US Coast Guard 44 Foot Motor Life Boat Restoration Project - 44376
The US Coast Guard 44 Foot Motor Life Boat was the workhorse of the rescue boat fleet. Originally designed in 1961, the steel-hulled 44-foot motor life boats were built at the U.S. Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, MD., between 1963 and 1972.
Purpose & Performance
Motor lifeboats are the workhorses of many Coast Guard rescue stations. They are built to withstand the most severe conditions at sea and are capable of affecting a rescue at sea even under the most difficult circumstances.
Safety & Stability
They are self-bailing, self-righting, almost unsinkable, and have a long cruising radius for their size. If one of these boats gets turned over on its back, its righting capabilities will turn it right side up in 30 seconds or less.
Capabilities
They are designed to operate in 30-foot seas and 20-foot breaking surf and up to 50 miles offshore.
Sea Scout MLB 44372 Viking
Built for the U.S. Coast Guard in 1967, the Sea Scout MLB 44372 Viking is a near-indestructible 44-foot Corten steel Motor Lifeboat that now trains the youth of Portland's Sea Scout Ship City of Roses 601 in seamanship, engineering, and navigation.
The Transition to the 47-Footer
The 44-footers have been replaced one for one by the newer 47-footer. One operational 44-footer (44301) remains in service today at Chatham, Massachusetts, because the draft of the new 47 footer is too deep for the shallower bar conditions there. One other 44 is at Group Woods Hole, MA. to be used as a parts boat.