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 downed Allied aircraft during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. US boats came from the observation of British experience with

high-speed launch A high-speed launch (HSL) is a type of military boat typically used for air-sea rescue operations. The British Royal Air Force (RAF) and others used HSLs especially during World War II. The 64 ft. high-speed, air/sea rescue launch built b ...

es (HSL) by the

Royal Air Force Marine Branch The Marine Branch (1918–1986) was a branch of the Royal Air Force (RAF) which operated watercraft in support of RAF operations. Just days after the creation of the RAF itself, the Marine Craft Section (MCS) was created with the transfer of Ro ...

during the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...

. By the end of World War II, America had produced 300,000 planes, creating a need to have

crash rescue boat Crash Rescue Boat is a name used in the United States to describe military high-speed offshore rescue boats, similar in size and performance to motor torpedo boats, used to rescue pilots and aircrews of crashed aircraft. During World War II th ...

s stationed around the globe. These boats were fast boats used to rescue

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

s, crew and passengers from downed aircraft in

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

and

air-sea rescue Air-sea rescue (ASR or A/SR, also known as sea-air rescue), and aeronautical and maritime search and rescue (AMSAR) by the ICAO and International Maritime Organization, IMO, is the coordinated search and rescue (SAR) of the survivors of emergenc ...

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 the

Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

and the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

, while some were transferred to the Allies. The design was similar to

patrol boat A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval ship, naval vessel generally designed for Coastal defence and fortification, coastal defence, Border control, border security, or law ...

s built for the war, but with less or no armament and

first aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with a medical emergency, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery until medical services arrive. First aid is gener ...

equipped. The boats were designed to be light and fast to be able to get to the downed aircrew as fast as possible. Most were used in the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

across the vast

South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

, primarily in

island hopping Leapfrogging was an amphibious military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific War against the Empire of Japan during World War II. The key idea was to bypass heavily fortified enemy islands instead of trying to capture every island i ...

. Some were stationed on the

West Coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast and the Western Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the Contiguous United States, contig ...

to support the vast training centers. Many were designated Air Rescue Boats or ARB or AVR or ''P'' or ''C'' or ''R''

Hull classification symbol The United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) use a hull classification symbol (sometimes called hull code or hull number) to identify their ships by type and by ind ...

. After the war, most were abandoned or destroyed, though a few served in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

(with

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

), while some sold to private and some donated to

Sea Scouts Sea Scouts are a part of the Scout movement, with a particular emphasis on boating and other water-based activities on the sea, rivers or lakes (canoeing, rafting, scuba, sailboarding). Sea Scouts can provide a chance to sail, cruise on boats, ...

. By the Korean war the

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

had taken the place of the crash boat in rescuing pilots and aircrews.

42-foot

The 42-foot crash rescue boat was built for the Army Air Forces Air-Sea-Rescue teams. The boat used design 221, with twin gasoline-powered engines and two screws. These used two

Hall-Scott Hall-Scott Motor Car Company was an American manufacturing company based in Berkeley, California. It was among the most significant builders of water-cooled aircraft engines before World War I. History 1910–21 The company was founded in 1910 ...

/ Hudson Invader Marine Engine or a Kermath 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 by Hunt Boat Company, in

Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was municipal corporation, incorporated on August 3, 1905, and has a Richmond, California, City Council, city council.

, Palmer Scott & Company in

New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. At the 2020 census, New Bedford had a population of 101,079, making it the state's ninth-l ...

and Palmer Johnson Yachts in

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin Sturgeon Bay is a city in Door County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 9,646 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located at the bay of Sturgeon Bay for which it is named, it is the most populous city o ...

. US Army 42footairsearescueboat schematic 221 (2).jpg, 42 foot boats built for US Army, cutaway US Army 42footairsearescueboat schematic 221.jpg, 42 foot boats built for US Army

63-foot

The 63-foot crash boats are known as AVR-63 or Class III boats (AVR meaning Auxiliary, Vessel, Rescue). The crash boat had two main models: the 314 design and the 168 design. They weighed , had a length of ,

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Radio beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially lo ...

of ,

draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

of , a lite 37,000 lbs and full up to 50,500 lbs. Design 314 was powered by two

Defender V12 petrol engines with a top speed of . The 168 design was powered by two

Packard Packard (formerly the Packard Motor Car Company) was an American luxury automobile company located in Detroit, Michigan. The first Packard automobiles were produced in 1899, and the last Packards were built in South Bend, Indiana, in 1958. One ...

