Van
Ooyen)
PTF-17 of CRD 21 ready to head out of
Great Lakes harbor on a chilly Fall morning in 1974. (Photo:
Bill Van Ooyen)
Coastal River
Division TWENTY ONE was officially commissioned on 16 June 1973. Its
first commanding officer was LCDR James E. Roper, of Golconda,
IL. Previous to
his appointment as the CO of CRD 21, Commander Roper had served as the CO of
River Divisions 514 and 572 in Vietnam and as Training Support Officer,
Service School Command at Great Lakes, IL. Commander Roper had served duty
tours aboard USS BAYFIELD (APA-33), USS COWELL (DD-547), USS ARIKARA
(ATF-98), the Naval Ordnance Lab at Solomons, MD and was a
graduate of the
Anti-submarine Warfare School at San Diego, CA. The Chief of
Staff for CRD 21 was
LCDR Edward Grace.
LCDR James E. Roper, first commanding
officer of Coastal River Division 21. Photo: US Navy.
One of the
early problems faced by CRD 21 was gunnery exercises. During
World War 2 the Navy
had established a gunnery range in the middle of Lake Michigan. This
area was well-known to the mariners who plied the lakes because the
Navy had a presence on the Great Lakes in those days that it maintained
after the war was over. During the mid-1950s and all of the 1960s, the
Navy's "Corn Belt Fleet" was instrumental in educating lots of would-be
sailors on the details of running a ship. These ships were the
USS
DANIEL A. JOY
(DE-585), USS PARLE (DE-708), USS PORTAGE (PCE-902), USS HAVRE
(PCE-877), USS ELY (PCE-880), and USS AMHERST (PCE(R)-853).
However, by 1 May 1970 the last of the "Corn Belt Fleet" -- the
USS PARLE -- was retired and though the gunnery range remained
on the charts, it became dormant until CRD 21 was established.
CRD 21
reopened the gunnery range for its use and the appropriate
Notices to Mariners (NOM)
were published. The crews of the freighters and ore boats that sailed
the lakes had forgotten about the gunnery range. Although the NOM
specifically warned them about its use by the boats of CRD 21,
there always seemed
that someone never got the word.
One day,
PTF-17 and PTF-19 went out to use the range. The exercise was a local surface
shoot with their 40mm guns on a improvised target of oil drums and pallets
painted international orange. A thousand foot freighter, obviously
under auto pilot, sailed through the middle of the impact area
and resisted all
attempts to contact her to warn of the danger. A "cease fire" was given
until the freighter cleared the range.
"Surface action
starboard!" A 1974 photo by ENS Tim Sammons shows the first
loader’s/gun captain’s and the trainer’s duties during a gunnery
exercise with the 40mm gun on PTF-17. [The helmets of the
pointer and second loader are just to the rear of the gun’s
loader.] Note the tied-off colors to prevent the loader from
being whipped by the flag. The 40mm was newly-installed after
an overhaul at NAD Crane, Indiana. That explains why it is
still painted haze grey instead of green. Also, the bridge
windshield is lowered for increased visibility. (Photo: Tim
Sammons)
In the first
year of operation, CRD 21 ran its boats until December 5, 1972. On that day, PTF-17 and PTF-19 made the transit to Chicago, IL. Once through the locks at
Chicago, the boats proceeded by the Chicago River to a civilian shipyard at
Lemont, IL. At Lemont, the boats were taken out of the water on their cradles
and put ashore for maintenance.
The yard
period at Lemont, IL was a hard one for the active duty members
and Reservists of
CRD 21. Every work day, they had to commute forth and back to the yard by a
large Navy bus (it was a haze gray-painted school bus). It was at least an
hour and a half down and an hour and a half back under the best of
circumstances. The winter of 1972 to 1973 was cold and snowy.
The heater on the bus was
not very reliable and it was a miserable trip when it decided to "sort of"
work. When the Reserves came for training, we got to ride to Lemont on the
same bus to work on the boats. The yard at Lemont turned out to be short of
every kind of service except excuses. As soon as the ice was off the
Chicago River, the boats were back in the water and they made
their way back to
Great Lakes in March.
