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Thank you!

Note in the pictures with the swift boats how narrow the canal is. The picture was taken from a Coast Guard patrol boat like the ones shown. In the book it was mentioned that the canals were prime ambush points and given the Coast Guard boats were too big to turn around and had to back down, it was amazing that they were not taken under much heavier fire than they were. However, an intelligence report based on VC interrogation showed that the VC were suspicious of the big cutters because they couldn't believe they would go up into such restricted spaces without special equipment, fire power and a large force of troops. In retrospect, it was just dumb luck that the cutters and their men survived in tight quarters and shallow waters that were unsuited for them.