PACV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The PACV is the term for the United States' Navy's Patrol Air Cushion Vehicle or Hovercraft.
The Navy's PACV was based on the British designed SK-5, adapted for American military use in 1965. Three were purchased by the U.S. navy for operations in the in the newly emerging Vietnam War. After a period of getting the Naval crews used to operating the PACV out of their base in Coronado California, adjustments were made through experience in the wakes off San Diego to the model that would later be employed by all hovercrafts, such as changes to the hovercrafts skirt. The PACVs were first deployed in 1966 to Vietnam. Often called Pac Vees, they were armed with a .50 Caliber machine gun mounted on a rotational platform in the front, and side mounted M60 machine gun's and often remote control M60's or grenade launchers in the back. In addition. the crew, and often Green berets and ARVN rangers riding on the side panels, had assorted small arms such as M16's, M79 grenade launchers, Rifles, .45 pistols, M60's, claymores, grenades. During PACV's first tour in Vietnam some basic light armor was added to the hovercraft to give it some protection from enemy fire.
PACVs conducted many successful missions on the Mekong Delta, Cat Lo, Plain of Reeds out of Moc Hoa in their initial tour.
The Navy withdrew the PACVs for overhaul in December/January '66-'67 and redeployed them to Vietnam in late 1967. The army created its own version of the PACV in 1967 with some of the Navy's modifications from the experimental phase of 1966, the ACV. There were only 3 naval PACV's, and 3 Army ACV's during the whole Vietnam War.
The PACV was too loud for patrol and interdiction missions on the coastline and waterways. However, after "Operation Quai Vat" (Vietnamese for Monster, which was what the Viet Cong called the PACVs) the PACV showed it's great prowess and capability in marshy terrain like the Plain of Reeds along south vietnamese/Cambodian coastline.
In operation Quai Vat in November 1966, the PACV force brought its speed and firepower to bear on the Viet Cong, with many successful attacks and raids, taking prisoners and destroying Viet Cong sanctuaries. Afterwards, the success of operation Quai Vat formed the basis for stationing the Army's ACV's in the Plain of Reeds. It was found that the PACV's could move faster over the slick ground found in South Western Vietnam, and into Cambodia. Though the loud noise of the PACV's was still cumbersome, their speed made up for it in this otherwise difficult terrain, especially during the monsoon season. The search and destroy raids conducted out of Moc Hoa in November of 1966 caught the Vietcong by surprise and resulted in many vietcong deaths. With time and degree of threat that this new fast and fierce weapon brought with it, the few PACV's and ACV's in Vietnam became major targets for the insurgents.
The Green Berets out of Moc Hoa became proponents of the PACV, being involved in many of their early operations.