PTF Internal Arrangement. The PTF was
divided into six major compartments as shown by the heavy black
lines. 1 – Boatswain’s stores and forward peak. 2 – Crew’s
quarters. 3 – Wardroom. 4 – Galley. 5 – Radios, fathometer,
pitometer, and gyro room. 6 – Head. 7 – Radar plot. 7a –
Bridge. 7b – Lookout’s station (port, starboard). 8 – Fuel
tank room and engineer’s control station. 9 – Engine room (with
auxiliary generators and air compressors). 10 – Lazarette
(emergency steering and storage). A – Hatch to crew’s
quarters. B – Hatch to wardroom/galley. C – Door to radar
plot. D – Hatch to tank room/engineer’s control station. E –
Hatch to lazerette. F- Door to boatswain’s stores/peak. G –
Door to crew’s quarters. H – Door to bridge. J – Door to tank
room. K – Door to engine room. L – Hatch to after engine
room. (Drawing: PTF 9-16 Boat Manual)
Both BLUE and
GOLD components of CRD 21 continued to hone the boat handling
and seamanship skills during the 1973 operating season.
Meanwhile, there would be no repeat of the Lemont shipyard
problem. The boats spent their 1973 to 1974 winter months at
Peterson Builders in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Meanwhile, a
brand new synchrolift for the PTF’s was built on the left side
of Building 13 in the inner harbor at Great Lakes [seaward
approach].
The shoreline
maintenance facility for the PTF’s consisted of the synchrolift
and a rail system that allowed the boats (with their cradles) to
be winched off the lift and then parked ashore. The rail system
also allowed the boats (and cradles) to be moved so that two
boats could be set side-by-side with the third astern of the
first two.
It was
important to pull the wooden PTF’s out of the water once a year
for two reasons. First, the harbor at Great Lakes iced-over
from December through March. Second, the wooden hulls of the
boats soaked-up about 2,000 pounds of water when they were
afloat. Pulling the hulls from the water over the winter months
allowed the water to evaporate and made the boats both lighter
and faster.
A Spring 1975
photo showing two of the CRD 21 PTF’s out of the water on their
cradles. Part of the synchro lift is shown on the left. The
large rectangular objects on the concrete platform sides are the
lift motors for the device. In practice, the boat cradle was
loaded onto the lift; the lift submerged; the boat was
positioned over the submerged cradle; the lift surfaced with the
boat on the cradle; and the boat on its cradle were rolled
forward onto the shore for work. The boat cradle was mounted on
a platform that had wheels. All three boats could be pulled out
of the water at one time. One boat would be positioned ahead
and the other two boats would be positioned side-by-side as
shown in the photo. The trailer is the maintenance office and
quarters for watch standers. (Photo: Jim Mottern)
Another Spring
1975 photo showing the two PTF’s on their cradles and the ladder
necessary to get the maintenance crews aboard. The wheel
arrangement on the boat cradle is clearly shown as are the
tracks to move the cradle onto the “translating platform.” The
“translating platform” allowed the boat and cradle to be moved
from side to side on the tracks that run left to right. In
1975, all of the CRD 21 PTF’s received experimental camouflage.
Three separate patterns were tried using the green of the boat
as the base color, with black and gray added in different
patterns. The boat on the right is PTF-18. (Photo: Jim
Mottern)
The relative size
of the PTF is shown in this Spring 1975 photo of a CRD 21 PTF on
its cradle. Note the hull supports. It was very important to
get these supports positioned correctly to support the weight of
the boat’s 75 tons. The boats themselves had a white stripe
(about 12 inches long by 3 inches wide) painted vertically at
the waterline at the lifting points. When the boat was
positioned on the cradle, these lines were used to line-up the
supports. If the support was not aligned correctly, it could
push right through the unsupported part of the hull and cause
severe damage. The boat armament is not fitted at this time.
It was customary to remove it during the winter months to
free-up deck space and to protect the guns and their mountings
from the effects of freezing temperatures, snow, and ice.
(Photo: Jim Mottern)
As received,
PTF-17 and PTF-19 came with their Vietnam-era weapons suites
intact. That is, a Bofors Mk 3 Mod 0 40mm/L60 gun aft of the
bridge, a pair of World War 2-vintage Oerlikon 20mm Mk 10 guns
on either side of the bridge, and the Mk 2 Mod 1 81mm mortar/.50
caliber Browning machine gun forward. When the boats came out
of storage after their 1973-1974 winter up-keep period, the Mk
10 guns had been replaced by the newer Mk 16 Mod 5 20mm machine
guns. These guns were also fitted to PTF-18 before she was sent
to join her sister CRD 21 boats in April of 1974.
