United States Nasty-class patrol boat

The Nasty class of fast patrol boats were a set of 20 vessels built for the United States Navy to a Norwegian design and purchased in the 1960s for covert operations during the Vietnam War. Following the conflict they remained in service until the early 1980s.

For other ship classes of the same name, see Nasty-type patrol boat.

Norwegian MTB Nasty
Class overview
Builders:

Westermoen Båtbyggeri, Mandal, Norway

John Trumpy & Sons, Annapolis, Maryland
Operators:  United States Navy
Built: 1962–1968
In commission: 1962–1981
Completed: 20
General characteristics [1]
Type: Patrol boat
Displacement: 80 long tons (81 t)
Length: 80 ft 4 in (24.49 m)
Beam: 24 ft 7 in (7.49 m)
Draft: 3 ft 10 in (1.17 m)
Propulsion: 2 × Napier Deltic Turboblown diesel engines, 6,200 bhp (4,623 kW)
Speed: 38 knots (70 km/h; 44 mph)
Complement: 17 men
Armament:

Construction

Following World War II the US Navy had little use for fast attack craft, and most of her PT boats were disposed of shortly after VJ Day. With the involvement in the Vietnam War the Navy saw a renewed need for small combatant craft for "brown water" operations, and they approached the Norwegian Westermoen company, which had built a prototype fast attack boat, the Nasty, and was currently building a set of 12 vessels (the Tjeld-class patrol boats) for the Royal Norwegian Navy.

The USN ordered two vessels, which were delivered in 1962 and were designated PTF 3 and PTF 4. This was followed in 1966 with an order for 14 more (PTF's 5-16), with an agreement for a further six to be built under licence by Trumpy of Annapolis. Trumpy's had been a major contributor to the USN's PT fleet in World War II, and had been one of just four yards asked post-war to build a prototype PT boat to consolidate wartime experience and the lessons learned.

The Norwegian boats were delivered in 1964, and the Trumpy boats three years later.[1]

A subsequent improved version, the Osprey class, was larger with aluminum instead of wooden hulls, of which four were operated by the U.S.Navy, assigned hull numbers PTF-23 through PTF-26.[3]

Service history
Nasty-class patrol boats operated by MACV-SOG Detachment 2 return from the DMZ, 1971

All vessels of the class saw action during the war in Vietnam, being employed by the special forces for clandestine operations along the coast of North Vietnam. During these operations six boats were lost; one (PTF 4) in 1964 and five more in 1966. In 1966 four boats were transferred to the South Vietnamese Navy, though they were returned and re-commissioned in 1970.

With the end of the conflict the need for these boats evaporated, and the high maintenance costs of such vessels militated against retaining them. Most were disposed of in the 1970s and all were gone by 1981.[1]

List of vessels
Number Date of acquisition Builder Notes[1]
PTF 3December 1962WestermoenTransferred to South Vietnamese Navy January 1966, returned 1970. Stricken 1977; currently located at the Deland Naval Air Station Museum, DeLand, Florida undergoing restoration as a museum artifact
PTF 4December 1962WestermoenSunk 1964
PTF 5March 1964WestermoenTransferred to South Vietnamese Navy January 1966, returned 1970. Stricken 1981
PTF 6March 1964WestermoenTransferred to South Vietnamese Navy January 1966, returned 1970. Stricken 1977
PTF 7March 1964WestermoenTransferred to South Vietnamese Navy January 1966, returned 1970. Stricken 1977
PTF 8March 1964WestermoenSunk 1966
PTF 9September 1964WestermoenSunk 1966
PTF 10September 1964WestermoenStricken 1981
PTF 11September 1964WestermoenStricken 1981
PTF 12September 1964WestermoenStricken 1977
PTF 13September 1964WestermoenStricken 1981
PTF 14September 1964WestermoenSunk 1966
PTF 15September 1964WestermoenSunk 1966
PTF 16September 1964WestermoenSunk 1966
PTF 171967TrumpyStricken 1981, currently located at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park[4]
PTF 181967TrumpyStricken 1980
PTF 191967TrumpyStricken 1980
PTF 201967TrumpyStricken 1981
PTF 211968TrumpyStricken 1981
PTF 221968TrumpyStricken 1981

Notes
  1. Conway p623
  2. William R. Wells II, The United States Coast Guard's Piggyback 81mm Mortar/.50 cal. machine gun, Vietnam Magazine, August 1997
  3. http://www.ptfnasty.com/ , and http://libertymaritime.com/index.htm/
  4. https://buffalonavalpark.org/exhibits/equipment/
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References
  • Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995 (1995) Naval Institute Press, Annapolis ISBN 1-55750-132-7
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