Crash boats, at the time known as "aircraft rescue boats" or "air-sea rescue boats", were United States high speed boats built to rescue the crew of downedAllied aircraft duringWorld War II. US boats came from the observation of British experience withhigh-speed launches (HSL) by theRoyal Air Force Marine Branch during theBattle of Britain.[1][2][3][4]
By the end of World War II, America had produced 300,000 planes, creating a need to havecrash rescue boats stationed around the globe. These boats were fast boats used to rescuepilots, crew and passengers from downed aircraft insearch and rescue andair-sea rescue missions. The boats would race out to a crash site and rescue wounded aircrew.
Some speed boats built before the war were acquired and converted to be crash boats and many new boats were built. Standard crash boats were built in four lengths for World War II. The smallest standard size boat was 42 feet long, while the larger boats were 63, 85 or 104 feet long. They were built for theArmy Air Forces and theUS Navy, while some were transferred to the Allies. The design was similar topatrol boats built for the war, but with less or no armament andfirst aid equipped. The boats were designed to be light and fast to be able to get to the downed aircrew as fast as possible.[5]
Most were used in thePacific War across the vastSouth Pacific, primarily inisland hopping. Some were stationed on theWest Coast of the United States to support the vasttraining centers. Many were designated Air Rescue Boats orARB orAVR orP orC orRHull classification symbol. After the war, most were abandoned or destroyed, though a few served in theKorean War (withUnited States Air Force), while some sold to private and some donated toSea Scouts. By the Korean war thehelicopter 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. The 42-foot (13 m) boat used design 221, with twin gasoline-powered engines and two screws. These used twoHall-Scott/Hudson Invader Marine Engine or aKermath Sea Ranger 6 Marine engine. Due to the small size, these were used in close-to-shore rescue. The boat had no armament. The 42-foot boats were built byHunt Boat Company, inRichmond, California, Palmer Scott & Company inNew Bedford, Massachusetts and Palmer Johnson Yachts inSturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.[9]
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The 63-foot crash boats are known as AVR-63 or Class III boats (AVR meaning Auxiliary, Vessel, Rescue). The 63-foot (19 m) crash boat had two main models: the 314 design and the 168 design. They weighed 23long tons (23 t), had a length of 63 ft (19 m),beam of 15 ft 4 in (4.67 m),draft of 4 ft (1.2 m), a lite 37,000 lbs and full up to 50,500 lbs. Design 314 was powered by two 630-horsepower (470 kW)Hall-Scott DefenderV12 petrol engines with a top speed of 31.5knots (58.3 km/h; 36.2 mph). The 168 design was powered by twoPackard 4M-2500 with 1,250-horsepower (932 kW). They had a crew of 7 or 8 and were armed with two.50 calibreM2 Browning machine guns. The Model 314 boat had two rigid 795-US-gallon (3,010 L; 662 imp gal)United States Rubber Company bullet sealing fuel tanks, while the 168 design had three tanks. In addition to the main two designs, there were multiple sub design models: 127, 152, 252, 293, 416, 440, Mark 2, Mark 3, Mark 4. By the end of the war, 740 of the 63-foot boats were built by 15 shipyards. The first 63 foot, model 127, was built by Miami Shipbuilding Corporation and used four Kermath 500-hpSea Raider engines, as the Packard and the Hall-Scott engines were not available. The eight model 127 went toSouth Africa, as did the later model 252.[10][11] A few 63-foot boats were built post World War II, noted as Mark 2, 3, and 3 models.[12][13] Model 152s were sent to Great Britain; these have a Watson-Flagg VeeDrive Gearbox added to them.[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). Model 440s were designed "Q" boats for six US Army command boats[clarification needed]. Model 416s were the same as the standard 314, but with a firefighting system added, plus two water nozzles added to the forward deck.
Not all 63-foot boats were used for Crash boats. Model 293s were designed to be offensive. The Model 293s were PTC, or SC for Small Sub Chaser. Some Model 293s were transferred underLend-Lease to Russia and classified RPC forRussian Patrol Craft. Model 293s were armed withOerlikon 20mm cannon,depth charges and an extra fuel tank.
The 63-foot boats were built byHarbor Boat Building Company onTerminal Island inSan Pedro,California,Fellows & Stewart in San Pedro, California,Stephens Bros. Boat Builders inStockton, California,South Coast Shipyard inNewport, California, andMiami Shipbuilding Corporation,Miami,Florida.[9][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]
TheBritish Power Boat Company built theType Two 63 ft HSL 63-foot crash boat for the UK from 1937.
The 85-foot crash boats are known as the ASR-85s or Class II boats. ASR-85s are known for having both speed and range, being able to recover downed crews several hundred miles offshore. 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. ASR 85 boats used 140 gallons per hour of 87-91 octane gasoline. Tender ships would refuel and restock boats not stationed at harbors. Boats had no armament or were armed with twin 50 caliber machine guns and a 20-mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun. The ASR-85s had a crew of 12 men: one master, two engineers, one first mate, one navigator, oneradio operator, threeAble seaman, one oiler, oneEmergency medical technician, and one cook. However, cross training on these small boats was mandatory. ASR-85s were built by 14 shipyards:Wilmington Boat Works inWilmington, California, Peterson Builders and Simms Bros. inDorchester, Boston,Herreshoff Manufacturing inBristol, Rhode Island,Burger Boat inManitowoc, Wisconsin, Dooley's Basin & Dry Dock inFort Lauderdale, Florida, Cambridge Shipbuilding inCambridge, Maryland; Daytona Beach Boat Works inDaytona Beach, Florida; Eddy Shipbuilding inBay City, Michigan;Henry B. Nevins, Incorporated inCity Island, Bronx; Peterson, Julius inNyack, New York; Robinson Marine inBenton Harbor, Michigan; Truscott Boat & Dock Co. inSt. Joseph, Michigan andFellows & Stewart in San Pedro, California.
