Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen

I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast, for I intend to go in harm's way.

John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones was a Scottish sailor and the United States' first well-known naval fighter in the American Revolutionary War. Although he made enemies among America's political elites, his actions in British waters during the Revolution earned him an international reputation which persists to...

The U.S. Navy's Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC, pronounced "swick") are Special Operations Forces who operate and maintain an inventory of small craft used to support special operations missions, particularly those of the U.S. Navy SEALs

United States Navy SEALs

The United States Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command as well as the maritime component of the United States Special Operations Command.The acronym is derived from their...

. Individually, SEALs and SWCC go through separate specialized training programs that emphasize special operations in the maritime environment. SWCC are trained extensively in craft and weapons tactics, techniques and procedures. Focusing on clandestine infiltration and exfiltration of SEALs and other special operations forces

Special forces

Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...

, SWCC provide dedicated, rapid mobility in shallow water areas where large ships cannot operate. SWCC must be physically fit, highly motivated, combat-focused, and responsive in high stress situations.

History

Special Boat Teams can trace their history back to World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three

Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three

Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three was a United States Navy squadron based at Cavite, Philippines, from September 1941 to mid-April 1942. It was commanded by then-Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley and made up of six motor torpedo boats: PT 31, PT 32, PT 33, PT 34, PT 35, and PT 41, the last as the...

rescued General Douglas MacArthur

Douglas MacArthur

General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...

(and later the Filipino President) from the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

after the Japanese invasion and then participated in guerrilla actions until American resistance ended with the fall of Corregidor

Battle of Corregidor

The Battle for Corregidor was the culmination of the Japanese campaign for the conquest of the Philippines. The fall of Bataan on 9 April 1942 ended all organized opposition by the U.S...

. PT Boat

PT boat

PT Boats were a variety of motor torpedo boat , a small, fast vessel used by the United States Navy in World War II to attack larger surface ships. The PT boat squadrons were nicknamed "the mosquito fleet". The Japanese called them "Devil Boats".The original pre–World War I torpedo boats were...

s subsequently participated in most of the campaigns in the Southwest Pacific

South West Pacific theatre of World War II

The South West Pacific Theatre, technically the South West Pacific Area, between 1942 and 1945, was one of two designated area commands and war theatres enumerated by the Combined Chiefs of Staff of World War II in the Pacific region....

by conducting and supporting joint/combined reconnaissance

Reconnaissance

Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....

, blockade

Blockade

A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...

, sabotage

Sabotage

Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...

, and raiding

Raid (military)

Raid, also known as depredation, is a military tactic or operational warfare mission which has a specific purpose and is not normally intended to capture and hold terrain, but instead finish with the raiding force quickly retreating to a previous defended position prior to the enemy forces being...

missions as well as attacking Japanese shore facilities, shipping, and combatants. PT Boats were used in the European Theater

European Theatre of World War II

The European Theatre of World War II was a huge area of heavy fighting across Europe from Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939 until the end of the war with the German unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945...

beginning in April 1944 to support the Office of Strategic Services

Office of Strategic Services

The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...

(OSS) in the insertions of espionage and French Resistance

French Resistance

The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...

personnel and for amphibious landing

Amphibious warfare

Amphibious warfare is the use of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain...

deception. While there is no direct line between organizations, NSW embracement is predicated on the similarity in craft and mission.

The development of a robust riverine warfare

Brown-water navy

Brown-water navy is a term that originated in the United States Navy, referring to the small gunboats and patrol boats used in rivers, along with some of the larger ships that supported them as "mother ships," from which they operated...

capability during the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

produced the forerunner of the modern Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman. Mobile Support Teams provided combat craft support for SEAL

United States Navy SEALs

operations, as did Patrol Boat, River

Patrol Boat, River

Patrol Boat, River , or PBR, is the United States Navy designation for a small rigid-hulled patrol boat used in the Vietnam War from March 1966 until the end of 1971...

ine (PBR) and Patrol Craft Fast sailors. In February 1964, Boat Support Unit ONE was established under Naval Operations Support Group, Pacific to operate the newly reinstated Patrol Torpedo Fast (PTF) program and to operate high-speed craft in support of NSW forces. In late 1964 the first PTFs arrived in Da Nang

Da Nang

Đà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...

