PBR Patrol Boat Riverine 3D model

cgtrader

Patrol boats called River or PBR in US Navy jargon, were small rigid-hulled vessels used extensively from March 1966 through to 1971 in Vietnam war theatres. Deployed across a large number of these units reached a total of 250, and became the most abundant craft found in the River Patrol Force Task Force 116. PBRs served primarily by conducting searches on boats operating along various key rivers like Mekong Delta area's rivers, Rung Sat Special Zone, Saigon River waters and in I Corps. A key feature of these PBR boats was its flexibility built with a sturdy fiberglass body and powered water jets, allowing it to navigate effortlessly through rivers which were quite shallow or weed-covered at times. The design had another unique advantage too - the PBR boats required only 2 feet of water when fully loaded which proved beneficial in areas with limited depth waters. Pivoting of boat's drive gave PBR users ability to make quick turns, change directions instantly while coming from full speed almost instantaneously within few seconds or come to an abrupt halt if necessary. Until its closure by the end of 1995 at Mare Island in California under US Naval Reserve units operating this fleet saw continued use long past its war years. Several original boats can now be seen proudly placed in a number of museums or else acquired as private ownership treasures elsewhere too