MWSA Book Review

Swift Boat Down; The Real Story of the Sinking of PCF-19

Author: James Steffes

Publisher:  Xlibris

Reviewer: Rob Ballister--MWSA Board Member

An Eyewitness Sheds Light on a Tragedy of War

As a young petty officer, James Steffes was assigned to PCF-12, a Swift Boat patrolling the inland waterways of Vietnam.  In June of 1968, he took part in an operation to rescue the survivors of a sister boat, PCF-19, which went down due to two rockets impacting her hull.  Three personnel died, one was classified as MIA, and two more were seriously injured. 

Eyewitnesses and the US Navy are in agreement on the facts above.  What Steffes brings to light is that there are serious discrepancies in the related events both before and after the attack.  While the attack was classified as "friendly fire" at the time, Steffes brings evidence to light that there may be more to the story, and presents a believable argument that the boat was sunk by hostile fire, using official documents and eyewitness accounts.

This book is well researched, and provides a glimpse into a little known and definately underappreciated facet of the US Navy in Vietnam.  It is a good read for anyone interested in brown water operations, either current or past, or for those curious about the search for MIAs from the Vietnam War.