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History of the
U.S. Navy NASTY Class
Patrol Torpedo Fast
First in the series of U.S. Navy NASTY Class Patrol Torpedo Fast boats, PTF 3 marked the return of the wooden PT Boats to the U.S. Navy. Commissioned in 1963, PTF 3 was sent to South-east Asia in the fall of 1963 as a "Spook Boat" operated by MAC V SOG, Maritime Special Ops, PTF 3 along with 5 other PTF boats began raids against North Vietnam by attacking shore installations and inserting special operations teams.

It was during a series of raids from 31 July to 4 August 1964 on Hon Mei Island in North Vietnam that the North Vietnamese counter attacked the PTF Boats with their torpedo boats, chasing the PTF Boats away from the coast and into the path of two U.S. Navy Destroyers the U.S.S. Maddox and the U.S.S. Turner Joy. The ensueing naval battle is known to history as the Tonkin Gulf Incident.

Within a week President Lyndon B. Johnson presented the Incident to the American People as an unprovoked attack of U.S. Naval Ships on the High Seas. The Congress of the United States passed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, authorizing President Johnson to escalate, what had been a civil war in Southeast Asia into the Vietnam War of 1964-1975.

PTF 3 was turned back over to the U.S. Navy in 1965. Based out of Danang, RVN, PTF 3 continued operations against North Vietnam inserting SEAL, Special Forces, Force RECON Marines and South Vietnamese Sea Commando units. PTF 3 participated in the Psychological Warfare program called the League of he Sacred Sword. A fictitious resistance movement that kept several North Vietnamese Army Divisions busy and out of the war hunting phantom guerrillas.

PTF 3 returned to the U.S. in the early 1970's and was stationed at the Navy Diver Training Facility at Key West, FL. Decommissioned in 1977, and sold for scrap in 1978, donated to Boy Scout Troup 544 in 2001.

SPECIFICATIONS:
BUILT:
  Masden, Norway 1962 as KNM SKREI Torpedo
COMMISSIONED:   U.S. Navy PTF 3 1963
LENGTH:   80 feet, 4 inches
BEAM:   24 feet, 5 inches
DRAFT:   6 feet, 10 inches
SPEED:  
43+ knots
CONSTRUCTION:  
Double planked Honduran Mahogany
ARMAMENT: 
40 mm BOFORS (1)
.50 M2 / 81mm (1)
20 mm Mark 3 (2)
7.62 mm M60 MG (4)
5.56 mm M16 rifles