The 44-foot motor lifeboat was the standard workhorse of the United States Coast Guard (USCG) rescue boat fleet.

[3] The propellers are protected by the hull to help prevent them being damaged if the boat runs aground.

The magazine Popular Mechanics reported in 1966 that the then-new fleet of 44 foot motor life-boats represented several "firsts".

The vessels were the first motor lifeboats where a single crew member handled both the engine throttle and steering wheel.

Over the July 4th weekend of 1980 Richard Dixon, the coxswain of a 44-foot motor lifeboat from the US Coast Guard Station at Tillamook Bay led his crew of four on two separate daring rescues, earning him the rare honor of two separate Coast Guard Medals.