There has been lots of interest in the restoration of surviving  World War II PT (Patrol Torpedo) boats. The closest thing to a PT boat in service during the Vietnam War was the PCF, Patrol Craft Fast, better known as the Swift Boat. These boats, at 50 feet long, were smaller than the World II vintage PT boats and relied on machine guns and mortars as their principal armament rather than torpedoes. The Swift boats were initially intended for coastal patrol and later became part of the “brown water” Navy, patrolling the interior waterways of Vietnam.  Now, volunteers from the Maritime Museum of San Diego have restored a 1968 Swift boat. Mark Gallant, the project manager says, “When this boat is up and running at the Maritime Museum, it will probably be the only operational swift boat in the United States and probably the world.”  Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing along the story.

Milestone reached for Vietnam swift boat project