SWCC personnel put the Mark V SOC through its paces.
Unit Profile
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Special Warfare Combatant Crewmen (SWCC) operate and maintain the inventory of state-of-the-art,
high-performance boats and ships used to support SEALs and SOF missions. Currently, there are approximately
600 combatant crewmen in the Navy.
Individually, SEALs and SWCC go through separate, but similar, specialized training programs which emphasize
special operations in the maritime environment.
Today's Special Boat Units trace their origin to Boat Support Unit One which was commissioned in 1963 as a
component of the Naval Operations Support Group commanded by Captain Phil H. Bucklew, a pioneer of Naval Special
Warfare. The members of BUS-1 deployed to the Republic of Vietnam as members of the Mobile Support Teams tasked
with the operation and maintenance of the Light SEAL Support Craft (LSSC) and Medium SEAL Support Craft (MSSC).
Although other units supported SEAL's during the war, only the BSU's were specifically created to support
Underwater Demolition Teams and SEAL Teams.
The uniqueness of riverine operations in Vietnam
created and urgent need for a centralized and systematic
training program to prepare prospective boat crews
of Task Forces 116 (River Patrol), 117 (River Assault),
and BSU-1 for the demands of warefare along coastal
and inland waterways. On 30 January, 1967 the Naval
Inshore Operations Training Center was commissioned
in Mare Island, California, and tasked with providing
this highly specialized training.
Following the Vietnam War, these "Brown Water"
Sailors were assigned to stateside Coastal/River Squadrons
and Divisions. In 1978 these units were assigned to
the Naval Special Warfare Groups and re-designated
Special Boat Squadrons and Units. Today, SEAL Teams,
SEAL Delivery vehicle (SDV) Teams, and Special Boat
Units comprise the elite combat units of the Naval
Special Warfare Command, the maritime component of
the U.S. Special Operations Command. These units are
organized, trained, and equipped to conduct special
operations in maritime and riverine environments.
The Combatant Crewmen 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
Warfare Combatant Crewmen provide dedicated, rapid
mobility in shallow water areas where larger ships
cannot go. Like SEALs, Special Warfare Combatant
Crewmen must be physically fit, highly motivated,
combat-focused and responsive in high stress situations.
The Special Warfare Combatant Crewmen basic training
course is designed to prepare students to function
as basic crew members on their first sea duty at a
Special Boat Unit (SBU). This nine-week training
provides the foundation for the highly specialized
SWCC individual skills and tactics training program
conducted at the SBUs.
SWCC undergo physical fitness, nutrition, injury
prevention and acclimatization training to develop
the high level of stamina and endurance required to
meet the demands of the maritime combat environment.
Intensive training in survival swimming and lifesaving
develops the student's confidence in his ability to
survive in the ocean, and, if necessary, assist a
crew mate under adverse conditions.
Comprehensive first aid training teaches students
to recognize medical emergencies in a combat environment,
and how to care for life threatening injuries.
Maritime navigation skills training prepares the
student in all aspects of voyage planning and execution
of long range maritime operations, including: piloting,
dead reckoning, electronic navigation and Rules of
the Road.
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Links
Photo: Members
of Special Boat Unit 12 on deployment, MP5 training.
Photo: Members
of Special Boat Unit 12 on deployment, rope ladder
from RIB to Navy helo.
Getting
SEALs Ashore - Naval Special Warfare Mobility Improves
With Help From SOCOM And The Submarine Community
- Article
For information on U.S. Special Operations
Watercraft, click here.
For information on waterborne special
operations in Vietnam, click here.
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SWCC heading upriver
in Light Patrol Boats.