PTF-17
gets to host an open house on July 3, 1973. The Mk 10 Oerlikon
20mm guns were used on PTF-17 and PTF-19 when they arrived at
Great Lakes. The Mk 10 Oerlikons were replaced by the 20mm gun
Mk 16 Mod 5 in 1974. Photo: Bill Smallshaw.
The Mk 16 Mod
5 20mm machine gun was a descendent of the World War 2
Hispano-Suiza 404 20mm gun. The British had purchased the gun
from Switzerland to arm The Hurricanes
and Spitfires of the Royal Air Force. The four 20mm guns had
much more punch than eight .303 caliber Browning machine guns
when it came to shooting down German
aircraft. Under Lend-Lease contracts, the HS404 made its way across the
Atlantic. Once in America it became the AN-M1 and AN-M2 20mm aircraft gun.
However, the lion's share of airborne armament during World War
2 was the AN-M2
(aircraft) .50 BMG. Problems with the wartime 20mm M1 and M2
guns resulted in a
redesign called the AN-M3 and a variation called the M24. Like the Mk 10 guns
they replaced, the Mk 16 Mod 5 guns shared the need for lubricated
ammunition except that the lubricant changed from grease to semi-fluid
lubricating oil (LSA).
A surface
gunnery shoot aboard PTF-18 in 1974: Photo 1 - loading the 81mm
mortar with an illumination round (author is wearing hearing
protectors). Photo 2 – round on the way; mortar at full
recoil. Photo 3 – parachute flare deployment is successful
(author pointing). Photo 4 - A Mk 16 Mod 5 20mm gun on
PTF-18. Photos: Tim Sammons
Good photos of
the Mk 16 are rare. Attached are pages from the actual Ordnance
Pamphlets 3990 and 4410 that show the Mk 16 Mod 4 and 5 and its
Mk 67 Mod 0 mount. The difference between the Mod 4 gun and
the Mod 5 gun was its trigger. The Mod 4 used an electric
trigger and the Mod 5 used a manually released sear as its
trigger. (The electric trigger also had a manual release in
case the power failed.) All PTF’s used the Mk 16 Mod 5 gun
and the Mk 67 Mod 0 mount.
The gun itself
was fired from a trigger lever on the right grip; the safety was
located on the end of the right grip. The actual firing of the
gun was by a flexible steel cable that attached to the trigger
lever and connected to the sear on the gun. When the trigger
lever was squeezed, the cable pulled the sear down and allowed
the bolt to close and fire the weapon. The weapon would
continue to fire as long as the trigger lever was squeezed or
there ammunition was available.
·
OP3990 Figure 2-1 shows the 20mm machine gun on its mount.
·
OP3990 Figures 6-1 and 6-2 show the installation and limits of
the gun and mount.
·
OP4410 Figures 2-1 through 2-3 describe the 20mm gun and its
parts.
.
The arrival of
our third PTF meant a restructuring of the BLUE and GOLD boat crews. By
April, there wasn't a day that went by when one of the boats wasn't out for
training of some kind. The operational tempo picked up speed.
On April 27,
1974, Coastal River Division TWENTY ONE had its first (and last) change
of command. Commander Roper turned over control to LCDR Lowell T. (Tim)
Johnston, of St. Petersburg, FL. Previous to his appointment as
the CO of CRD 21,
Commander Johnston had served as a senior advisory to Vietnamese
Navy Coastal Group 14 while attached to the U.S. Naval Advisory Group, Saigon.
Commander Johnston also served duty tours aboard USS AUCILLA (AD-56), USS
MISSISSINEWA (AO-144), USS CROMWELL (DE-1014), USS SPRINGFIELD
(CLG-7), the Naval Manpower and Material Analysis Center
Atlantic (NMMACLANT)
and the Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC) at Glynco, GA. By a
curious coincidence, the CSO was LCDR James Johnston.
LCDR Lowell T. (Tim) Johnston, the
second and last commanding officer of CRD 21. Photo: US Navy.
At our change
of command, the official word was CRD 21 was going to get three
ASHEVILLE-class PG’s and three new Mk 3 "Sea Specter" Patrol
Boats (PB). The PB’s never arrived but the PG’s came in the
autumn of 1974.
