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When I got to SBU24
they had two PB MK1, two PB MKIII, a LCM-8, six MATC,
and two LCPL.. About four months later we turned the
MKIIIs over to SBU-20.
The MK1 was ok but
not a MKIII if you get my drift. But it had more
room cause it only had twin screws. It was a sweet
handling boat tho and the PB-721 was used at
Dalghren for low level radar test. They covered the
windows with the same stuff used on Astronauts
helmets and glued what looked like 4 inch square
sponges from the deck up. It had to fly a radar
reflector to be seen on radar at a mile. That stuff
worked great and I wish I knew how far they went
with the program. The MKIII with guntub on top was
at SBU-20.
We were in fact a Naval Reserve Unit, and there was
about 55 active duty members. The Reserves would
come in one weekend a month and beat hell out of the
boats and then we spent the next three weeks fixing
them so they could come in and do it again.
We operated on the Rappahannock River and the Chowan
river in North Carolina.
I remember them putting a PTF Nasty on the seawall
right after I got there. Must have been around June
of 79. When the Olympic torch came to the states in
the winter of 80, one of our MATC transported the
girl with the torch from Langley Air Base out to the
James River channel and I took her aboard MY PB MK1
and went up river to Yorktown. Big event!!
It was great working with the SEALS and Army Rangers
and other Special Forces on the rivers doing
insertions and extractions and other things. Sure do
miss it sometimes. Once I made Senior Chief of the
Command I pretty much let the BMC handle the boat
side. I started learning how to run the machine shop
as the Reserves never seemed to be able to fix
anything. Anyhow, the SBU was great fun.
I am an avid modeler
of the different boats I ran in the Navy and have
radio controlled models of all. the MK3 PB is my
pride and joy and it fires 22cal blanks from the
Bofors on the bow. as you can see in the picture. I
have the Bushmaster aft. I'm trying to build the MK2
Mod1 81mm mortar but only have a few drawings and
bad pictures. |
