At Close Quarters
At Close Quarters

Author: Robert J. Bulkley

Publisher: Naval Institute Press

Published: 2012-04-15

Total Pages: 612

ISBN-13: 1612511821

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Small though they were, PT boats played a key role in World War II, carrying out an astonishing variety of missions where fast, versatile, and strongly armed vessels were needed. Called "weapons of opportunity," they met the enemy at closer quarters and with greater frequency than any other type of surface craft. Among the most famous PT commanders was John F. Kennedy, whose courageous actions in the Pacific are now well known to the American public. The author of the book, another distinguished PT boat commander in the Pacific, compiled this history of PT-boat operations in World War II for the U.S. Navy shortly after V-J Day, when memories were fresh and records easily assessable. The book was first made available to the public in 1962 after Kennedy's inauguration as president of the United States interest in PTs was at a peak. Bulkley provides a wealth of facts about these motor torpedo boats, whose vast range of operation covered two oceans as well as the Mediterranean and the English Channel. Although their primary mission was to attack surface ships and craft close to shore, they were also used effectively to lay mines and smoke screens, to rescue downed aviators, and to carry out intelligence and raider operations. The author gives special attention to the crews, paying well-deserved tribute to their heroism, skill, and sacrifice that helped to win the war.

Combat at Close Quarters: Warfare on the Rivers and Canals of Vietnam
Combat at Close Quarters: Warfare on the Rivers and Canals of Vietnam

Author: Edward J. Marolda

Publisher: Government Printing Office

Published: 2019-09-16

Total Pages: 86

ISBN-13: 0160955556

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This historical volume introduces us to the Navy’s river force and American advisers to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. U.S. Navy and Marines securing the Rung Sat that was owned by Viet Cong early in the War offered our navy a river patrol craft that allowed for early naval intelligence attempts. Riverine warfare training because a mission for training sailors at home in addition to SEALS and SEALORDS for additional coastal surveillance force to support the riverine forces. Vice Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr. proved to be a strategic leader to: * plan a combined-arms, * multi-service, * multinational approach to interdicting Communist infiltration from Cambodia * and destroying enemies within the Mekong Delta The fast patrol craft or swift boat became one of the Navy’s workhorses from the SEALORDS CAMPAIGN. The Army’s Dust Off, medical evacuation helicopter is also introduced within this resource to provide medical attention to those in combat as part of rescue missions. Related products: Find more volumes in The U.S. Navy and Vietnam War series: The Approaching Storm: Conflict in Asia, 1945-1965 (ePub ISBN: 9780160928604) Nixon's Trident: Naval Power in Southeast Asia, 1968-1972 (ePub ISBN: 9780160928697) The Battle Behind Bars: Navy and the Marine POWs in the Vietnam War (ePub ISBN: 9780160928635) Navy Medicine in Vietnam: Passage to Freedom to the Fall of Saigon (ePub ISBN: 9780160928666) Naval Air War: The Rolling Thunder Campaign (ePub ISBN: 9780160931222) Knowing the Enemy: Naval Intelligence in Southeast Asia (ePub ISBN: 9780160937361) Fourth Arm of Defense: Sealift and Maritime Logistics in the Vietnam War (ePub ISBN: 9780160955433) End of the Saga: The Maritime Evacuation of South Vietnam and Cambodia (ePub ISBN: 9780160955570)

