U.S. Navy Patrol Vessels

During the past century, U.S. Navy patrol vessels have operated everywhere larger warships have—as well as in places where the big boats could not operate. These bantam warriors have performed in a variety of roles, from antisubmarine warfare to convoy escort and offensive operations against enemy forces afloat and ashore. Patrol vessels battled German units in the Mediterranean, fought insurgents along rivers and canals in China and Vietnam and protected U.S. ships and facilities in the Persian Gulf. Covering more than 1000 of the Navy’s small combatants, this comprehensive survey provides all-time rosters, histories, specifications and illustrations of patrol vessels from before World War I to the present. World War II PT boats and submarine chasers and Vietnam War swift boats are covered, along with less well known ships such as Eagle boats, patrol yachts, hydrofoil gunboats and control escorts. A detailed accounting of patrol vessel exports, transfers and shipbuilders is included.

Ken W. Sayers is a former naval officer who served on board a Pacific Fleet destroyer escort and in the Pentagon on the staff of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs). An IBM veteran, he lives in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

Ken W. Sayers

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 557
Bibliographic Info: 294 photos, glossary, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2021
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7650-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4141-6
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Preface 1
Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations 5
Introduction 11
1. Patrol Air Cushion Vehicles (PACV) 15
2. River Patrol Boats (PBR) 24
3. Submarine Chasers (PC) 40
4. Patrol Coastal Ships (PC) 65
5. Control Submarine Chasers (PC[C]) and Patrol Control Craft (PCC) 85
6. Patrol Escorts (PCE) 96
7. Control Escorts (PCEC) 105
8. Patrol Rescue Escorts (PCER) and Experimental Patrol Rescue Escorts (EPCER) 111
9. Fast Patrol Craft (PCF) and Inshore Patrol Craft (PCF) 122
10. Patrol Craft—Hydrofoil (PCH) 134
11. Patrol Craft Sweepers (PCS) and Patrol Craft Control Sweepers (PCSC) 141
12. Eagle Boats (PE) 155
13. Patrol Frigates (PF) 168
14. Nineteenth Century Gunboats 186
15. Prewar Gunboats (PG) 198
16. World War II Gunboats (PG) 211
17. Temptress-Class Patrol Gunboats (PG) 225
18. Patrol Gunboat—Hydrofoils (PGH) 235
19. Motor Gunboats (PGM) 242
20. Patrol Combatant Missile—Hydrofoils (PHM) 274
21. River Gunboats (PR) 282
22. Motor Torpedo Boats (PT) 300
23. Motor Torpedo Boat Submarine Chasers (PTC) 338
24. Fast Patrol Boats (PTF) 344
25. Patrol Yachts (PY) 361
26. Coastal Patrol Yachts (PYc) 383
27. Submarine Chasers (SC) 399
28. Patrol Potpourri 427
29. U.S. Patrol Vessels Built for Foreign Navies 452
30. Patrol Vessel Transfers 489
31. Patrol Vessel Builders 528
Bibliography 533
Index 539

• “Thorough…should find a wide audience, not only among veterans, their families, and researchers alike but also naval enthusiasts. Detailed access to over 3,000 US Navy vessels spanning such a wide range of American history makes this a prized encyclopedic gem that demonstrates the importance of these overlooked ‘bantam warriors’ [246] in an accessible and coherent manner.”—Naval Historical Foundation

• “Excellent…huge detail”—The Northern Mariner