52-foot Motor Lifeboat


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

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. 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 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 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 in seas. In comparison, the next-largest 47' MLB has a towing capacity of. To increase their endurance and capabilities, the 52' MLB is equipped with a complete galley and a fire/salvage pump with capacity.

Vessels

The 52' MLBs are the only vessels of the Coast Guard less than in length to receive names, keeping with the tradition established by their wooden predecessors.
BoatHull no.BuilderLaid downLaunchedCommissionedHomeportStatus
Victory52312Curtis Bay YardYaquina BayIn Service
Invincible II52313Curtis Bay YardGrays HarborIn Service
Triumph II52314Curtis Bay YardCape DisappointmentIn Service
Intrepid52315Curtis Bay YardCoos BayIn Service

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Individual boats

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