''PTF-26'' is a PTF boat, (Swift boat),

museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...

at the Maritime Pastoral Training Foundation in

Golconda, Illinois Golconda is a city in and the county seat of Pope County, Illinois, United States, located along the Ohio River. The population was 630 at the 2020 census. Most of the city is part of the Golconda Historic District. History The city is named ...

, a ''Osprey'' class. ''PTF-26'' is referred to as "The Last American PT Boat". ''PTF-26'' was built in 1968 by the Sewart Seacraft now know as Swiftships in

Berwick, Louisiana Berwick is a town in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,946 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area. The town relocated the Southwest Reef Light and has been trying to sav ...

. ''PTF-26'' is small river

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...

built with an

aluminium Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

hull. The

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

used ''PTF-26'' in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

from 1968 to 1971 in the

Brown-water navy A brown-water navy or riverine navy, in the broadest sense, is a naval force capable of military operations in inland waters (rivers, lakes and inland seas) and nearshores. The term originated in the United States Navy during the American Ci ...

. ''PTF-26'' has a top speed of speed of knots. She is an ''Osprey''-class PTF boat and is long. PTF boats replaced the wooden World War II

PT boat A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, and it was valued for its maneuverability and speed. However, PT boats were hampe ...

s. Four new PTF boats were delivered to the Military Assistance Group (MACV) at

Da Nang Da Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons (, ) is the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the Western Pacific Ocean of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one of Vietnam's most important p ...

, Vietnam in 1968, ''PTF-26'' was one of the four boats. The four boats were armed with a 40 mm Bofors cannon aft, two

Oerlikon 20 mm cannon The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons based on an original German Becker Type M2 20 mm cannon design that appeared very early in World War I. It was widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others, with various models empl ...

forward, two .50-caliber Browning machine guns and on the foredeck, an

81 mm mortar An 81-mm mortar is a medium-weight mortar. It is a smooth-bore, muzzle-loading, high-angle-of-fire weapon used for long-range indirect fire support of light infantry, air assault, and airborne units across the entire front of a battalion zo ...

. From 1971 to 1990 she was used by the US Navy at

Naval Amphibious Base Coronado Naval Amphibious Base Coronado (NAB Coronado) is a US naval installation in San Diego, California. The base, situated on Silver Strand between San Diego Bay and the Pacific Ocean, is a major United States Navy shore command, supporting over 30 t ...

and

Pacific Missile Test Center Pacific Missile Test Center (PMTC) is the former name of the current Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division. The name of the center was the Naval Air Missile Test Center prior to PMTC. It is located at Naval Base Ventura County/ Naval Air St ...

Port Hueneme Port Hueneme ( ; Chumash: ''Wene Me'') is a small beach city in Ventura County, California, surrounded by the city of Oxnard and the Santa Barbara Channel. Both the Port of Hueneme and Naval Base Ventura County lie within the city limits. Port ...

From November 1997 to June 2020 she was with Liberty Maritime Inc. as a

Sea Scout Sea Scouts are a part of the Scout movement, with a particular emphasis on boating and other water-based activities on the sea, rivers or lakes (canoeing, rafting, scuba, sailboarding). Sea Scouts can provide a chance to sail, cruise on boats, ...

training ship at

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

. On her way to Maritime Pastoral Training Foundation she stopped at

Morro Bay, California Morro Bay (''Morro'', Spanish for "Hill") is a seaside city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast of California, the city's population was 10,757 as of the 2020 census, up from 10,234 at the 2010 ...

departing December 14, 2023, then on December 16, the

Maritime Museum of San Diego The Maritime Museum of San Diego is a maritime museum in San Diego, California. Established in 1948, it preserves one of the largest collections of historic sea vessels in the United States. Located on San Diego Bay, the centerpiece of the museum' ...

, then the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico and then

Pickwick Lake Pickwick Lake is the reservoir created by Pickwick Landing Dam as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority. The lake stretches from Pickwick Landing Dam in Counce, Tennessee, to Wilson Dam in Florence, Alabama, and is one of the few lakes in the ...

of the

Tennessee Valley Authority The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolin ...

in July 2024. She is now at Golconda, Illinois where ''PTF-26'' is the first historic naval ship in southern Illinois. At Golconda she is operated by

Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) is a federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US military bases across the world. The progr ...

Cadets,

Sea cadets Sea cadets are members of a cadets youth program sponsored by a national naval service, aimed for young people with an interest in waterborne activities and or the national navy. The organisation may be sponsored in whole or in part by the navy or ...

and Sea Scouts.

''Osprey''-class boats

The four ''Osprey''-class wooden hull PTF boats served in the Vietnam War starting in 1968, after being built at Sewart Seacraft (now Swiftships) in

: ''PTF 26'' now a museum ship at Golconda, Illinois, still in PTF configuration.

References

External links

*
PCF-45 story, by Robert Shirley

* ttp://www.swiftboats.org Swift Boat Sailors' Association {{PTF boat Military boats Patrol vessels of the United States Navy Riverine warfare Vietnam War ships 1968 ships Maritime history of California PTF boat