52-foot Motor Lifeboat

Last updated
USCG 52 foot motor lifeboat Intrepid, 2009 11 18.png
The United States Coast Guard operates four 52 foot motor lifeboats in the Pacific Northwest.
Class overview
Name52' MLB
Cost US$ 236,000 (1962)
Active4
General characteristics
Displacement32 tons
Length52 feet (16 m)
Beam14 feet 7 inches (4.45 m)
Draught6 feet 11 inches (2.11 m)
Propulsion2×GM 6-71, 170 hp (130 kW)
Speed11 knots
Range495 nautical miles (917 km)
Capacity35 survivors + crew
Complement5
Sensors and
processing systems		Navigational radar

The United States Coast Guard operates four 52-foot Motor Lifeboats (MLBs), which supplement its fleet of 227 47-foot Motor Lifeboats. [1] These vessels were built in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and displace 32 tons. [2] The four vessels are all stationed in the Pacific Northwest.

Contents

Design and history

After World War II, reduced budgets meant the Coast Guard continued to use its two existing wooden 52' MLBs, also known as the Type F lifeboats, Invincible and Triumph. [3] By the late 1950s, the wooden MLBs were starting to wear out and the Coast Guard built a set of steel 52' MLBs at Curtis Bay Yard to replace them, specifically designed for the high surf conditions encountered along the Pacific Northwest coast. The steel 52' MLBs feature an aluminum superstructure and a hull divided into seven watertight compartments; because of their relatively high cost of US$250,000(equivalent to $2,691,000 in 2022) each, only four were built. [4] After entering service, the steering/rudder system was modified by removing the rudder guard, shortening the bilge keels, installing twin rudders, and adding a hydraulic power assist to the steering. [4]

The four 52' MLBs: Invincible, Intrepid, Triumph, and Victory (L-R) All four USCG 52 foot motor lifeboats.jpg
The four 52' MLBs: Invincible, Intrepid, Triumph, and Victory (L-R)

The Coast Guard bills the 52-foot MLBs as "virtually unsinkable", with self-righting and self-bailing capabilities and the ability to tow vessels as large as 750 long tons (760 t) in 30-foot (9.1 m) seas. [5] In comparison, the next-largest 47' MLB has a towing capacity of 150 long tons (150 t). [6] To increase their endurance and capabilities, the 52' MLB is equipped with a complete galley and a fire/salvage pump with 250 US gal/min (16 L/s) capacity. [4]


On October 1, 2020, the fleet was placed on restricted status due to maintenance and safety concerns. [7] In November 2021, all 4 boats were towed to Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment and laid-up pending a decision on their future disposition. [8]

Vessels

The 52' MLBs are the only vessels of the Coast Guard less than 65 feet (20 m) in length to receive names, [9] keeping with the tradition established by their wooden predecessors.

List of 52-foot Motor Lifeboats of the United States Coast Guard [2] [4]
BoatHull no.BuilderLaid downLaunchedCommissionedHomeportStatus
Victory52312 Curtis Bay Yard November 29, 1956 Yaquina Bay In Service
Invincible II [lower-alpha 1] 52313October 11, 1960 Grays Harbor In Service
Triumph II [lower-alpha 2] 52314April 1, 1961 Cape Disappointment In Service
Intrepid52315October 11, 1961 Coos Bay In Service
Notes
  1. ↑ Named for wooden 52' MLB Invincible.
  2. ↑ Named for wooden 52' MLB Triumph.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "America's Maritime Guardian". "Coast Guard Outlook". 2011. Retrieved 2013-01-27.
  2. 1 2 "52-foot Motor Life Boat (MLB)" (PDF). United States Coast Guard. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 2012-11-10.
  3. ↑ "52-Foot Wooden-Hulled Motor Lifeboat" (PDF). U.S. Coast Guard History Program. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 21, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "52-Foot Steel-Hulled Motor Lifeboat" (PDF). U.S. Coast Guard History Program. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 26, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Factsheet: Station Yaquina Bay" (PDF). United States Coast Guard District 13. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  6. ↑ "Triumph tows disabled dragger through deep draft bar". Coast Guard News. December 10, 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  7. ↑ "Coast Guard to move Motor Lifeboat Invincible out of Grays Harbor". KXRO News Radio. November 16, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  8. ↑ Lipp, Kenneth (November 19, 2021). "Victory's last voyage". Newport News Times. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Coast Guard member to receive national recognition for at sea rescue". Coast Guard News. August 10, 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2019.

Bibliography

Individual boats

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