Call Signs
Officer-in-Charge
| Call Sign | Name | Comments |
| Albie | Stuart Albertson | |
| Admiral | Peter Deutermann | |
| Alfie "N" | A. Joe Pope | |
| Alky "T" | Timothy W. Tedford | |
| Alpha Potato | William B. Rood Jr. | |
| Amtrac | John Gordon | |
| Anchor Clanker | ||
| Ancient Mariner | Keith Evans | |
| Appalachia | Willie Auxier | was from West Virginia |
| Attilla Hotel | David G. Koffler | |
| Axelrod | Robert B. Shirley | |
| Baby Fats | Robert Emery | |
| Baby Huey | David J. Clark | big, jovial and young |
| Baby San | Arthur B. Cannon | that's what the girls in Vung Tau called him, so pretty soon it became his nickname and eventually his call sign |
| Baby-San Three | Christopher Mayer | |
| Baccardi "C" | William L. Schachte | |
| Bald Eagle | Peter A. Roe | |
| Bandit | Joseph A. Mastro | |
| Barbados | ||
| Barong | James S. Barona | his name's similarity to the Filipino tropical shirt maker |
| Batman | William L. Schachte | |
| Batman | Thomas Sheridan | |
| Batman's Roommate | Dennis E. Carroll | |
| Beach Boy | Jack W. Merkley | All he ever wanted was to be on the beach holding a beer |
| Beetle | Ian M. bailey | |
| Bent Arrow | Doug Burgess | had been "Straight Arrow" before he went on R&R in Bangkok |
| Bent Fender | Tom Yankura | |
| Big Daddy | Doug Armstrong | delivered a baby in a sampan, was written up in "Stars and Stripes" |
| Big Dripper | Philip E. Mayer | two callsigns that both leave you wondering about the reasons behind them |
| Big Grunt | Philip E. Mayer | two callsigns that both leave you wondering about the reasons behind them |
| Big Jack | Jack L. Hetherton | |
| Big Red | Henry L. Hodge | big, big red head |
| Big Zero | Geoffery G. Jones | |
| Black Jack | John W. Burke | |
| Blowing Gale | Gail E. Ikerd | its the best the staff could come up with at the time |
| Blue Max | Vance Barrow | |
| Boats | Tony P. Gisclair | |
| Boo | Jeffery E. Ferris | |
| Boston Strangler | John F. Kerry | |
| Boston Strangler | Clayton G. Zucker | |
| Boy Scout | Bruce Wentworth | had been an eagle scout and was very moral |
| Brass Brat | John M. Pinney | |
| Broken Bumper | Tom Yankura | |
| Broken Zipper | David G. Prentiss | |
| Brown Torpedo | Tom Hovland | |
| Brute | Dave Wetherell | |
| Buckeye Cy | Gregory V. Cybulski | |
| Buddha | David B. Dunlap | |
| Bull | John Durham | |
| Bull "E" | Eugene J. Cummins Jr | |
| Bung Lon | Max Caldwell | Vietnamese for "big stomach" |
| Butch | Dalton Heck | |
| Butch | Leslie L. Vorphal | |
| Capper | Bill Hickey | |
| Captain Crunch | Robert A. Scattergood | a boat on the rocks will get you a new callsign |
| Captain Hook | Norman J. Pattarozzi | his Italian nose was quite prominent |
| Captain Marvel | Joseph Patton | |
| Carrie Nation | Michael Gann | got the DaNang "O" club closed for a month by an Admiral who didn't like his drinking habits |
| Cash | Tad McCall | |
| Chinese Bandit | Lee Fry | got the name when he went up one of the rivers near Qui Nhon and got fired on, when he reported it, he was told don't go up that river again |
| Chrome Dome | James Taylor | light blond hair |
| Chubby Checker | Edward R. Peck | |
