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52-foot Motor Lifeboat

Boat used by the U.S. Coast Guard

Field	Value
section1	{{Infobox ship/image
image	USCG 52 foot motor lifeboat Intrepid, 2009 11 18.png
image_caption	The United States Coast Guard operates four 52 foot motor lifeboats in the Pacific Northwest.
section2	{{Infobox ship/class overview
name	52' MLB
class_before	52' MLB (Type F)
cost
built_range	1956–1961
in_service_range	1956–2021
total_ships_completed	4
section3	{{Infobox ship/characteristics
displacement	32 tons
length	52 ft
beam	14 ft
draught	6 ft
propulsion	2×GM 6-71, 170 hp
speed	11 knots
range	495 nmi
capacity	35 survivors + crew
complement	5
sensors	Navigational radar

The United States Coast Guard operated four 52-foot Motor Lifeboats (MLBs), also known as "special purpose craft — heavy weather" (SPC-HWX), from 1956 until 2021. The 52' MLBs supplemented its fleet of 227 47-foot Motor Lifeboats. | access-date = 2013-01-27 These motor lifeboats were built in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and each displaces 32 tons. | access-date = 2012-11-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304105639/https://www.uscg.mil/d13/docs/factsheets/52.pdf |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead

The four vessels were all stationed within the Graveyard of the Pacific in the Pacific Northwest. The vessels are remembered for the many lives they saved over 60 years of service in brutal ocean conditions. They were withdrawn from service in 2021 and laid up due to the difficulty of maintenance; procurement started in 2024 for their planned replacements (SPC-HWX II), which according to preliminary designs will be 64 feet long, overall.

Design and history

After World War II, reduced budgets meant the Coast Guard continued to use its two existing wooden 52' MLBs (Type F), which had been completed in 1935. 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 in the area known as the Graveyard of the Pacific, off the coast of the Pacific Northwest (Oregon and Washington state). The steel 52' MLBs feature an aluminum superstructure and a hull divided into seven watertight compartments; because of their relatively high cost of each, only four were built. 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.

The four 52' MLBs: ''Invincible'', ''Intrepid'', ''Triumph'', and ''Victory'' (L-R)

The Coast Guard bills the 52-foot MLBs, officially designated "special purpose craft – heavy weather" (SPC-HWX), as "virtually unsinkable", with self-righting and self-bailing capabilities and the ability to tow vessels as large as 750 LT in 30 ft seas. In comparison, the next-largest 47' MLB has a towing capacity of 150 LT. To increase their endurance and capabilities, the 52' MLB is equipped with a complete galley and a fire/salvage pump with 250 gal/min capacity.

On October 1, 2020, the fleet was placed on restricted status due to maintenance and safety concerns. By that time, the 52-ft MLBs, each more than 60 years old, relied on custom built parts to stay operational. Their rescue duties were assumed by the smaller, newer 47-foot motor lifeboats.

In December 2024, the Coast Guard released a Request for Proposal for the design and production of up to six "special purpose craft – heavy weather generation II" (SPC-HWX II) to replace the four 52-foot MLBs, and began planning for their retirement and decommissioning due to the difficulty of maintenance.

Vessels

USCG ''Invincible II'' heavy weather motor lifeboat

The 52' MLBs are the only vessels of the Coast Guard less than 65 ft in length to receive names, keeping with the tradition established by their wooden predecessors.

Boat	Hull no.	Builder	Commissioned	Homeport	Status
Victory	52312	Coast Guard Yard		Yaquina Bay	Laid up
Invincible II	52313		Grays Harbor	Laid up
Triumph II	52314		Cape Disappointment	Laid up
Intrepid	52315		Coos Bay	Laid up

;Notes

References

Bibliography

Individual boats

References

"52-Foot Wooden-Hulled Motor Lifeboat". U.S. Coast Guard History Program.
"Factsheet: Station Yaquina Bay". United States Coast Guard District 13.
(December 10, 2017). "Triumph tows disabled dragger through deep draft bar". Coast Guard News.
(November 16, 2021). "Coast Guard to move Motor Lifeboat Invincible out of Grays Harbor". KXRO News Radio.
Lipp, Kenneth. (November 19, 2021). "Victory’s last voyage". Newport News Times.
Lockett, Michael S.. (2022-12-28). "Coast Guard Funded for Replacing Motor Lifeboats, New Icebreaker".
(December 11, 2024). "Coast Guard issues request for proposal for special purpose craft – heavy weather II". Acquisition Directorate, United States Coast Guard.
(August 10, 2017). "Coast Guard member to receive national recognition for at sea rescue". Coast Guard News.
"52-Foot Steel-Hulled Motor Lifeboat". U.S. Coast Guard History Program.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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