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About the U.S. Navy PBR31 Mk.II "Pibber"
Knowing that patrolling
coastal and river waterways during a conflict in Vietnam was going to be
extremely hazardous, the U.S. Navy searched for a boat design that could be
quickly produced and employed. One chosen was a fiberglass-hulled pleasure craft
built by Modutec Marine in Seattle Washington.
The Patrol Boat,
River or PBR as it was known militarily, became one of the most successful
weapons systems used in Southeast Asia. It was 31' 11" long ; 11; 7" wide, and
9'9" high above the waterline. It displaced 8 3/4 tons loaded drawing two feet
of water. It's crew of four was armed with a pair of .50 cal gun or grenade
launcher mounted on a tripod in the fantail, plus a single M-60 on a pipe mount
bolted to one of the amidships splinter shields. It was powered by two
turbocharged Detroit Diesel 205 HP, V-6 marine engines, driving a pair of
Jaccuzzi 14JY water jetdrives. The engines were located underneath the aft
decking, and the boat was steered by two movable nozzles below the water line,
mounted on the rear transom. The water intakes were located on the hull bottom.
It had a top speed in excess of 25 knots. Surface radar and two-way radio
equipment provided communication and maneuvering safety.
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TS-28 - Olive Drab |
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TS-33 - Hull Red |
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TS-6 - Matt Black |
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X-10 - Gun Metal |
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X-12 - Gold Leaf |
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X-27 - Clear Red |
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X-4 - Blue |
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X-5 - Green |
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X-6 - Orange |
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X-7 - Red |
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X-8 - Lemon Yellow |
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XF-1 - Flat Black |
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XF-10 - Flat Brown |
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XF-16 - Flat Aluminum |
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XF-2 - Flat White |
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XF-20 - Medium Grey |
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XF-49 - Khaki |
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XF-58 - Olive Green |
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XF-6 - Copper |
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XF-62 - Olive Drab |
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XF-65 - Field Grey |
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XF-7 - Flat Red |
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XF-9 - Hull Red |
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