| Clodhopper "J" | James C. Carolan | because of the special order size "14" boondockers he wore |
| Coast Guard | Roger Ruff | |
| Cowboy | Jim Kolbe | |
| Crazy Legs | Michael R. Voss | |
| Creek | Michael R. Bernique | the infamous Bernique's Creek expedition |
| Criminal Uniform | Stephen A. Hansen | |
| Crusader "P" | Robert A. Hastings | |
| Cue Ball | J. Philip Lee | |
| Dai Uy | Forrest Dahlstet | |
| Deacon | Murice M. Simer | |
| De-Com Reject | David B. Wallace | Tried to volunteer for swifts as a brand new Ensign, told he had to be a qualified OOD. Assigned to an OLD destroyer that went to be de-commed and mothballed, he then got his orders to swift duty |
| Deputy Dawg | Russell A. Puppe | think about it ... "puppe = puppy = dog = dawg" |
| Dirty Ernie | Ernie Flinn | |
| Doc | Roy Branch | |
| Double Bourbon | William K. Lannom | bar bourbon was ten cents in a mixed drink, he wanted to save time so... |
| Double D | Richard C. Dawson | |
| Drifty Jack | John P. Cawley | |
| Duck | Rich McFarland | |
| Dude | William Dodd | |
| Dudley Do Right | Thomas W. Wright | |
| Eastern Dandy | William Imbrie III | |
| Fairhaired "B" | Jerome A. Peschka | |
| Fang | Curtis F. Torrey | |
| Fearless Fosdick | Foster E. Wright | |
| Fitzie | Dana Fitzsimons | |
| Five Buck Raider | Frank A. Mueller | |
| Flamer 25 | Lawrence C. Stoneberg | |
| Flaming "J" | James A. Weinandy | while towing in a captured junk it caught fire |
| Flaming Papa "H" | Vance Barron Jr | set a hand-held flare down on the chart table with the cap on the primer end, the boat rolled, the flare hit the deck and went off, ricocheting about the pilot house and singing his hair. |
| Flash | Jeffrey M. Lash | had a habit of sending FLASH messages |
| Flash | Stephen E. Brannan | got the nickname after he got seasick and threw up on his first patrol out of Cam Ranh |
| Flower Power 26 | Leon Robins | |
| Footwear | Douglas Martin | |
| Forty | Steven Carroll | |
| Fracture "H" | Stephen H. Sedgwick | |
| Friar Tuck | Robert Brant | |
| Fuzzy | Gary Erlandson | |
| Gabby "H" | James L. "Jim" Burke | |
| Gallant Surfer | Robert T. Guard | |
| Gator | Joseph A. Mastro | |
| Gold Dust "A" | Robert K. Bolger | the Gold Dust Twins |
| Gold Dust "B" | the Gold Dust Twins | |
| Golden Boy | Richard C. Wallace | |
| Golf "B" | James Carter | |
| Gorgeous George | Michael C. Lohnes | presumably because he was the first Ensign to become OinC qualified in Cam Ranh Bay |
| Gramps 30 | Don R. Swartz | due to his comparatively advanced age |
| Gray Ghost | Robert L. Brown | |
| Gray Ghost | Richard Pearsall | Cua Dai 69-70 |
| Gremlin | John S. Howell | |
| Groucho | Michael A. Adkins | |
| Groucho "M" | John Sullivan | |
| Gun Slinger | Hal Gehmen | |
| Half Breed | Daniel L. Ustick | his fair skin quickly turned red in the Vietnamese sun |
| Hank | Edwin M. Hendrickson | |
| Harvard Square | Pete Dodson | he went to Harvard and was very square, at least according to some young whipper snappers |
| Hawg Jowl | Bernard W. Wolff | excessive dwelling on the virtues of the South one night |
| High 'n Dry | Jim Barrett | Hmmmmmm!!!!!! very interesting!! |
| Hillbilly | Bob Griffin | was from rural Tennessee and talked real SLOW! |
