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GRAFTON - On Saturday, July 26, 2025, one of 22 Seal Team Assault Boats (STAB) returned to Grafton, coming home to where she was built in 1968 at the Grafton Boat Works, now The Loading Dock Bar and Grill. Delivered by the owner, John Jadwinsky, of Danville, Indiana, the boat was welcomed with hearty cheers and applause by upwards of fifty bystanders, members of the Grafton Historical Society, and Veterans—one of whom who rendered military honors with a heartfelt salute. John addressed the Historical Society, providing details of the boat’s use by Navy SEALs as the fastest boat on the rivers of the Mekong Delta during the Viet Nam War.
The surviving boats were returned to the west coast of the United States to be used for military target practice. The Navy eventually scraped the boats, and many found homes throughout the United States.
John has made it his life work for over 40 years to find any remaining available STAB boats, restore them for display or for use in military movies and now, to deliver Boat #10 to her temporary resting place at the Grafton Historical Museum, just across from where she was built at the Grafton Boat Works. Some long-time city residents recall working at the Boat Works in early years. As a new high school graduate, Richard Mosby of Mosby Woodwork painted and added the foam “flotation fill” to the boats. Upon completion of the future National Memorial of Military Ascent Museum (to adjoin the Grafton Museum) this boat will be the centerpiece for the Viet Nam Veterans’ portion of the memorial.
John said, “This boat was designed and built by the Grafton Boat Works in 1968. I’m deeply honored to donate it to the National Memorial of Military Ascent (NMMA) for their new museum, remembering the Viet Nam veterans who served as well as the civilians and industry that supported the war effort.”
“On behalf of the City of Grafton and the Board of the NMMA, we gratefully acknowledge and accept this STAB boat for our new museum. She’s a survivor—and she’s home,” said Mike Morrow, Grafton mayor and president of the NMMA.
With the addition of this boat and the Radio Man statue, the Grafton Visitor Center and Historical Museum will now be open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. beginning on August 4th. Make the Grafton Museum your destination to see these historical attractions.