Then a
personnel problem raised its ugly head. As first constituted,
CRD 21 had no CPO
billets. This was a problem because we had a lot of senior 1st Class Petty
Officers. If you were selected for Chief, then the "up and out" was applied to
you. On 16 October 1974 I was the first victim of the policy; I made Chief
Gunner's Mate (Guns). The unit could not keep me and I was officially
transferred to NSRD 9-59(M) at the Great Lakes Naval Reserve Center. When I
arrived at my new unit I found that I had been well and truly spoiled by CRD
21. They had real assets to train on while the NRC had, well, a "shipboard
simulator" and little else. Then I came up with an idea. I asked my new
CO if I could be detached on Temporary Additional Duty (TAD) orders to CRD
21 indefinitely. He said it was OK with him if it was OK with the CO of CRD
21. It was and so I went TAD to CRD 21 for all intents and purposes
including my enlisted evaluations. The only down side was that while I
continued to get credit for 60 drills in retirement points, I
only got paid for
48. I decided I could live with the pay cut because I loved what I was
doing.
|
Left:
Crest of USS ASHEVILLE (PG-84) |
Right:
Underway shot of USS ASHEVILLE (PG-84). Photos: Dave Donaldson |
|
|
Left: Crest
of USS CROCKETT (PG-88) |
Right: USS
CROCKET (PG-88) underway highline. Photos: Dave Donaldson |
|
|
Left: Crest
of USS MARATHON (PG-89) |
Below:
Underway shot of USS MARATHON (PG-89). Photos: Dave Donaldson
The arrival of
the PG’s at Great Lakes in the October of 1974 did not help the CPO billeting
problem. Although the PG’s had CPO's on aboard and a limited number of CPO
slots were created at CRD 21, these slots were for Chief Master-at-Arms
and in supply; none were made available for the active duty or Reservists
on the PTF's.
As 1974 drew
to a close, the question of what to do with the PG’s became important. It
was decided that the PG’s would "winter-over" at the Chicago Naval Reserve
Center pier where there was adequate heat and power. By the end of
November 1974 the PG’s were in Chicago and the PTF’s were ashore
for the winter
maintenance period. The Reservists assigned to the PG crews did their drills
at NRC Chicago and the PTF crews continued to drill at Great Lakes.
But, I will
let the Commanding Officer of CRD 21, Tim Johnston, tell it:
“. . . The
PG’s were berthed inside the lock at the Naval Reserve Training
Center [at Chicago, Randolph Street at the lake]. The NRTC
provided by contract a . . . boiler to provide steam heat. CRD
21 installed underwater bubblers to prevent ice forming close to
the ships’ aluminum hulls and I thought that arrangement would
work. Wow, was I ever wrong!”
PG Arrangement. 1 – 3”/50 Rapid Fire
(RF) single gun. 2 – 40mm Mk 3 Mod 4 single gun. 3 – twin
AN/M2 .50 Browning machine guns (port/starboard). 4 – Gun
director. 5 – Bridge. 6 – LM1500 gas turbine engine for
high-speed. 7 – V12 diesel engines for economical cruising
(port/starboard). (Drawing: Patrol Gunboat Reunion Association)
“The bubblers
were the good news as they worked. The boiler . . . broke down
on the average of four to six times a week. As I recall, the
down time that winter exceeded its time on-line by a significant
margin. Temperatures inside the berthing compartments were
often below freezing. Assistance from Public Works was a joke.
As usual, there were a thousand reasons why they could not help
and CRD 21’s OPTAR [budget] fund could not afford the prices
that Public Works charged.”
“So I said to
Hell with the regulations and called upon CRD 21’s reserves to
see if anyone had boiler experience and viola! – three or
four volunteered. They taught the PG crewmen how to do some of
the simpler fixes and helped keep the accursed thing working . .
. The wretched boiler was what it was and I had visions of
letters to Congress and their attendant nightmares. Plus the
fact that those were my people who were living in truly UNSAT
[unsatisfactory] conditions while in-port in CONUS [continental
United States].”
“I went to see
ADM O’Niell (ComNINE) [Commandant of Ninth Naval District] and
explained that the pier at Great Lakes was equipped with a
perfectly good steam supply that was left over from when the
Corn Belt Fleet was berthed there . . . ADM O’Niell was was
wonderful. He lit a fire or two under some complacent
posteriors and plans to convert the pier went forward.”
“. . .