, Vietnam. In 1965, Boat Support Squadron ONE began training Patrol Craft Fast crews for Vietnamese coastal patrol and interdiction operations. As the Vietnam mission expanded into the riverine environment, additional craft, tactics, and training evolved for riverine patrol and SEAL support.
SWCC detachments have participated in nearly every major conflict since then, particularly in the Persian Gulf theatre during the 1987–1988 period of conflict and the 1991 Gulf War

Gulf War

The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...

to the more recent War on Terrorism

War on Terrorism

The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...

. In Aug of 1996 while attached to the USS Sides (FFG-14)

USS Sides (FFG-14)

USS Sides is an Oliver Hazard Perry class guided-missile frigate of the US Navy.The eighth ship in the class, it was named for Admiral John H. Sides . Ordered from Todd Shipyards, San Pedro, California, on 27 February 1976 as part of the FY76 program, Sides was laid down on 7 August 1978,...

during Counter Drug Operations in Colombia, SBS1 came under attack in the Antioquia Valley Region while conducting field operations by members of FARC, Colombia's Counter Revolutionary Movement. Six SBS1 members held off a force of approximately 150 rebels. The battle lasted for three days and nights and members of SBS1 found themselves surrounded and cut off from each other on several occasions. Short of ammunition and water, SBS1 held on until first light on day three, regrouped and counter attacked, punching a hole in the FARC defense line and linking up with Colombian Special Forces sent there to assist the Americans. 43 FARC rebels were killed during the battle and four were captured with only one American being wounded. Members of the team were cited for their heroism and bravery.

SWCC are now recognized as masters of a special subset of maritime Special Operations, and employ their specialized training, equipment, and tactics conducting missions worldwide, both independently and in support of US and foreign Special Operations Forces (SOF).

The Special Warfare Boat Operator (SB) Rating

The Global War on Terrorism was the impetus for several important changes in the NSW community. One of these many changes was the creation of a new SB rating system for SWCCs, which allows them to focus on their unique skill sets, to avoid limitations and constraints imposed by the old regime of "source ratings", to reach consensus and unity within the profession, and to allow them to enjoy advancement opportunities on par with the rest of the Navy.

The Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman (SWCC) Warfare Specialty

Another important development was the recognition of the knowledge, skills, and training of SWCC crewmen as a warfare specialty, represented by the NEC 5352 and later denoted by the award of a military device or service badge.

For a brief period qualified sailors were awarded no device; Boat Captain-qualified sailors wore the Small Craft Insignia originally created for and worn by Riverine Sections during the Vietnam War. Still earlier than this, the Small Craft Pin was worn by those with the 9533 NEC. Many other units within the Navy awarded the small craft badge, and there was controversy regarding the original intent associated with its creation. The matter has been somewhat settled as the small craft badge has recently been awarded only to Conventional Riverine units under the NECC and SWCC Boat Captains, who wear it in addition to the SWCC device.

Training

To become a Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman, a service member must apply and be accepted to special programs, pass SWCC Basic Crewman Training school, and pass other schools. Following this, they undergo Crewman Qualification Training (CQT) concurrently with a probationary period.

Pipeline

Only men are eligible to apply for the SWCC program. To qualify for SWCC training, you must:

Meet specific eyesight requirements: 20/40 best eye; 20/70 worst eye; correctable to 20/25 with no color blindness
Meet the minimum Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) score: AR+VE=103, MC=51
Be 30 years old or younger
Be a U.S. citizen

Initial SWCC training consists of the following:

3 weeks Indoctrination Course at NAB Coronado
Naval Amphibious Base Coronado
Naval Amphibious Base Coronado is a naval installation located across the bay from San Diego, CA. The base, situated on Silver Strand, between the San Diego Bay and the Pacific Ocean, is a major Navy shore command, supporting over 30 tenant commands, and is the West Coast focal point for special...

, California
8 weeks Basic Crewman Training (BCT) training at the Naval Special Warfare Center
Naval Special Warfare Center
The United States Phil Bucklew Naval Special Warfare Center is a component command of the Naval Special Warfare Command and is sited within Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, California....

