underway with sister boat
PT-109 Origins Special boat teams trace their history to the
PT boats of
World War II.
Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three rescued General
Douglas MacArthur (and later the Filipino president
Manuel L. Quezon) from the
Philippines after the
Japanese invasion and then participated in guerrilla actions until American resistance ended with the
fall of Corregidor. PT boats subsequently participated in most of the campaigns in the
Southwest Pacific by conducting and supporting joint/combined
reconnaissance,
blockade,
sabotage, and
raiding missions as well as attacking Japanese shore facilities, shipping, and forces. PT boats were used in the
European Theater beginning in April 1944 to help the
Office of Strategic Services insert spies and
French Resistance personnel and for
amphibious landing deception.
Birth of NSW-Task Force 116, and the Vietnam War The modern special boat operator grew out of efforts during the Vietnam War to develop forces for
riverine warfare. In February 1964, Boat Support Unit ONE (BSU-1) was established under Naval Operations Support Group, Pacific to operate the newly reinstated
fast patrol boat (PTF) program and to operate high-speed craft for NSW forces. Nicknamed (SWIFT) crews BSU-1 would directly support Naval Special Warfare Operations, initially outfitted primarily by
Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) and the newly established
SEALs. The schooling was in Coronado, California, and every new sailor that wasn't already a UDT or SEAL was trained extensively in boat/weapons operations, and advanced swimming to work alongside UDT or SEALs. The boat crew members underwent a rite of passage similar to "Hell Week" by SEALs. A UDT and SEAL platoon was assigned to each of BSU-1's squadrons of Mobile Support Teams (MST 1–3). The squadrons inserted and extracted from their patrol area by PBRs. In late 1964, the first PTFs arrived in
Da Nang, Vietnam. In 1965, Boat Support Unit One began training patrol craft fast (SWIFT) crews for Vietnamese coastal patrol and interdiction operations. As the Vietnam mission expanded into the riverine environment, additional craft, tactics, and training evolved for riverine patrol and direct UDT/SEAL support. Boat Support Unit TWO was initially formed in 1965 to run and maintain high-speed boats for the UDT and SEAL teams at Little Creek, VA. In 1966, River Patrol Force (Task Force 116) operated river patrol boats on counterinsurgency operations in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam in
Operation Game Warden. The task force utilized small watercraft far up the
Mekong River into
Laos and supported the Amphibious Ready Groups operating on South Vietnam's river such as
Operation Market Time. These boats would insert UDTs or SEALs by patrol craft while they went ashore to demolish obstacles and enemy bunkers. In July 1968,
Light SEAL Support Craft (LSSC) began replacing PBRs as their primary support craft. Mobile Support Teams (MST 1–3) provided combat craft support for UDT/SEAL operations, as did
patrol boat, river (PBR) and
patrol craft, fast (PCF) sailors. On 1 July 1971, Boat Support Units ONE and TWO missions broadened to encompass coastal/riverine patrol and interdiction. Both commands were renamed into Coastal River Squadron ONE and TWO. A wide range of small boat projects were developed and tested with the command's help. The Coastal Patrol and Interdiction Craft, the Landing Craft Swimmer Recovery Vessel, the FLAGSTAFF (PGH-1), one of the Navy's first operational hydrofoils, and the Swimmer Delivery Vehicle, which carried on the now-renamed SEAL Delivery Vehicle diving operations, were among them. After UDT-13 was split in 1975, several of its members joined Coastal River Squadrons and others contributed to the creation of the
UCT teams. In 1978, Coastal River Squadron ONE became Special Boat Squadron ONE. Special boat units, which were still composed primarily of UDT/SEAL personnel or specialized boat crew members, spawned four operational special boat units from the original MSTs: SBU-11, SBU-12, SBU-13, and Special Boat Detachments. The following year, in 1979, Coastal River Squadron TWO became Special Boat Squadron TWO. This formed three more operational special boat units: SBU-20, SBU-22, and SBU-24. In 1983, remaining UDT diver teams underwent their final consolidation with the SEAL teams. The establishment of the
United States Naval Special Warfare Command took place in 1987, consolidating the Special Boat Units and SEALs into a single command. Additionally, a new special boat unit, SBU-26, was also established during this time. Naval Special Warfare Group 4 (NSWG-4) was established in October 2002 as a result of changes to the NSW's restructure. Special Boat Teams 12, 20, and 22 all were established merged from various SBU units. NSWG-4 is tasked with organizing, equipping, and training established SWCC crews to assign combatant craft to the restructured Special Boat Teams to support Naval Special Warfare.
War on drugs and Panama The United States Navy contributed extensive special operations assets to the
war on drugs and Panama's invasion, codenamed
Operation Just Cause. This included SEAL Teams 2 and 4, Naval Special Warfare Unit 8, and Special Boat Unit 26, all falling under Naval Special Warfare Group 2; and the separate
Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU). During
Operation Snowcap part of a counter-drug operations in Colombia, a Special Boat Team came under attack in the Antioquia Valley region while conducting reconnaissance operations. The boat team held off a force of roughly 150 Colombian rebel insurgents believed to be part of Colombia's counter-revolutionary movement (FARC). Throughout the three days and nights of fighting, the boat team was repeatedly surrounded and cut off from escape. Short of ammunition and water, the team held on until first light on day three, regrouped and counter-attacked, punching a hole in the insurgents defense line and later linking up with U.S. Navy SEALs and Colombian special forces. Members of the team were cited for their heroism and bravery.
War on terror Following the
September 11 attacks, SWCC deployed throughout the
war on terror, including the
War in Afghanistan and
Iraq War. SWCC assisted in the security of numerous oil platforms in the
Persian Gulf, as well as conducted Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) and reconnaissance operations. Some Special Warfare boat operators were attached to SEAL Teams or occasionally with Marine special operations as medics and JTACs. Overtime throughout the conflict, some SWCCs were utilized to supplement Navy SEALs on land functioning as their "Engineers" as adept mechanics, gunners, and drivers during convoys or insertion/extraction operations. SWCC were integral in the war on terror, particularly in the
Battle of Al Faw (2003),
Battle of Umm Qasr,
2013 raid on Barawe and
Siege of Marawi. Facing the growing rise of
terror groups in the Philippines, the Navy dispatched special boat teams to train and advise
Armed Forces of the Philippines and conduct maritime operations against piracy, trafficking, and port/waterway security. Some 160 U.S. special operators went on patrol with Filipinos in the jungles of Basilan island, an
Abu Sayyaf stronghold. In 2002, a MH-47 Chinook helicopter with 10 American operators crashed during a night operation; none survived. In 2007, SWCC operated
Mark V Special Operations Craft and conducted various maritime interdiction,
visit-board-search-and-seizure, and reconnaissance operations.{{Cite web|title=Navy helps Philippines' sea defense SWCC detachments have participated in nearly every major conflict since then, notably in the Persian Gulf (operations
Prime Chance and
Earnest Will 1987–88,
Operation Snowcap 1987–1995, the U.S.
invasion of Panama in 1989–1990, the 1990-1991
Gulf War and the ongoing global war on terror, and
counter-narcotics operations in South and Central America. ==Missions==