4M-2500 with . They had a crew of 7 or 8 and were armed with two .50 calibre

M2 Browning The M2 machine gun or Browning .50-caliber machine gun (informally, "Ma Deuce") is a heavy machine gun that was designed near the end of World War I by John Browning. While similar to Browning's M1919 Browning machine gun, which was chambered ...

machine guns. The Model 314 boat had two rigid

United States Rubber Company Uniroyal, formerly known as the United States Rubber Company, is an American manufacturer of tires and other synthetic rubber-related products, as well as variety of items for military use, such as ammunition, explosives, chemical weapons and op ...

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-hp ''Sea Raider'' engines, as the Packard and the Hall-Scott engines were available. The eight model 127 went to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, as did the later model 252. A few 63-foot boats were built post World War II, noted as Mark 2, 3, and 3 models. Model 152s were sent to Great Britain; these has a Watson-Flagg VeeDrive Gearbox added to them. 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 . 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 under

Lend-Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (),3,000 Hurricanes and >4,000 other aircraft) * 28 naval vessels: ** 1 Battleship. (HMS Royal Sovereign (05), HMS Royal Sovereign) * ...

to Russia and classified RPC for ''Russian Patrol Craft''. Model 293s were armed with

Oerlikon 20mm cannon The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons based on an original German Becker Type M2 20 mm cannon design that appeared very early in World War I. It was widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others, with various models emplo ...

depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon designed to destroy submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited ...

s and an extra fuel tank. The 63-foot boats were built by

Harbor Boat Building Company Harbor Boat Building Company was a shipbuilding company on Terminal Island in San Pedro, California. To support the World War II demand for ships General Engineering built: minesweepers, torpedo boats, submarine chasers, and air-sea rescue boa ...

Terminal Island Terminal Island, historically known as , is a largely artificial island located in Los Angeles County, California, between the neighborhoods of Wilmington, Los Angeles, Wilmington and San Pedro, Los Angeles, San Pedro in the city of Los Angeles ...

in San Pedro,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, Fellows & Stewart in San Pedro, California, Stephens Bros. Boat Builders in

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is the most populous city in the county, the List of municipal ...

South Coast Shipyard South Coast Shipyard was a shipbuilding company in Newport Beach, California. To support the World War II demand for ships South Coast Shipyard built: minesweepers, Torpedo Boats, Submarine chasers, & Air-sea rescue boats. South Coast Shipyard ...

Newport, California Newport is an unincorporated community in Mendocino County, California. It is located on California State Route 1 near the Pacific Ocean south of Westport, at an elevation of 135 feet (41 m). Newport shipped lumber in prior times. Notable p ...

, and Miami Shipbuilding Corporation,

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. The

British Power Boat Company The British Power Boat Company was a British manufacturer of motor boats from 1927 to 1946, particularly racing boats and later military patrol boats in Hythe, Hampshire. History The company was formed on 30 September 1927 when Hubert Scott-P ...

built the

Type Two 63 ft HSL The Type Two HSL was a 63-foot high-speed launch craft made by British Power Boat Company (BPBC). The craft were used during the Second World War for air-sea rescue operations to save Allied aircrew from the sea. The Type Two superseded the 6 ...

63-foot crash boat for the UK from 1937. USAF 63ft Mk II air sea rescue boat underway in 1953.jpg, air-sea rescue boat 63footairsearescueboatUSNavy.jpg, air-sea rescue boat ASR-313, US ROTC, 1984.jpg, 63-foot ASR 313 built in 1943 with Reserve Officers' Training Corps in 1984 StephensBrosBoatBuildersAVRs_1944.jpg, Stephens Bros. Boat Builders in Stockton, California, with 63-foot in 1944 Transfer 63ft patrol vessel 1942 to Russians.jpg, Model 293 transferring to the USSR as a patrol vessel in 1942 US Army 65ft Crashboat AVR, 1945.jpg, 63-Foot Crash boat AVR at sea 1945

85 foot

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 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, one

radio operator A radio operator (also, formerly, a wireless operator in British and Commonwealth English) is a person who is responsible for the operations of a radio system and the technicalities in broadcasting. The profession of radio operator has become l ...