Commodore Coogan [Commanding Officer of Coastal River Squadron
TWO, Little Creek, VA] told me to generate a letter via him,
with an advance copy to ComNINE detailing the inadequacy of the
NRTC berth and requesting funds to update the pier and for a
homeport change from Chicago to Naval Station Great Lakes. This
I did. There was a lot of not unexpected resistance from
various quarters in Chicago, but none remotely offered to
provide adequate housekeeping facilities. Again, a trip to ADM
O’Niell brought an immediate order from him for all hands to get
on board: the PG’s were coming to Great Lakes. “
“Those tasks
done, there remained the problem of making the south pier safe
for PTF’s. Again, ADM O’Niell arranged for a Reserve Seabee
outfit to do their AcDuTra [active duty for training] improving
the pier – which they did. They were asked to return the next
summer and install electricity and light and to widen the
walkway. If I was not a believer in reserves before I was by
then. The PG’s arrived [permanent change-of-station] in
September [1975] and the winter passed very well.”
A nice shot of
USS ASHEVILLE (PG-84) tied up to the pier at Great Lakes on a
late Spring day in 1975. The synchro lift is in the
foreground. Two of the lift motors are clearly shown in this
shot. (Photo: Jim Mottern)
A Summer
weekend in 1975 shows USS MARATHON (PG-89) tied up to the pier
at Great Lakes. The stern of PTF-18 is shown moored to the
synchro lift in this shot. (Photo: Jim Mottern)
Another shot
of USS MARATHON (PG-89) tied up to the pier at Great Lakes. The
Boat House, Building 13, is directly astern. The stern of a PTF
is just visible in the lower left corner of the photo. Note the
steam and shore power lines running down the center of the
pier. (Photo: Jim Mottern)
The year 1975
was the greatest year for CRD 21. We were fully manned at 210
officers and enlisted personnel. Great Lakes had its own Navy
of three PG’s and three PTF’s. As soon as the ice was off Lake
Michigan, the PG’s returned to Great Lakes from Chicago and
operations commenced. Although I was TAD to CRD 21, I was still
required to do my active duty for training (AcDuTra) with NRSD
9-59(M). However, since they did not have a ship or station
assigned to them, I could determine where I took my training. I decided to go
to the Fleet Combat Training Center Atlantic (FCTCL) at Dam Neck, VA. I
got one week of a 3"/50 RF gun maintenance and a week on the Mk 16 Mod 5 20mm
machine gun.
The
installation of the Mk 16 Mod 5 was not a good choice for the
PTF’s. The gun had
several quirks that I learned about at the maintenance course. Unfortunately,
while I was learning about the quirks, a CRD 21 gunner had so screwed-up two
of the guns that they had to be sent back to the naval air
station overhaul facility, NAS Alameda. The problem was two
fold: (1) the specific
maintenance requirements of the Mk 16 gun and (2) the idiot that worked on it.
This particular GMG2 was one of the active duty members. Whenever he
was around a gun and tools he became dangerous. The gun usually came
out the loser, but he didn't hurt anyone. He was also completely oblivious to
any advice by those who knew what they were doing. Two cases came about in
rather short order.
Case 1: One of
the PTF’s that gone out to shoot their new 20mm guns. (It had taken some
time to return the old 20mm Oerlikon ammo to the depot and draw 20mm ammo for
the Mk 16. The Mk 16 ammo was not the same and it was linked, where as the
older 20mm was not.) The firing came off without a hitch and everyone liked
the convenience of the belted ammunition. However, the problem came
when the gun was cleaned. Since the Mk 16's ancestry was for aircraft, it
had lots of lockwire (to keep parts from loosening-up and falling off)
as well as special tab washers in places where the lockwire could not be
used. The Mk 16 was unique in that the gun moved in recoil and counter-recoil
within a stationary cradle. The ammunition feeder was attached to
the gun and a linkage attached it to the stationary cradle. The
forth and back
motion worked the feeder to bring rounds to the gun.
But, the gun
had to run in a straight line. There were guides for the receiver and
there was a barrel collar around the barrel to guide it. The barrel
collar's trunnions (two cylindrical pins) were shimmed relative
to the stationary
trunnion blocks to make sure the barrel ran true. If the shims were
lost or reversed, the gun would not work or worked until it was damaged from
the out-of-line recoil. The first thing GMG2 Idiot did was throw the
shims away! The next time the gun was fired, it was damaged and had to go back
to NAS Alameda. All this had happened while I was in Mk 16 20mm
maintenance school. I was furious when I found out what had
happened after I
returned to the unit. We had a special 20mm training course that very weekend
for the active duty and Reservist gunners.