AVR 661, one of the 85-foot crash boats, was placed on the U.S.National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[22][23][24][25][26] P-550 is the only restored to original 104s crash boat. P-250 was stationed atAvila Beach, California for World war II, supporting training atAmphibious Training Base Morro Bay and other training camps and airfields nearSan Luis Obispo likeCamp San Luis Obispo. P-520 then served in the Korean War from 1950 to 1952. P-250 was built by Casey Boat Builders in 1943.[27][28][29][30][31][32][33][clarification needed]
The largest of the crash boats, the 104-foot crash boats, are also called "Class I" boats or 104s. The 104-foot (32 m) used Design 235, and were built with emergency medical facilities which could accommodate up to 23 people. The crew of 12 were all cross-trained to operate any part of the boat. The boats have a length of 104 ft (32 m), powered by three 625 hp (466 kW) Kermath V12 engines, and included 3 screws. The boat had a top speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph). The 104-foot was large enough to operate in the open ocean easily. Some 104-foot boats worked in theGulf of Alaska andAleutian Islands; these had cold weather options installed. The cold weather options had a heating system, ice protection on the hull, and insulation. Many of the 104-foot boats served in the South Pacific and the Caribbean. The 104-foot boats were built by Dooley's Basin & Dry Dock; Casey Boat Builders inFairhaven, MA; Ventnor Boat Works of Atlantic City, NJ; Dachel-Carter Shipbuilding,Benton Harbor, MI; Brownsville Boat of Brownsville, TX; Sagstad Shipyard, Seattle, WA.; Stephens Brothers of Stockton, CA.
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]
TheUnited States Coast Guard operated83-foot patrol boats, which were also used in rescue work.[39]
Hall Scott Defender powered most 63-foot Rescue Boats. The Hall Scott Defender is a straight-six engine with overhead valves and two spark plugs per cylinder. The engine uses two updraft carburetors. The first run of 1996 CID had 575 hp, while the next run was supercharged and bored and had 700 hp.[47][48]
| 63 ft. Rescue Boat model # | Number built | Number of Engines | Total Engines | Notes |
| 152 | 8 | 2 | 16 | For British boats. |
| 293 | 76 | 2 | 152 | Used insubchaser version of the boat. Some sent to Russia. |
| 314 | 352 | 2 | 704 | Used in 240 US Navy 240 boats. Some boats sent to the Netherlands and the UK. The U.S.C.G. received 29 and U.S. Army Air Force received 54. Australia was sent 20. The ones that went to the Coast Guard became its standard 63-foot rescue boat for World War Two and into the 1950s. |
| 416 or Type 3 | 79 | 2 | 158 | Used in 416 US Army specifications boats. |
| Mark 2 | 16 | 2 | 32 | |
| Mark 3 | 69 | 2 | 138 | |
| Mark 4 | 9 | 2 | 18 | |
| Total | 609 | 1,218 |
| Type | Number built with Invaders | Engines per boat | Total Engines | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Navy-Army 63-Foot Rescue Boat | 20 | 2 | 40 | US Army received 6 of the V-12 Defender engine. |
| U.S. Army 42-Foot Rescue Boat | 2 | The 42-foot rescue boats were built with either Kermath Sea Raider or Hall-Scott Invader engines. |
| Type | Number built | Engines per boat | Total engines | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 104 foot ARB | 11 | 3 | 33 | There were 93 104-foot rescue boats built. The original series had Kermath Sea Raider engines. The next series, known as the 200 series, was powered by the Hall-Scott Defender. |
The 85-foot crash boat used two Packard V12 Marine Engine engines, Packard V12 4M-2500. This was the same engine in the PT-boats, but PT boats had three engines. The 1,200 hp to 1,500 hp used 91 to 100 octane gas. The engine used a supercharger. The engine had a four-stroke, 60-degree V-12 with a 6.40-inch bore and a 6.50-inch stroke. The engine had 2,490 cubic inches and four valves per cylinder. To keep weight down this was an aluminum block with steel cylinder sleeves, each weighing 2,900 pounds. The engine had a 6.4:1 compression ratio.[49][50][51][52]
Kermath Engines built two engines the Sea Raider Special that is a V12 engine the original one used in 104-Foot boats, Sea Raider Special have four overhead valves per cylinder, overhead cams and two spark plugs per cylinder. Outputting 450 to 550 hp each. The 104-Foot boats used. The Sea Raider Six engine was used in 42-foot boats, this is straight six with four overhead valves per cylinder and overhead cam. Two spark plugs per cylinder, with 260 hp. The Sea Raider Six had a 4.9 to 1 compression ratio and used 72 octane gasoline.[53][54]
Crashboat Channel in Hawaii (21°27′09″N157°47′01″W / 21.45250°N 157.78361°W /21.45250; -157.78361 (Crashboat channel)[55]) is named for the crash boats of World War II that rescued pilots who met misadventure in the vicinity ofKaneohe Bay, Oahu.[56]