, NAB Coronado
Naval Amphibious Base Coronado
Naval Amphibious Base Coronado is a naval installation located across the bay from San Diego, CA. The base, situated on Silver Strand, between the San Diego Bay and the Pacific Ocean, is a major Navy shore command, supporting over 30 tenant commands, and is the West Coast focal point for special...

UPDATED APRIL 29, 2010
21-week SWCC Crewman Qualification Training (CQT) at NAB Coronado
Naval Amphibious Base Coronado
Naval Amphibious Base Coronado is a naval installation located across the bay from San Diego, CA. The base, situated on Silver Strand, between the San Diego Bay and the Pacific Ocean, is a major Navy shore command, supporting over 30 tenant commands, and is the West Coast focal point for special...

Screening

Assignment to BCT is conditional on passing the Physical Screening Test (PST), which requires the following minimal:

Swim 500 yards within 13 minutes
Rest 10 minutes
42 push-ups within 2 minutes
Rest 2 minutes
50 sit-ups within 2 minutes
Rest 2 minutes
6 pull-ups (no time limit)
Rest 10 minutes
1.5 mile run within 12 minutes 30 seconds
Pass a Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL BUD/S physical fitness screening test in Boot Camp and in the Delayed Entry *Program (DEP) in order to qualify

SWCC Basic Crewman Training (BCT)

Instructors of the SWCC Basic Crewman Training course train, develop, and assess SWCC candidates in physical conditioning, water competency, teamwork, and mental tenacity. This course starts with a two-week indoctrination. The SWCC Basic Crewman Training is seven weeks long. Physical conditioning with running, swimming, and calisthenics grows harder as the weeks progress. Students abilities, mental fortitude and teamwork skills are tested during an arduous 96 hour long evolution involving little sleep, constant exposure to the elements, underway boat and swimming events, and a test of navigational skills and boat tactics. This test is referred to as the "Tour". SWCC students participate in weekly timed runs, timed obstacle course evolutions, pool, bay and ocean swims, and learn small boat seamanship. Upon the completion of SWCC BCT, students advance to Crewman Qualification Training.

Crewman Qualification Training (CQT)

Instructors of Crewman Qualification Training (CQT) train, develop, and qualify SWCC candidates in basic weapons, seamanship, first aid, and small unit tactics. This phase of training is twenty-one weeks in length. Physical training here is geared to prepare the student to meet the requirements of the operational Special Boat Teams. CQT concentrates on teaching Maritime Navigation, communications, waterborne patrolling techniques, marksmanship and engineering, as well as close-quarters combat and SERE. The student also receives an introduction to the NSW Mission Planning Cycle, enabling him to participate in the planning, briefing, execution, and debriefing of an NSW mission from their tasking, to launch point, and on to their combat objective, where students apply all the techniques they have acquired during training.

Due to the training and prerequisites involved in qualification, the SWCC is recognized by those within the broader realm of "small boat" outfits of the armed forces as a comparatively difficult qualification to obtain.

Due in part to SWCC's extremely difficult training and operating environment,they are qualified to operate jointly with other armed forces (particularly those within USSOCOM such as SEALs

Seals

Seals may refer to:In military:* United States Navy SEALs, the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force* Royal Thai Navy SEALs, part of the Royal Thai NavyIn sport:* Florida Seals, a minor league ice hockey team from 2002 and 2007...

, Special Forces

United States Army Special Forces

The United States Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets because of their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force tasked with six primary missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, hostage rescue, and...

, MARSOC and AFSOC) operate in inclement weather and sea state, evade and fight on land as a contingency, and perform maritime special operations missions such as direct action, recon, ship boarding or Vessel Boarding Search and Seizure (VBSS), and sea-to-land support using a broad array of vessels and armaments.

Further training

SWCCs invariably receive broad individual and detachment in-house training and attend schools as needed. Before reporting to a team, all SWCCs must attend a 12-week language course, where they must learn a language assigned to them according to the needs of their respective teams. After reporting to the teams SWCCs may attend schools related to radio communications, weapons, maritime and land navigation, outboard, diesel, and waterjet engines, desert survival, jungle survival, air assault, special operations combat medic training, and many other DOD schools according to the needs of their respective Team. SWCCs also receive extensive in-house training in these and other areas on an ongoing basis in order to keep skills fresh and synergies alive.