, three

Able seaman An able seaman (AB) is a seaman and member of the deck department of a merchant ship with more than two years' experience at sea and considered "well acquainted with his duty". An AB may work as a watchstander, a day worker, or a combination ...

, one oiler, one

Emergency medical technician An emergency medical technician (often, more simply, EMT) is a medical professional that provides emergency medical services. EMTs are most commonly found serving on ambulances and in fire departments in the US and Canada, as full-time and som ...

, and one cook. However, cross training on these small boats was mandatory. ASR-85s were built by 14 shipyards:

Wilmington Boat Works Wilmington Boat Works, Inc. or WILBO was a shipbuilding company in Wilmington, California. To support the World War 2 demand for ships Victory Shipbuilding built: Tugboats, crash rescue boats and sub chasers. Wilmington Boat Works opened in 1920 ...

Wilmington, California Wilmington is a neighborhood in the South Bay and Harbor region of Los Angeles, California, covering . Featuring a heavy concentration of industry and the third-largest oil field in the continental United States, this neighborhood has a high p ...

, Peterson Builders and Simms Bros. in

Dorchester, Boston Dorchester () is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood comprising more than in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Originally, Dorchester was a separate town, founded by Puritans who emigrated in 1630 from Dorchester, Dorset, E ...

, Herreshoff Manufacturing in

Bristol, Rhode Island Bristol is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States, as well as the county seat. The population of Bristol was 22,493 at the 2020 census. It is a deep water seaport named after Bristol, England. Major industries include boat buil ...

, Burger Boat in

Manitowoc, Wisconsin Manitowoc ( ) is a city in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2020 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,626. History Purporte ...

, Dooley's Basin & Dry Dock in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

, Cambridge Shipbuilding in

Cambridge, Maryland Cambridge is a city in Dorchester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 13,096 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Dorchester County and the county's largest municipality. Cambridge is the fourth most populous city in Ma ...

; Daytona Beach Boat Works in

Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach is a coastal Resort town, resort city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. Located on the East Coast of the United States, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Deltona� ...

; Eddy Shipbuilding in

Bay City, Michigan Bay City is a city in Bay County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 32,661 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is located just upriver from the Saginaw Bay on the Saginaw River. It is the princip ...

; Henry B. Nevins, Incorporated in

City Island, Bronx City Island is a neighborhood in the northeastern Bronx in New York City, located on an island of the same name approximately long by wide. City Island is located at the extreme western end of Long Island Sound, south of Pelham Bay Park, and ...

; Peterson, Julius in

Nyack, New York Nyack () is a Village (New York), village primarily located in the Town (New York), town of Orangetown, New York, Orangetown in Rockland County, New York, United States. Incorporated in 1872, a small western section of the village lies in Clarkst ...

; Robinson Marine in

Benton Harbor, Michigan Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County, Michigan, Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is 46 miles southwest of Kalamazoo, Michigan, Kalamazoo and 71 miles southwest of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Grand Rapids. According to the 2020 2 ...

; Truscott Boat & Dock Co. in

St. Joseph, Michigan St. Joseph, colloquially known as St. Joe, is a city and the county seat of Berrien County, Michigan. It was incorporated as a village in 1834 and as a city in 1891. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 7,856. It lies on the shore ...

and Fellows & Stewart in San Pedro, California.

AVR 661 AVR ''661'' is an R-1 type United States Air Force "crash boat", a boat used in air-sea rescues. It is 85 feet long and has two Packard Marine 4M-2500 engines of 1500 horsepower, instead of the normal three that PT boats usually were equipped wi ...

, one of the 85-foot crash boats, was placed on the U.S.

