In a little-known episode of the Vietnam War, the CIA hired Norwegian skippers to command fast patrol boats to land South Vietnamese commandos and combat swimmers on the coasts of North Vietnam. This book 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 to piece together the story. AUTHOR: Alessandro Giorgi is an Italian military historian, author, and teacher. He is especially interested in clandestine operations from World War II through the end of the Cold War. He has presented at academic conferences in the US and Europe and is a member of the Italian Society of Military History. This is his third book. 108 colour and b/w photographs