Vikings in Vietnam - by Alessandro Giorgi (Hardcover)

About the Book

A history of Norwegian skippers hired by the CIA to command fast patrol boats on secret missions into North Vietnam

Book Synopsis

In a little-known episode of the early Vietnam War, the CIA hired Norwegian skippers to command fast patrol boats for classified operations. The boats transported South Vietnamese commandos and combat swimmers along the coasts and rivers of North Vietnam.

This work will explain who the "Vikings" were, describe their missions, and detail their equipment (primarily Swift- and Nasty-class patrol boats). Author Alessandro Giorgi relied heavily on recently declassified source material and firsthand accounts to piece together the story.

The book features more than 100 photos and maps, including photos of the original contracts that the boat captains signed with CIA shell corporations.

Review Quotes

An interesting and poignant footnote to the war.

--Thomas Powers, Pulitzer Prize winner, author "Heisenberg's War", "The Man Who Kept The Secrets"

I was completely unaware of the Norwegian connection, ... very interesting for me to read.
--Prof. Emeritus William Turley, Southern Illinois University. Author "The Second Indochina War"

Important research on the story of the Norwegians in Vietnam.

--Brian Sullivan, former Professor at Yale, Naval War College (author "Il Duce's Other Woman"

Outstanding work... This is a truly fascinating story.

--David Coffey, Ph.D., Professor of History and Chair, Department of History and Philosophy, University of Tennessee at Martin