| Hollywood | Thomas Costarino | |
| Hooch | Dennis Wilson | |
| Hot Dog | William E. Franke | |
| Hyperventilate | James G. Colvin | got his call sign from "patrol fatigue", which caused him to hyperventilate (sighing excessively), having headaches and other symptoms. |
| Ice Water Al | Alfred J. French | |
| Ike | Gail E. Ikerd | its the best the staff could come up with at the time |
| In Country Pirate | Donald T. Bradbury | |
| Inspector "C" | Anthoy Kibble | |
| Island Man | Bob Fiore | |
| Jack Daniels | Kenneth Cozart | |
| Jayhawker "J" | Larry R. Thurlow | |
| JC | Dayton Ogden | |
| JJ | Jim Galvin | |
| Keemo | James Selby | |
| Kentucky Colonel | Hal Amerau | |
| Killer Lou | Lou Velloni | for obvious reasons if you patrolled with him. |
| Kim | George Sargent | |
| Klondike | John Mitchell | red handlebar moustache, red hair --- really resembled the "Klondike" cartoon character |
| Latch | Roy F. Hoffmann | |
| Le Mustache | large handlebar mustache | |
| Lizard | Robert W. Hildreth | all he ever wanted to do was lie on a rock in the sun |
| Lockheed "J" | George K. Johnson | had a degree in Aeronautical Engineering |
| Lollipops "T" | Thomas Pope | |
| Long John | William L. Rogers | 6 foot 4 inches tall and a real pirate |
| Lord Mort | Edward J. Bergin | was originally "Charlie" for Charlie McCarthy, but "Charlie" was too confusing. Changed to "Mort" or "Mort Sierra" for "Mortimer Snerd" then "Tarzan" made the change to "Lord Mort" after the trawler incident. |
| Lord Nelson | ||
| Mary Jane | Michael W. Peters | because he was from California (it was the 60's and he was from California ... think about it) |
| Mary Poppins | Eldon Thompson | |
| Mary Worth | Robert M. Hestwood | |
| Masher | Burton M. Coakley | because of his GENTLE nature |
| Megaphone "B" | Daniel Daly | Big Mouth |
| Megaphone "L" | Gerald J. Lyall | |
| Melbourne "M" | Raymond A. Mislock | |
| Minnesota Viking | John A. Erickson | he was a Norwegian from Minnesota |
| Minute "S" | Rick Williams | aka "Lil' Shit" because of his diminutive stature |
| Moby Dick | John W. Bishop | |
| Moll Flanders | Thomas G. Jones | think about it! |
| Moonraker | Robert ??? | |
| Motown Review | Win Schrader | |
| Murky "W" | Harry E. Watters | |
| Murp the Surf | Paul Murphy | |
| Mustang Sally | Francis L. "Skip" Gunther | "Ride Sally Ride", that's what they did and sang as they went into a firefight - all 33 of them |
| Mustang Sally | David Hack | |
| Naha | Michael T. Alogna | |
| Neanderthal "N" | Bill Zonderak | |
| New Kid | William J. Hancock | Looked twelve years old |
| Nguyen | Hickman Ewing Jr | tried to learn and speak Vietnamese, wore black pajamas around the base |
| Non-dancing Ray | Robert K. Bolger | Couldn't sing either, Ray Bolger he definitely wasn't |
| Organizer "G" | John M. Graves | |
| Oscar 31 | E. Elliot Barker | |
| Out of State Camel | Alexander N. Bass | |
| Over Nighter | Robert L. Hooke | |
| Pancho Villa | Dan Salinas | |
| Papasan | Jerry Eaton | first son was born while he was in-country |
| Pappy | Floyd R. Gartner | |
| Personality "K" | Roger N. Thornton | |
| Pete | Harry Howton | |
| Pompom "P" | Arlyn T. Prickett | |