Case 2: The
problem with the AN-M2 Heavy Barrel (HB) caliber .50 Browning machine gun
attached to the 81mm mortar was that it could not fire blanks. There was no
blank adapter for the AN-M2HB but there was for the AN-M2 (Aircraft).
The CRD 21 armory had been issued three AN-M2 (Aircraft) guns
for the blank
firing mission. As set-up, the gun had a blank adapter that screwed into
the barrel jacket and a feedway filler piece that prevented live rounds
from being fired by the gun when blanks were used. GMG2 Idiot was in-charge
when they mounted the AN-M2 (Aircraft) to fire blanks. GMG2 Idiot did not
make sure the two cap screws which held the blank firing adapter (BFA)
to the barrel jacket were lockwired. The PTF got underway and began shooting
blanks. No one noticed that the screws loosened-up and fell off. Firing
continued and the BFA started to unscrew from the barrel jacket.
Again no one
noticed; what they focused on was that the gun was jamming. Firing resumed
and then the BFA was blown off (lost overboard). This had happened just
before I came in for drill. I heard about the problem and went to the shop
where our .50 was located.
GMG2 Idiot was
attempting to remove the barrel jacket from the gun. I told him that he
would damage the jacket (and the gun) the way he was doing it. I told him there
was a specific order things had to be done in order to remove the jacket
without damage. One had to pull the spring-loaded trunnion adapter pin
back; unscrew the trunninon adapter and remove it; remove the trunnion
adapter shim; and remove the barrel jacket set screw (which was
underneath the trunnion adapter) before the barrel jacket would come off. We fussed with
the trunnion adapter -- it was tight -- and then I was called away to a
meeting. When I got back I found that GMG2 Idiot had gotten the jacket off.
He'd put the gun's receiver in a vise and used a 6-foot steel bar to crank
off the barrel jacket. The trunnion adapter and shim were still
in place; he'd
sprung the receiver, stripped the barrel jacket set screw, and bent the
barrel jacket. I went a pitched a bitch to the Chief-of-Staff. GMG2 Idiot was
transferred back to Little Creek. The aircraft .50 became a source of
spare parts.
The M213 flexible helicopter .50
aircraft gun is very similar to the AN-M2 (aircraft) .50 machine
guns we used to fire blanks. Our guns were the same except they
had a trunnion adapter instead of the recoil damper (the
can-shaped object at the end of the barrel jacket) and the blank
adapter where the muzzle brake screws into the end of the barrel
jacket on this gun. (Photo: US Army)
The year 1975
was also the year CRD 21 experimented with camouflage on the
PTF’s. All three PTF’s were painted "Marine 123" which was a lusterless forest green. Each
boat was camouflaged with the addition of combinations of gray and black.
PTF-17 received a "disruptive" pattern of green, gray, and black scheme. PTF-18
received a "wave-mirror" pattern green, gray, and black
scheme. PTF-19
received a "splinter" pattern of green, gray, and black.
Unfortunately, only photos of PTF-17 are available at this time.
The Crew of
PTF-19 on a foggy day in early 1975 before receiving its
camouflage paint job. The OIC of the boat, LT Jim Mottern is
standing to the right of the seated officer. WO-1 Bob Sinnokrak
is standing at the rear, GMGC Bob Stoner is to his right (head
visible). (Photo: Jim Mottern)
The Naval
Reservisits of PTF-19 on a foggy and rainy day in 1975 before
getting underway for local operations: (L to R) LT Tom Monro,
GMGC Bob Stoner, WO-1 Bob Sinnokrak. (Photo: Jim Mottern)
GMGC Bob
Stoner supervising sea and anchor detail aboard PTF-19. The CRD
21 PTF’s operated in all kinds of weather and had more
cumulative underway time than any other PTF-equipped units.
(Photo: Jim Mottern)
PTF-19 is
underway for local operations. (Photo: Jim Mottern)
PTF-17 in
her new war paint. (Photo: Tim Sammons via Jim Gray)
PTF-17 in her new war paint leaves the
harbor at Great Lakes. (Photo: Tim Sammons via Jim Gray)
LT Kurt Froyen's dramatic shot of PTF-17 crossing the wake of
PTF-19 while doing local ops in Lake Michigan off Great Lakes in
late 1975. At this time all three of the CRD 21 PTF's sported
distinctive camouflage such as this. The black smoke plume from
the twin Napier Deltic diesel engine exhausts is very prominent
in this shot. The bridge windshield is again lowered for better
visibility. (Photo: Kurt Froyen)
The year 1976
was the 200 year anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
The personnel of CRD 21 looked forward to the anniversary only
to have joy turn to sorrow. No matter what the accomplishments
of the unit and no matter what the quality of the training they
accomplished for the Naval Reserve, the Congress decided the
Coastal River Division 21 was too expensive (read: they wanted
the money for other pet programs).
