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According to the book description of
Swift Boat Down: The Real Story of the Sinking of PCF-19, “This sailor was aboard another
Swift Boat, PCF-12, patrolling south of the sunken boats position. Ordered to the scene to assist in the rescue, PCF-12 came
under attack by helo type aircraft, identified as hostile, receiving one rocket and machine gun fire. This Swift Boat returned
a deadly barrage of 50 caliber machine gun and other small arms fire causing the two helos to break contact and run away.
The crew believes that one of the helos was damaged or shot down by this hail of gunfire. The investigation findings were
"friendly fire" mostly because of the lack of wreckage of the helos and the pieces of Sparrow missiles found on
board USS Boston and HMAS Hobart. News accounts attempted to connect the two incidents by blaming the same pilots for attacking
the ships and sinking the Swift Boat. This book uses official records, logs, and message traffic to back up eye witness testimonies
that refute the "friendly fire" decision. There are many people affected by this story. Those of us that were there
have carried pieces of this incident in our memories for 37 years. Families and friends of the dead and missing have wondered
about the truth behind the decision of "friendly fire" vs "hostile fire". This book will answer many of
those questions and put many lives at rest again.”
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One reader of Swift Boat
Down: The Real Story of the Sinking of PCF-19 said, “As a young petty officer, James Steffes was assigned
to PCF-12, a Swift Boat patrolling the inland waterways of Vietnam. In June of 1968, he took part in an operation to rescue
the survivors of a sister boat, PCF-19, which went down due to two rockets impacting her hull. Three personnel died, one was
classified as MIA, and two more were seriously injured. Eyewitnesses and the US Navy are in agreement on the facts above.
What Steffes brings to light is that there are serious discrepancies in the related events both before and after the attack.
While the attack was classified as "friendly fire" at the time, Steffes brings evidence to light that there may
be more to the story, and presents a believable argument that the boat was sunk by hostile fire, using official documents
and eyewitness accounts. This book is well researched, and provides a glimpse into a little known and definitely underappreciated
facet of the US Navy in Vietnam. It is a good read for anyone interested in brown water operations, either current or past,
or for those curious about the search for MIAs from the Vietnam War.”
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