Crash boats of World War II

US boats came from the observation of British experience with high-speed launches (HSL) by the Royal Air Force Marine Branch during the Battle of Britain.

[1][2][3][4] By the end of World War II, America had produced 300,000 planes, creating a need to have crash rescue boats stationed around the globe.

Many were designated Air Rescue Boats or ARB or AVR or P or C or R Hull classification symbol.

By the Korean war the helicopter had taken the place of the crash boat in rescuing pilots and aircrews.

[6][7][8] The 42-foot crash rescue boat was built for the Army Air Forces Air-Sea-Rescue teams.

Design 314 was powered by two 630-horsepower (470 kW) Hall-Scott Defender V12 petrol engines with a top speed of 31.5 knots (58.3 km/h; 36.2 mph).

[10][11] A few 63-foot boats were built post World War II, noted as Mark 2, 3, and 3 models.

[14] Model 168 was built for US Navy with two 1250-hp Packard 4M-2500 marine engines for a top speed of 48 knots (55 mph).

The 140 built 85-foot (26 m) crash boats are powered with two 1,500-hp (1,100-kW) Packard Marine 4M-2500 engines, with a top speed of 40 knots (74-km/h; 46-mph), and a range of 2,500 miles.

The ASR-85s had a crew of 12 men: one master, two engineers, one first mate, one navigator, one radio operator, three Able seaman, one oiler, one Emergency medical technician, and one cook.

ASR-85s were built by 14 shipyards: Wilmington Boat Works in Wilmington, California, Peterson Builders and Simms Bros. in Dorchester, Boston, Herreshoff Manufacturing in Bristol, Rhode Island, Burger Boat in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Dooley's Basin & Dry Dock in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Cambridge Shipbuilding in Cambridge, Maryland; Daytona Beach Boat Works in Daytona Beach, Florida; Eddy Shipbuilding in Bay City, Michigan; Henry B. Nevins, Incorporated in City Island, Bronx; Peterson, Julius in Nyack, New York; Robinson Marine in Benton Harbor, Michigan; Truscott Boat & Dock Co. in St. Joseph, Michigan and Fellows & Stewart in San Pedro, California.

The boats have a length of 104 ft (32 m), powered by three 625 hp (466 kW) Kermath V12 engines, and included 3 screws.

Some 104-foot boats worked in the Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands; these had cold weather options installed.

The cold weather options had a heating system, ice protection on the hull, and insulation.

MV Christmas Seal, which was one of these boats during World War II, was converted into a medical ship for Canada, and was an oceanographic platform until its sinking in 1976.

[34][35][36][37][38] The United States Coast Guard operated 83-foot patrol boats, which were also used in rescue work.

The Hall Scott Defender is a straight-six engine with overhead valves and two spark plugs per cylinder.

To keep weight down this was an aluminum block with steel cylinder sleeves, each weighing 2,900 pounds.