Combat medic training

BLS & Medic Assistant Training:

Combat First Aid and Lifesaving, Emergency Response, Emergency Life Support, evaluation, water search and rescue, stabilizing, package, transport, and medevac skills are of vital importance to all forces within the Special Operations Community, since they operate far from medical assets and rely on their independent capabilities. SWCC platforms provide a unique opportunity to provide a "next layer" of prehospital medical stabilization and MEDEVAC

MEDEVAC

Medical evacuation, often termed Medevac or Medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to the wounded being evacuated from the battlefield or to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of an accident to receiving medical facilities using...

capability between the field and helicopter transport. Inbound casualties are a likely scenario, and the nature of their missions places them at a high risk of casualty as well.

Because of this, all SWCCs receive ongoing and repeated in-house training in combat first aid, basic life support, airway management and oxygen administration, trauma care, limited emergency medication administration, and I.V. therapy- a set of skills roughly analogous to civilian BLS

BLS

As an acronym, BLS may stand for:*BLS *Bachelor of Library Science*Bare lymphocyte syndrome*Basic life support, an emergency medical protocol*BellSouth, ticker symbol for the United States telephone company...

, BTLS, and EMT-B qualification, and thus quite arguably conferring on every SWCC the unofficial distinction of being a combat medic

Combat medic

Combat medics are trained military personnel who are responsible for providing first aid and frontline trauma care on the battlefield. They are also responsible for providing continuing medical care in the absence of a readily available physician, including care for disease and battle injury...

by the general definition. However, the SWCC community generally recognizes these members as "medic assistants" in order to clarify this role from that of the lead [para]medic, whose primary and consistent function as a paramedic is continually reinforced by years of training and experience. Every SWCC receives this basic medic assistant training.

Some, but not all NSW medics came originally from the Hospital Corpsman rating. Thus, while not all Hospital Corpsmen are combat medics, and not all combat medics are Hospital Corpsmen, all SWCCs are by the general definition combat medics— particularly after repeated workup cycles and ongoing training have refined their skills to a level of proficiency congruent with combat medics and civilian EMTs and paramedics at large.

Some SWCCs have attended (and continue to attend) civilian EMT and paramedic courses (either funded or completed through their own ambition); and several of these men have enjoyed an ad-hoc, de facto status as "docs" serving in their detachments as medics.

A more recent development is that some SWCCs are now trained as NSW combat medics, attending the Naval Special Warfare Combat Medic and Tactical Combat Casualty Control (TCCC)-based course.

NSW Combat Medics/Lead Medics

Within the NSW community, the title of SWCC detachment "medic" applies to SB (SWCC) members who have completed NSW combat medic course. This training is equivalent or exceeds civilian EMT-P certification, a civilian qualification which they are indeed eligible to test for immediately after training.

These men are among the rare exceptions to the general rule that "all Navy combat medics are Hospital Corpsmen (HMs)". Because of changes leading to the establishment of the SB rating, non-corpsmen SWCCs attend the course, become qualified NSW combat medics, and serve primarily as medics for the rest of their careers within Naval Special Warfare, in addition to performing the various other roles of a SWCC crewman.

Special Warfare Combat Medics are the primary or lead combat medics in a SWCC detachment. In the past, SEAL Corpsmen served as the lead medics in larger SWCC detachments and managed shoreside clinics at Special Boat Teams (SBTs), managing sick call, training SWCCs as medic assistants, and rendering emergency medical care to both SWCCs and SEALs while deployed in the field. These SEALs contributed greatly to the Special Boat Teams and the professional development of their SWCC combat medic counterparts. While readiness is still achieved by pooling of crew skills through medic assistant quals, SWCCs are now taking on lead medic roles within their community capitalizing on the benefit of a stable maritime platform, additional medical equipment, and the ability to provide longer-term stabilization of casualties (leaning toward the ATLS model vs. the TCCC model as appropriate) on board their craft.

