On October 1, 2006, the United States Navy created the Special Warfare Boat Operator (SB) rating—a recognition of both the importance and scope of the duties performed by Sailors with the job Classification of Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman, or SWCCC. As the need for the types of duties performed by SWCCC Sailors grew due to the exigencies associated with the Global War on Terror’s expeditionary missions, the Navy realized that they deserved the type of focused and sustained advanced training that only comes with the establishment of a unique specialty.
The genesis of the SB rating is unquestionably the introduction of PT Boats—short for Patrol Torpedo—during World War II. These fast-attack craft didn’t pack much punch as far as guns were concerned: The bulk were equipped with just a pair of twin .50-caliber machine guns, while a few also wielded a 20mm cannon. It was their four Mark 8 torpedoes that gave these “mosquitoes” their sting, and the hit-and-run tactics they employed were the World War II Naval equivalent of guerilla warfare.
But it was during the Vietnam War that Naval Special Warfare (NSW) began to become a fully realized component of the U.S. Navy, due in no small part to the new types of warfare and terrain U.S. forces were encountering. The North Vietnamese, for all intents and purposes, had no blue-water navy for the U.S. to engage, and North Vietnamese soldiers employed guerilla tactics that precluded the sort of set-piece battles of the European Theater of World War II or even the jungle-fighting in the Pacific.
It was in response to this new and unique type of enemy combatant force that the first Navy SEAL Teams were created in 1962, followed a year later by the establishment of Boat Support Unit ONE, or BSU-1. This was a unit unlike any other in the Navy: it existed solely to operate, evaluate, test, and modify combat craft to support the operations of the new SEAL Teams.
Deployed to Vietnam as Mobile Support Teams (MST) the members of BSU-1 operated two specialized craft. The Light SEAL Support Craft (LSSC) had a crew of just three and carried a half-dozen SEALs; armament consisted of two M60 machine guns and a single .50-caliber Browning machine gun. The Medium SEAL Support Craft (MSSC) was much more substantial in every regard. Crewed by seven and able to carry a platoon of SEALs, the MSSC was armed with an M60 machine gun forward, a .50-caliber machine aft, and an M134 Minigun.
Of course, the SEALs were supported by other combat craft. But these MSTs were dedicated to SEAL support alone—a relationship that’s equivalent to that of today’s Special Warfare Operators and Special Warfare Boat Operators.
Related Items
Special Warfare Boat Operator (SB) Rating Badge
Special Warfare Boat Operator (SB) Buckle
CWO Special Warfare Boat Operator Hard Shoulder Boards
CWO Special Warfare Boat Operator Soft Epaulets
CWO Special Warfare Boat Operator Sleeve Device
CWO Special Warfare Boat Operator Collar Device