| Preparation "H" | Charlie Pfeifer | |
| Prevert | Alvin A."Andy" Horne | |
| Prince Henry | Richard E. Fleming | |
| PsyOps "S" | R.R. Sonny Barber | call sign was changed to "PsyOps" when a mission went sour |
| Pub Package "P" | Chuck Mohn | |
| QuiNhon | Virgil Ray | |
| Raggity Ann | Tim Ragsdale | |
| Red | David Rien | |
| Red Apple | William M. Arndt | |
| Red Baron | Donald T. Bradbury | |
| Red Mountain | Jim Colombo | it was his favorite wine |
| Red Rooster | Roy F. Hoffmann | |
| Red Ryder | Dick Jankowsky | looked like the comic strip cowboy |
| Red Ryder | Robert W. Sharer | |
| Red Whiskey | Robert Pacek | |
| Renegade | Burton Renegar | a play on his name |
| Rip | Bill Collins | bastardization of "Rebel" from Virginia |
| Robin | Kelley McCutcheon | (the boy wonder) - he was very small in stature but mighty in spirit. He had problems getting clothes. He wore a size 5 1/2 shoe!!! |
| Rocket Man | Richard Holleran | |
| Rocking Chair 29 | Don Swartz | |
| Rocking Chair 32 | Alvah E. Setzer | something about his advancing age |
| Romeo Rat | James M. Will | |
| Rookie "R" | James K. Ruland | |
| Rosepetal 26 "O" | William M. "Mike" Cain | because of a rose tattooed on his calf, obtained in National City, while going through the Coronado swift training |
| Rusty | Henry L. Hodges | |
| Rusty Jones | Charles "Chuck" Horne | |
| Sandy Bottom | Jefferey M. Wainscott | given to him by his fellow OinCs for "Aggressive patrolling in very shallow water" (make that running aground) |
| Sanitary Tango | he and his wife scheduled his R&R in Hawaii for the wrong week of the month | |
| Say "HUH" | Christopher Ream | |
| Senator | Hal Griffin | |
| Senator Claghorn | sounded like a southern senator | |
| Sepia | Paul P. Connolly | |
| Shaky Jake | William B. Rood Jr. | |
| Short Circuit | Donovan C. Current | his initials and last name are "DC" Current |
| Shotgun | Charles R. Grutzius | |
| Sicilian "S" | Ignatius J. Minervini | always muttered that his family was ROMAN and anything to the south was inferior |
| Silver Tongue | Lawrence E. Mient | he was a "silver tongued devil " once you got to know him |
| Skip | F. L. Gunther | |
| Sleepy | John J. Skura | |
| Slue Foot "J" | James C. Carolan | He had huge feet - at least size 13 maybe bigger?? |
| Slumlord | Walter Doblecki | |
| Smiley "S" | John Z. Heinzerling | |
| Snaggle Tooth | Michael Solhaug | |
| Snake Ranch "F" | James H. "Jake" Smith | |
| Snakey Jake | Joseph W. Streuli | |
| Snuffy Smitty | Frank M. Smith | |
| Solenoid "F" | Frederick K. Smallwood | always tinkering with the electrical system on his boat |
| Solenoid Phu Quoc | Frederick K. Smallwood | always tinkering with the electrical system on his boat |
| Spider Murphy | Richard R. Kern | |
| Spoiler "U" | Charles W. Johns | |
| Squared Away | William C. Garlow | |
| Sox | Charles Adler | named after the Adler Socks company |
| Southern Comfort | R.R. Sonny Barber | he loved it - call sign was changed to "PsyOps" when a mission went sour |
| Spider Man | Rich Kern | |
| Stay Pressed | Gordon G. Riggle | |
| Steel Wool | John Hatcher | |
| Straight Arrow | Doug Burgess | changed to " Bent Arrow" after he went on R&R in Bangkok |