As CRD 21
Commanding Officer Tim Johnston tells it: “We got a vague
notification from SurfLANT [Surface Forces, Atlantic Fleet] that
we would be visited by a study team (or something like that)
together with their clearances, etc. They arrived during the
dead of winter and all they wanted to know was when the last ORI
[operational readiness inspection] had been given by SurfLANT.
Now, the lead creep as a fuzzy-headed hippie-type who clearly
could not tell you what an ORI entailed, nor am I sure that he
even knew what it stood for. Well, I told him that we had never
been given one [officially], but we conducted one for each
reserve crew once a year. I also advised him that ORI’s were
given only once in a training cycle to ships and that was done
by FTG GITMO [Fleet Training Group, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba].“
“[He] next
asked how and where we would transit in time of war if the war
was occurring in the winter. As I recall, he was not cleared
for war plans and I told him so. He asked about icebreaker
services and I told him they were available from the USCG. They
would be needed for the Erie Canal if a winter movement order
was issued. I explained that the boats were taken out of the
water more to relieve the waterlogging [the wooden PTF’s soaked
up about 2,000 pounds of water during the year and needed drying
out]. Otherwise, bubblers would keep the water at the berth ice
free. The synchrolift made sense as it allowed upkeep amounting
to a limited overhaul to be done during the two or three months
when ice was present. After 15 minutes, they terminated the
meeting never to return. I did see young Mr. Hippie for a day
or two at the “O” Club.”
“Three months
later the House Appropriations Committee announced that since
CRD 21 was icebound for half the year and had never been
operationally ready, we were going to get the axe.”
“The Navy
replied that this was crap, but nothing could be done. The
Pentagon brass could just about give a damn for CRD 21.
ComCosRivRonTWO [Commander, Coastal River Squadron TWO] and
NavSpecWarGruLANT [Naval Special Warfare Group, Atlantic] being
the very notable exceptions. We also got support from the
Reserve side of the Pentagon big time, but Congress simply did
not care and that included the delegation from the local Chicago
area.”
“It seems that
we made some real enemies by moving the PG’s to the Naval
Station and one of the wives gloated to mine over the fact that
there was some form of payback involved. There was nothing that
I could ever bring charges against anyone over. But, I wish
they had not abolished dueling. I personally believe that the
hippie from the HAC staff (which was headed up by a guy named
Vanderschiff, who later became the DoD Inspector General and had
the reputation as a major ick-pray) was gotten to by some of
those enemies. The rationale for our decommissioning was pure
Bravo Sierra of course, but there you have it.”
“I think you
were at the decommissioning ceremonies. It was my worst day
then or now. Especially since the outfit was primed to really
do some big things that summer, plus the fact we were considered
to be the best unit in the PTF program by some real
heavyweights. I would have accepted it with a lot more grace
had the Navy simply said: “we can’t afford to keep you.” But,
for it to be cased on a double load of unmitigated BS by
Congress left a bad taste that you can see has not gone away
after all these years.”
The word came
down that CRD 21 would be decommissioned effective 30 June 1976.
On or about 1 June 1976 the PG’s left for Little Creek. On 16
June the PTF’s followed the PG’s lead.
The
decommissioning of Coastal River Division TWENTY ONE was the
saddest event in my
military career. There were the usual speeches and the reading of orders. The
ceremonies were traditional, but all of us felt numb. We knew nothing could
or would replace CRD 21. We were correct.
Epilogue.
Coastal River
Division TWENTY ONE has faded into history. Most of the people who made it go
have either retired or will retire soon. The boat house, Building 13 is
still there at Great Lakes. It serves as the headquarters for Assault Craft
Unit ONE Detachment 1613. The ACU is a Reserve unit similar to CRD 21.
Instead of PG’s or PTF’s they have three LCM-8 landing craft, mechanized.
