U.S. NAVY TO PERFORM DYNAMIC DEMO AT THUNDER OVER LOUISVILLE

2004-04-14T12:10:04

Elite U.S. Navy Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC – pronounced “swick”), from the Norfolk, Virginia based Special Boat Team TWENTY, will conduct a capabilities demonstration during this year’s Thunder Over Louisville on Saturday, April 17th.

Media are invited to see the arrival of the craft at approximately 12 p.m., Thursday, April 15.  The boats will transit up the river and dock in the Wharf area, near the 2nd Street Bridge.  Media will be able to see the craft first hand and talk with the elite SWCCs shortly after their arrival.  Opportunities to talk with the SWCCs as well as participate in a familiarization ride will be made available beginning at approximately 1 p.m., April 15. 

Operating the state-of-the-art, high performance Special Operations 11-meter Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boat (RIB), the SWCCs will put on a high-intensity, dramatic demonstration on Saturday.  It’s an opportunity to witness firsthand the awesome capabilities of these Special Operations craft and the men who operate them.
 
Background on Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC):
The Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC) operate and maintain a variety of technically advanced Special Warfare craft in support of special operations combat missions in
maritime open waters and riverine environments worldwide.  These craft include the 82-foot
Mark-V Special Operations Craft (MK-V SOC), the 11-meter RIB and the Special Operations Craft-Riverine (SOC-R).

The Special Boat Teams comprise the elite combat units of Naval Special Warfare, a service component of the United States Special Operations Command.  These Teams are organized, trained and equipped to conduct or support a variety of maritime missions to include unconventional warfare, direct action, special reconnaissance, foreign internal defense, counter-terrorism missions, in maritime and riverine environments.

SWCCs first distinguished themselves during the Vietnam War, conducting operations in the rivers of Vietnam and Cambodia.  Their origins can be traced to Boat Support Unit ONE (BSU-1), which was commissioned in 1963 as a component of the Naval Operations Support Group commanded by Captain Phil H. Bucklew, a pioneer of Naval Special Warfare.  The members of BSU-1 deployed to Vietnam as members of the Mobile Support Teams tasked with the operation and maintenance of the Light SEAL Support Craft (LSSC) and Medium SEAL Support Craft (MSSC).

The uniqueness of riverine operations in Vietnam created an urgent need for a centralized and systematic training program to prepare prospective boat crews of Task Force 116 (River Patrol), 117 (River Assault), and BSU-1 for the demands of warfare along coastal and inland waterways.  On Jan. 30, 1967, the Naval Inshore Operations Training Center was commissioned in Mare Island, California, and tasked with providing this highly specialized training.

Following the Vietnam War, these “Brown Water” Sailors were assigned to stateside Coastal/River Squadrons and Divisions.  In 1978, these units were assigned to the Naval Special Warfare Groups and re-designated Special Boat Squadrons and Units.  In October 2003, the Special Boat Units were redesignated as Special Boat Teams, and the SWCCs of these Teams are deployed around the world in support of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). For more information on Naval Special Warfare, check out www.swcc.navy.mil

Thunder Over Louisville - the Derby Festival's Opening Ceremonies - is one of the more than seventy events produced by the Derby Festival in the spring. The Derby Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 325 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. It entertains more than 1.5 million people in a two-week period and has a local economic impact of more than $93 million. Thunder alone contributes $31 million of that estimate to both sides of the Ohio River.  This involvement has made the Festival the largest single-attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.