| Stumpy | David J. Clark | |
| Submerged Rock | Rockne P. Harmon | I really wonder about this one!!! |
| Sunshine | Lawrence E. Probst | |
| Suppository | said "up yours" one too many times | |
| Surf Rider | Larry Meyer | |
| Swamp Fox | Arnold L. Glass | |
| Swarthy Buccaneer | Matteo J. D'Amico | |
| Sweat Pea | James McConnell | |
| Swede | Keith Erikson | |
| Sweet Pea | Gary R. Blinn | he had such a good disposition |
| Tacline | 6 foot of nothing | |
| Tarzan | Kurt Berlin | made the mistake of introducing himself by his last name; was corrected by a senior OinC with "Tarzan is the only one without a first name" |
| Terry Thomas | Frederick K. Smallwood | big gap in front teeth |
| Thai Silk | Arthur E. Norton | |
| The Mayor | Skip Brandon | |
| The Phantom | John E. English | was never seen except on patrol, always disappeared after returning to base |
| The Red Baron | Harlan Ullman | |
| The Snake | David G. Wilbourne | |
| Tiger | Anthony Taylor | |
| Tiny | Neal H. Clark | |
| Tommy Turtle | Thomas M. Herritage | |
| Toxic Organ | Bill Posenecker | |
| Troll | William H. Croll | gruff New England manner |
| Turtle | James H. Howser | |
| Twig "E" | Robert K. Bolger | Got real thin |
| Twiggy | James T. Grace | |
| Twinkletoes | Pete Snyder | tried to cross 3 or 4 boats that were tied up together, but ready to get underway. He ran across the sterns, behind the mortar boxes, hanging on to the life lines. |
| Two Can | Denis F. Daly | when drinking, always had a can of beer in each hand |
| Urinal "Z" | David L. Freeman | |
| Viking | Kenneth J. Andrews | |
| Virgin | Virgil A. Erwin III | |
| Wallaby 54 | Wade R. Sanders | |
| Water Closet | William C. Martin | |
| Weird Harold | Joseph E. Handley | |
| Wheel Chair | Al Setzer | |
| Wild Bill | William Mann | |
| Wooster Crusader | David A. Spina | |
| Yankee Doodle | Oliver Halle | |
| Youngster | Don Young | |
| Zoomie "X" | LTJG Wood | ex-pilot --- was from Cam Ranh Bay |
Misc. Call Signs
Here are some early PCF related call signs:
BOATRON 1 - Rusty Jones (commander); Grimes Pass (collective)
PCFDIV 101 - Francis Bravo (commander); Assort Foxtrot (collective)
PCFDIV 102 - Hamilton Kilo later changed to Assort Mike (commander); Ledger India - later
changed to Newsboy India (collective)
PCFDIV 103 - Pride Zebra (commander); Woolworth Bravo (collective)
PCFDIV 104 - Expert Yankee (commander); Trimness Lima (collective)
PCFDIV 105 - Caribou Bravo (commander); Hackwood Sierra (collective)
PCFDIV 107 - Capitol Zebra (commander); Boundry Lima (collective)
COMNAVFORV - Moose Hunter
TF115 - Latch (commander); Alone (collective)
TG115.1 - Article (commander); Flip Flop (collective)
TU115.1.1 - New Dalton (commander); Neighborhood (collective)
TU115.1.2 - Cornelius (commander); Kit Kat (collective)
TG115.2 - Halo Shampoo (commander); Caviar (collective)
Coastal Division 11 - (An Thoi) - Reproach
Coastal Division 12 - (DaNang) - Turkey Dinner
Coastal Division 13 - (Cat Lo)
Coastal Division 14 - (Cam Ranh Bay) - Aphrodite 7
Coastal Division 15 - (Qui Nhon)
Coastal Division 16 - (Chu Lai) - Oxwood
COGARDIV 12 - Permeate
CTG 76.5 - Company Store
CTG 77.9 (Yankee Station) - Regency