Maritime Craft Aerial Deployment System (MCADS)

U.S. Army Airborne School and U.S. Navy Free-fall School

SWCC personnel are now more frequently trained as parajumpers with the development of the Maritime Craft Aerial Deployment System (MCADS).

Serving as a true force multiplier, the MCADS capability enables Naval Special Warfare Sailors to rapidly deploy anywhere in the world in a maritime environment. The system deploys an 11-meter RIB (rigid inflatable boat) rigged with four large parachutes from the back of a C-130 or C-17 at approximately 3,500 feet. Approximately four SWCCs immediately follow the boat out of the plane and parachute to the immediate proximity of where the boat lands. Within 20 minutes the SWCCs have the boat unpacked and rigged to get underway to deliver an element of SOF (special operations force) operators to any potential target of interest, or to conduct their own mission.

Maritime External Air Transportation System (MEATS)

SWCC personnel also attend the U.S. Army Air Assault School. A common operation the SWCC train for involving helicopters is called MEATS or Maritime External Air Transportation System.

Special Boat Teams (SBT) perform an insertion/extraction delivery system called MEATS. MEATS allows an Army CH-47D helicopter to hover over a craft used by SWCC to be rigged to the underbelly of the helo with slings. The Combatant-Craft Crewman will then ascend a ladder dropped down from the helo into the craft and the CH47D will extract the craft out of the water once the SWCC are on board the helo. A SWCC craft can also be inserted into a Maritime environment giving the SWCC a longer range on land or at sea.

A variant of the MEATS insertion method was seen in the movie Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...

, where a Huey airlifted a (movie prop) PBR from one river and deposited it into a different river.

Team	Deployment	HQ	Notes
Special Boat Team 12	Worldwide	Naval Amphibious Base Coronado Naval Amphibious Base Coronado Naval Amphibious Base Coronado is a naval installation located across the bay from San Diego, CA. The base, situated on Silver Strand, between the San Diego Bay and the Pacific Ocean, is a major Navy shore command, supporting over 30 tenant commands, and is the West Coast focal point for special... , California
Special Boat Team 20	Worldwide	Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek The Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek is the major operating base for the Amphibious Forces in the United States Navy's Atlantic Fleet. The base comprises four locations in three states, including almost 12,000 acres of real estate. Its Little Creek location in Virginia Beach, Virginia totals... , Virginia Virginia The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...	Rescued 9 people from a DUKW tour incident in Philadelphia, PA utilizing a Mark V SOC
Special Boat Team 22	Worldwide	John C. Stennis Space Center John C. Stennis Space Center The John C. Stennis Space Center , located in Hancock County, Mississippi, at the Mississippi-Louisiana border, is NASA's largest rocket engine test facility.- History :... , Mississippi Mississippi Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...	Specializes in riverine warfare

Insignia

The Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman insignia (SWCC insignia) is a military qualification badge

Military badges of the United States

Military badges of the United States are awards authorized by the United States armed forces that signify rating, qualification, or accomplishment in several career fields, and also serve as identification devices for personnel occupying certain assignments. Personal recognition is granted to...

of the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

which was first conceived in 1996, though the design was not approved for wear until 2001.

The insignia

Insignia

Insignia or insigne pl -nia or -nias : a symbol or token of personal power, status or office, or of an official body of government or jurisdiction...

is authorized for wear by volunteer members of Special Boat Teams (formerly Special Boat Units) under U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command. Candidates must pass the SWCC course (BCT) of instruction at Coronado, California and then complete Crewman Qualification Training (CQT) for their specific Special Boat Unit or Special Boat Team (SBT).

External links

U.S. Navy SEAL & SWCC official website
ShwadowSpear.com, ShadowSpear Special Operations: SWCC
US Navy SEALs Blog
US Navy SEALs Information

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

History

The Special Warfare Boat Operator (SB) Rating

The Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman (SWCC) Warfare Specialty

Training

Pipeline

Screening

SWCC Basic Crewman Training (BCT)

Crewman Qualification Training (CQT)

Further training

Combat medic training

Maritime Craft Aerial Deployment System (MCADS)

Maritime External Air Transportation System (MEATS)

Insignia

See also

External links