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1980. P-550 is the only restored to original 104s crash boat. P-250 was stationed at

Avila Beach, California Avila Beach (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Ávila'') is an unincorporated community in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States, located on San Luis Obispo Bay about 160 miles (257 km) northwest of Los Angeles, and about south of ...

for World war II, supporting training at

Amphibious Training Base Morro Bay Amphibious Training Base Morro Bay also called Camp Morro Bay and Morro Bay Section Base was a US Navy US Amphibious Training Base, training base for Amphibious warfare, amphibious beach Amphibious warfare, assault during World War II. The bas ...

and other training camps and airfields near

San Luis Obispo ; ; ; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly halfway betwee ...

Camp San Luis Obispo Camp San Luis Obispo is the original home of the California Army National Guard. It served as an Infantry Division Camp and Cantonment Area for the United States Army during World War II. History Camp San Luis Obispo, formerly called Camp Merr ...

. P-520 then served in the Korean War from 1950 to 1952. P-250 was built by Casey Boat Builders in 1943. US Army Crashboat ASR85 P-478 1943.jpg, Crash boat Type ASR85, P-478 in 1943 US Army AF ASR85footcrashboat-outline.jpg, 85-foot crash boat AirForce85-footcrashrescueboatKorea.JPG, US Air Force 85-foot crash rescue boat in Korea P-520 Crash Rescue Boat, 2007.jpg, Air Force Reserve Airmen from the 304th Rescue Squadron, on P-520 a Crash Boat on the Willamette River in Portland, Ore.

104 foot

The largest of the crash boats, the 104-foot crash boats, are also called "Class I" boats or 104s. The 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 the

Gulf of Alaska The Gulf of Alaska ( Tlingit: ''Yéil T'ooch’'') is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the ...

and

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands ( ; ; , "land of the Aleuts"; possibly from the Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', or "island")—also called the Aleut Islands, Aleutic Islands, or, before Alaska Purchase, 1867, the Catherine Archipelago—are a chain ...

; 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 in Fairhaven, 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. , 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.

United States Coast Guard

The

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

operated

83-foot patrol boat The United States Coast Guard wooden-hulled 83-foot patrol boats (also called cutters) were all built by Wheeler Shipyard in Brooklyn, New York during World War II. The first 136 cutters were fitted with a tapered-roof Everdur silicon bronze wheel ...

s, which were also used in rescue work.

Other crash boats

* Some stock recreational

speed boat A motorboat or powerboat is a boat that is exclusively powered by an engine; faster examples may be called "speedboats". Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the intern ...

s were purchased for near-shore crash boats for the Army and Navy, which 22 to 42 feet in length. * Chris-Craft built 31 22-foot boats in 1943, J 631-661, for the US Army. * , which as built in 1919. *Some 80-foot

PT boat A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, and it was valued for its maneuverability and speed. However, PT boats were hampe ...

s, with three engines and four 21" torpedoes, were put into service as crash boats. * RCAF ''Nictak'' (M 447), a Motor Torpedo Boat built in 1941, was later used as a high speed rescue launch for rescue work *, which was built in 1917 *40-foot, 45-foot, and 65-foot US Navy rescue boats were also built, along with 19 foot

airboat An airboat (also known as a planeboat, swamp boat, bayou boat, or fanboat) is a flat-bottomed watercraft propelled by an aircraft-type propeller and powered by either an aircraft or automotive engine. It is commonly used for fishing, hunting, r ...

US Navy rescue boats.

Motors

Hall Scott Defender

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. *Hall-Scott produced Invader engines built in 1942:. *Engines for US Army Aircraft Rescue Boat 104 foot (P110-115 141-145)

Packard V12

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.

Kermath

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.

Place names

Crashboat Channel in Hawaii () is named for the crash boats of World War II that rescued pilots who met misadventure in the vicinity of

Kaneohe Bay Kāneohe () is a census-designated place (CDP) included in the City and County of Honolulu and in Hawaii state District of Koolaupoko on the island of Oahu. In the Hawaiian language, ''kāne ohe'' means "bamboo man". According to an ancient ...

, Oahu.

References

External links

U.S. Army Air-Sea-Rescue Boats (P) Built During WWII
{{WWII US ships Auxiliary ship classes of the United States Navy Patrol boat classes Ship types