CTG 77.1 (Sea Dragon) - White Deer
CTU 77.1.1 (South Yankee Station) - Argentina
YR-71 - Hexagon 71
APL-30 - Spike 30
APL-55 - Spike 55
The following are the PCF call signs:
Hull Numbers
13 - NGOK
14 - NIRE
15 - NLPS
16 - NOLC
17 - NSDE
18 - NUMN
19 - NYBP
20 - NBGH
21 - NDLC
22 - NGBU
55 - NDPJ
56 - NBIB
75 - NHET
76 - NQKL
78 - NMAL
79 - NHCJ
99 - NNJV
101 - NYAQ
Coastal Group 13 - XC
Coastal Group 14 - XD
Fire Support
New Jersey (BB-62) - OnRush
St Paul (CA-73) - Tornado
Boston (CLG-1) - Mauler
Canberra (CLG-2) - Blockbuster
Oklahoma City (CLG-5) - Fireball
Providence (CLG-6) - Fighting Devil
Dewey (DLG-14) - Sea Rogue
Biddle (DLG-34) - Hard Charger
Henry B. Wilson (DDG-7) - Black Velvet
Buchanan (DDG-14) - Sharp Note
Blue (DD-744) - Gold Eagle
Arnold J. Isbell (DD-869) - Hellenic Hero
Finch (DER-328) - Dayton
Kretchmer (DER-329) - Mystic Isle
Savage (DER-386) - Lake Charles
Advance (MSO-510) - Naomi Delta
Excell (MSO-433)
Carronade (IFS-1) - Expert Alfa
Carlion River (LSMR-409) - Catalog Xray
St Francis River (LSMR-525) - Abbey Tango
White River (LSMR-536) - Jilt Foxtrot
Aludra (AF-55) - Wallop Lima
Brule (AKL-28) - Native Tango
Satyr (ARL-23) - Forfeit Quebec
Garrett County (LST-786) - Fish Tail
Hampshire County (LST-819) - Cape Town Juliet
Hunterdon County (LST-838) - Dahlia
Jennings County (LST-846) - Eagleton
Kemper County (LST-854) - Aloha Zulu
Terrell County (LST-1157) - Fellow Lima
Vernon County (LST-1161) - Lanslip Quebec
Washoe County (LST-1165) - Estuary or Barbados
Washtenaw County (LST-1166) - Trident Lima
Windham County (LST-1170) - Ageless Whiskey
Spotter Planes:
Cat Killer (Army)
Bird Dog (Air Force)
Vietnamese Navy Headquarters - Swirley Pattern
Aircraft Control - Waterpipe
Chu Lai Defense Command - Evening Star
Hue Defense Command - Socialite Alfa
IUWG Det at Qui Nhon - Paper Wrap
Decca Station at Cu Lao Re - Decca Green
Locations:
Boundry of 2C and 2D - (Any City)
Cuo Lao Re - (Any Cigarette)
Mui Batangan - (Any Street)
Mui An Hoa - (Any Beer)
Cap Sa Hoi - (Any Animal)
Cap Mia - (Any Disney Character)
Marine Corps:
CG, 1st MARDIV - Corsair
1st MARDIV - Complex (coll.)
Air Observer (USMC) - Black Coat
1st Marines/RLT-1 - Blackwell
1st BN, 1st Marines/BLT-1/1 - Today
All Stations This Net (1st MARDIV) - Crew Cut
NGF Liaison Team - 26 Oscar (preceded by After Burner in Area I, and Salted Flakes in Area
II)
NILO Chu Lai - Iron Pellets Charlie
CG, III MAF - Franchise
TF Xray - Emery Wheel
CG, 3rd MARDIV - Sudden Death
Flare Ship - Spooky
III MAF - Negotiate
Naval Hospital Danang - Burbank
NSA Det An Thoi - Barbados
NSA Siagon - Red Rose
Medevac:
Hue to north of Danang - Barrelhouse Three
North of Danang to CG14 - Roseann Three
CG14 to CG16 - Nailfile Three
Naval Aircraft:
VP2 - Cape Cod
VP4 - Elk Lodge
VP8 - Pin Stripe
VP16 - Spangle
VP17 - Free Transit
VP40 - Wiseman
VP42 - Yarn Marker
VP46 - Mess Man
VP50 - Madness
CO GARDIV 12 - Japan (collective)
If you have any corrections, additions or amplifying information to any data presented here, please contact Larry Wasikowski at: larrywaz@swiftboats.net or call (402) 331-2504.
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This page was last updated on: July 19, 2008 at 20:13