Vietnam Remembered

got this info from a fela named Dempsey alias stabrat on Yahoo Clubs: vietnamvetsonly 11-09-2000

Strike Assault Boat Squadron 20 (Stabs)

Here is a little info on the Stab boat. No we weren't SEALS. We were very well trained sailors. We trained at Naval Inshore Operations Training Center in Mare Island, Ca., took our small arms and weapons training at Fort Roberts, Ca, Sere training at Whedby Island, Wa and grunt training at NIOTC.

When Admiral Zumwalt took command of Naval Forces, Vietnam in Sep. 68 he was impressed with the LSSC (light SEAL support craft) and wanted an improved version for high speed strikes into areas not accessable to PBRs or other river craft. This was the start of Stabs.

The Stab was 26'2" long, 10'4" abeam, 3'9" draft and displacement was 14,900 lbs. Engines were two Kiekhaefer Mercruiser 427 cu.in., 325 hp, that required 93% octane gas held in two self sealing fuel bladders located under the deck plates, with a total capacity of 320 gallons of gas. Each engine drove a Mercruiser III stern drive with power steering, power trim, and a stainless steel racing prop. Both engines were housed in completely soundproofed engine comopartments. When on Step the Stab drew 18" of water. The aluminum hull was totally stryofoam filled and could be blown in half and still remain afloat. The boat could go from dead in the water to 45 mph in 15 seconds. Governors were installed on each engine and top speed was only 45-50mph loaded.

Each boat had 4 crewmembers, a coxswain, gunner, engineman and seaman. The coxswain or gunner was the boat captain. Each man was issued a 38 cal. S&W with shoulder holster, M-16, and K-bar. Other boat weapons and equipment included 1-12ga. shotgun, M79 grenade launcher, 4-M60s, 2-MK20 40mm auto grenade launchers, starlight scope, 1-AN/VRC-46 radio with both clear and secure voice, 1-AN/PRC-77 mounted in the boat and 1-AN/PRC-77 with backpack. An ammo box was rigged for each M60 with 2,000 rds. Grenades, Claymores, and ammo for each weapon was onboard plus sensoring equipment for ambushes.

Our Mission was: Fast attack Gun Boat (strike warfare tactics), Resource Control Operations (daytime board/search), Waterborne Guard Post (night observation/ambush), Patrol (escort deep draft fuel/ammo ships through Rung Sat), SEAL Platoon Strike "Warfare (daytime ops), and SEAL Team Insertion and Extraction (night ops).

200 men were attached to STABRON20 including support personnel. All 20 boats that went to Nam returned to Conus. We were never involved in the vietnamization program as were the rest of the riverine forces. We were attached to and under the operational command of TF 116. Our call sigh was "Racing Danger" followed by last two numbers of the boat serial number. My call sign was "Racing Danger 01."

When we were working with troops, we took a few thousand lbs. of ammo and explosives off the boat and could carry 6-8 fully loaded troops. When we were working Cambodia before troops were sent in. We carried 4 SEALs on each boat. The cambodian ferry incident is another stupid story. The boats were small and the ****pit was not very roomy but when we worked the Grand Cannal for six months we lived in them for what seems like a couple of months before the Seabees came and built us a small base camp at Phuoc Xyuen. The op on the Grand Canal was called Barrier Reef and the final score was 43 VC KIA, 4 Stab Brothers KIA. A pretty good kill ratio as far as the Brass saw it, But it wasn't worth the life of ONE of my Brothers!

We worked the RSSZ later in 70. Worked out of Nha Be. Lived over the SEAL hootch. I didn't like the idea of two story hooches in the Nam. I'm glad I worked the night shift. Incoming would have been a nightmare. We were/are a close knit unit. The highlight of my 21 Navy career was my tour with StabRon20. Almaxmax and Rgw08 can tell you more about the boat captain and patrol officer duties. They were 1st Class BMs back then and great leaders/warriors. Pushcart07 can tell you more about the engines and sterndrives and mechanics of the boat. He was the engineman on my boat and the best as far as I am conceerned. I may be a little biased but 01 would run a hole in the wind with crew and troops aboard. Being the gunner while on WBGP my job, and I loved it, was to set ambush on the beach. We normally had two crewmembers on the beach and the BC and remaining man on the boat. I didn't like sitting on the boat during monsoon at coordinates where the water was too high to get on land without drowning.

Sere stands for Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape. We were taken to Whedby Island and taught to live off the land for days. We were issued a parachute half to make a sleeping bag and another half per two men for a tent. The next phase was a compass course and checkpoints with enemy troops scattered along the trail. Next came the POW camp where we were mistreated, tortured, interrogated, and eventially freed when friendly troops overran the compound. Sere started out as a boyscout adventure but after about 10 minutes in the POW camp your mind did a 360 and the US troops dressed up in Commie uniforms and the constant harrassment made this scenario all too real. You find out fast what you are made of.

When our boats arrived in Nam we outfitted them at Dong Tam and then went up the Mekong to the USS Benewah. This is were we got our mail, rearmed and got a couple of days off every so often. Our boats were classified, so that when we arrived at the Benewah the area where we nested was roped off and a guard was posted. The other river rats couldn't even come near our boats. I think the main reason was that a lot of the PBRs and heavies had vietnamese sailors on their crews and probably 99% of them were good troops but the 1% that were VC or NVA are the ones we didn't want near the boats.

E4s were 3rd class petty officers. I was a GMG3 which stood for Gunners Mate Guns 3rd class. We had many many E4s and E5s. A lot more than we had E2s or E3s. In Army talk E2 & E3 was private and private first class, E4 was corporal, E5 sgt, E6 was staff sgt, our E7s or Chief Petty Officers were your Master sgts, our Senior Chiefs were 1st sgts, and our Master Chiefs were Sgt Majors, I hope I got that right. Total boat crewmen were by rank: 20 1st class petty officers(E6), 3 2nd class(E5), 37 3rd class(E4), and 29 E2-W3. Our other brothers were: CO LCDR 04(your major), 3 LTJG patrol officers 02(1st Lt), 2 maintenance officers Lt(captain), 6 Chiefs enlisted patrol officers, 1 Cheif maint. assistant, 1 1st class yeoman, 1 1st class storekeeper logistics assistant, 1 3rd class psyops assistant.

He had some diagrams of the boats, but eye neglected to down load them. And of course Yahoo clubs is extinct as well as MSN Groups. We asked him questions and then he answered them, thats why this post is somewhat choppy. I have 4 pages of answers, eye neglected to save the questions.

I realize this is second hand, but thot eye'd throw it in anyway.

Rob