The LCM’s were brought to Great Lakes through the efforts of former CRD 21
members. The synchrolift that used to lift the PTF’s out of the water for
maintenance is now used by the LCM’s. Training goes on, but no matter how
good it can never approach the adrenaline rush of a 75-ton boat hurtling over
the water at 40 knots propelled by two 3,100 horsepower diesels or a
242-ton ship charging through the water at 38 knots propelled by a 15,500
horsepower marine gas turbine.
Unit crest of
Assault Craft Unit ONE (US Navy).
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Drawings
of a 75-ton LCM-8 (US Navy).
Unlike its
sister unit, Coastal River Division TWENTY TWO lived on,
although its PTF’s (PTF-23 and PTF-25) were retired. On 1 March
1979, it became Special Boat Unit TWENTY TWO (along with the
creation of two additional units – SBU 20 and SBU 24). There
were several reorganizations and consolidations within the
Special Boat Units after their creation. In March 2002, the
Special Boat Units became Special Boat Teams. The descendents of
CRD 21 and CRD 22, Special Boat Teams 20 and 22, continue in the
special operations role to this day.
On a personal
note, I and the other Naval Reservists of CRD 21 received a
career enhancement from our years on the PTF’s. We were some of
the first reservists to qualify for the coveted (and at that
time, new) Surface Warfare badge and allowed to add the (SW) to
our official rate or rank. Members also received the designator
of 9534, Fast Patrol Boat crewman. In 1992, the Navy created
the new badge, Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crew (SWCC).
Members that qualify for the SWCC badge get the designator 9533
to identify them as small craft specialists in the special
warfare mission. Members that are SWCC-qualified add (CC) to
their rate or rank.
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Surface Warfare (SW) Badge (officer’s).
The enlisted badge is identical
except it is silver. |
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Special Warfare Combatant Crew (SWCC) Badge
(enlisted). The officer’s badge is
identical in gold |
Where Are They
Now?
Of the original 24 PTF boats, about half
of them remain in various conditions. All three of the Coastal
River Division 21 boats survive. PTF-17 now resides next to the
USS LITTLE ROCK (CLG-4) at the Naval Museum in Buffalo, New
York. Although the exterior is in good condition, the interior
has been extensively cannibalized.
PTF-17 at the Naval Museum, Buffalo, New York. (Photo: Frank
Cumberland)
PTF-18 is for sale by General Propulsion, Inc. in Newport News,
VA. This boat is in running condition with overhauled Napier
Deltic engines. In early September 2005, it was reported
(unconfirmed) that PTF-18 was to be sold to a restoration group
based in the Chicago area. If confirmed, it would be a welcome
homecoming for this ex-CRD 21 boat. I have fond memories of the
-18 boat. I was qualifying as Officer Of the Deck (OOD) while
underway at the time our unit was decommissioned.
PTF-18 at
Newport News, VA in 2000. (Photo: Dan Withers)
PTF-19
before the start of restoration at Worten Marina, Chesterton, MD
in 2004.
(Photo: Dan Withers)
PTF-19 was
part of a group of other PTF’s for sale at Chesapeake Yachts,
Suffolk, VA. PTF-19 boat is the only Trumpy-built boat; all the
others are Norwegian “Nasty”-class: PTF-5 through PTF-7 and
PTF-10 through PTF-12. PTF-19 has been sold for restoration
since this photo was taken.
A 2003 photo of the PTF’s at Chesapeake
Yachts, Suffolk, VA. These boats have recently [2004] been put
on barges. However, some are showing advanced deterioration and
damage from improper lifting. (Photo: Randy Bryant)
Unfortunately, none of the PGs assigned to Coastal River
Division 21 have survived. Of the original 17 gunboats, USS
ASHEVILLE (PG-84), USS CROCKETT (PG-88), and USS MARATHON
(PG-89) have been scrapped along with six others. Three PGs,
renamed Athena I [USS CHEHALIS (ex PG-94)], Athena II
[USS GRAND RAPIDS (ex PG-98)], and Lauren [USS DOUGLAS
(ex PG-100)] are used for systems testing by Carderock Division,
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City, FL. Turkey still
operates the former USS SURPRISE (ex PG-97) as a patrol boat.
Greece operates the former USS BEACON (ex PG-99) and USS GREEN
BAY (ex PG-101) as patrol boats. The former USS TACOMA (ex
PG-92) and USS WELCH (ex PG-93) are employed by the Columbian
Coast Guard.
R13
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