Combat at Close Quarters
Combat at Close Quarters

Author: Edward J. Marolda

Publisher: Government Printing Office

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 86

ISBN-13: 9780945274735

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This work describes riverine combat during the Vietnam War, emphasizing the operations of the U.S. Navy’s River Patrol Force, which conducted Operation Game Warden; the U.S. Army-Navy Mobile Riverine Force, the formation that General William Westmoreland said “saved the Mekong Delta” during the Tet Offensive of 1968; and the Vietnam Navy. An important section details the SEALORDS combined campaign, a determined effort by U.S. Navy, South Vietnamese Navy, and allied ground forces to cut enemy supply lines from Cambodia and disrupt operations at base areas deep in the delta. The author also covers details on the combat vessels, helicopters, weapons, and equipment employed in the Mekong Delta as well as the Vietnamese combatants (on both sides) and American troops who fought to secure Vietnam’s waterways. Special features focus on the ubiquitous river patrol boats (PBRs) and the Swift boats (PCFs), river warfare training, Vice Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr., the Black Ponies aircraft squadron, and Navy SEALs. This publication may be of interest to history scholars, veterans, students in advanced placement history classes, and military enthusiasts given the continuing impact of riverine warfare on U.S. naval and military operations in the 21st century. Special Publicity Tie-In: Commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War (Commemoration dates: 28 May 2012 - 11 November 2025). This is the fifth book in the series, "The U.S. Navy and the Vietnam War." TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction The First Indochina War The Vietnam Navy River Force and American Advisors The U.S. Navy and the Rivers of Vietnam SEALORDS The End of the Line for U.S. and Vietnamese River Forces Sidebars: The PBR Riverine Warfare Training Battle Fleet of the Mekong Delta High Drama in the Delta Vice Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr. Black Ponies The Swift Boat Warriors with Green Faces Suggested Reading

At Close Quarters; PT Boats In The United States Navy [Illustrated Edition]
At Close Quarters; PT Boats In The United States Navy [Illustrated Edition]

Author: Captain Robert J. Bulkley Jr.

Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing

Published: 2015-11-06

Total Pages: 796

ISBN-13: 1786252066

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Includes over 110 illustrations charting the history of the US Navy PT Boats. “The destiny of our country has been inextricably interwoven with the sea. This was never more true than in the giant World War II that involved all seas and most of mankind. To fight the sea war we needed many types of ships, large and small, from aircraft carriers and battleships to PT boats. “Small though they were, the PT boats played a key role. Like most naval ships, they could carry out numerous tasks with dispatch and versatility. In narrow waters or in-fighting close to land they could deliver a powerful punch with torpedo or gun. On occasion they could lay mines or drop depth charges. They could speed through reefs and shark infested waters to rescue downed pilots or secretly close the shore to make contacts with coast watchers and guerrilla forces. PT boats were an embodiment of John Paul Jones’ words: “I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast for I intend to go in harm’s way.” “Naval strength must function from shore to shore and on inland waters where the mobility and flexibility provided by ships can be employed to support land operations. PT boats filled an important need in World War II in shallow waters, complementing the achievements of greater ships in greater seas. This need for small, fast, versatile, strongly armed vessels does not wane. In fact it may increase in these troubled times when operations requiring just these capabilities are the most likely of those which may confront us. “The thorough and competent account herein of over-all PT boat operations in World War II, compiled by Captain Robert Bulkley, a distinguished PT boat commander, should therefore prove of wide interest. The widest use of the sea, integrated fully into our national strength, is as important to America in the age of nuclear power and space travel as in those stirring days of the birth of the Republic.”–President John F Kennedy.

The Darkest Days of the War
The Darkest Days of the War

Author: Peter Cozzens

Publisher: UNC Press Books

Published: 2017-12-10

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 9781469620398

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During the late summer of 1862, Confederate forces attempted a three-pronged strategic advance into the North. The outcome of this offensive--the only coordinated Confederate attempt to carry the conflict to the enemy--was disastrous. The results at Antietam and in Kentucky are well known; the third offensive, the northern Mississippi campaign, led to the devastating and little-studied defeats at Iuka and Corinth, defeats that would open the way for Grant's attack on Vicksburg. Peter Cozzens presents here the first book-length study of these two complex and vicious battles. Drawing on extensive primary research, he details the tactical stories of Iuka--where nearly one-third of those engaged fell--and Corinth--fought under brutally oppressive conditions--analyzing troop movements down to the regimental level. He also provides compelling portraits of Generals Grant, Rosecrans, Van Dorn, and Price, exposing the ways in which their clashing ambitions and antipathies affected the outcome of the campaign. Finally, he draws out the larger, strategic implications of the battles of Iuka and Corinth, exploring their impact on the fate of the northern Mississippi campaign, and by extension, the fate of the Confederacy.