Fliger747 wrote:The cross section drawing along the centerline is interesting in the protection of the propeller. It is certainly possible that WWII landing craft somewhat copied this system. The LSM has a similar hump in the underwater profile to protect the propellers in this shallow draft vessel, with skegs on both sides.
Such surf boats must have been a wild ride!
Regards: Tom
Hi Tom,
Yes, you might be right, the idea of propellers in tunnels is definitely used in case of many boats operating in shallow waters, for the risk of hitting the bottom and damaging the screw/rudder/brackets.
For rescue boats there is an additional reason, the danger of people in the water being hit/wounded by the propeller.
"I've heard there's a wicked war a-blazing, and the taste of war I know so very well
Even now I see the foreign flag a-raising, their guns on fire as we sail into hell" Roger Whittaker +9/13/2023
Here in Alaska on the shallow rivers, the ultimate tunneled prop boats, the so called "jet Boats" can in some cases run in very little water indeed. The surf men are very skilled at what they do, often combining that with great local knowledge. During WWII the Coast Guard was often involved in manning and training of landing craft crews. My Dad used to joke that when guys signed up for the Coast Guard they didn't tell them who's coast they were going to guard.
I flew with a lot of Coasties and they were generally pretty good pilots as unlike the AF they had real, and challenging missions on a frequent basis. Where the sea, sky and shore meet is a challenging environment. The old advice about early aviation was to "avoid the edges of the sky", this also applies to the sea.
Your comment about "which coast" reminded me of a story about a Coast Guard ship off South Vietnam in the late '60s. The ship had been deployed to WESTPAC for years with no plans to return to the States. The crew went over the side to repaint the somewhat rusty ship (rust really shows on white hulls). The sailor who was repainting the Coast Guard emblem on the bow changed the motto "Semper Paratus" (always ready) to "Simply Forgot Us."
Phil
A collision at sea will ruin your entire day. Aristotle
You noted earlier that the German DGzRS also had similar motor rescue boats. I just found this little note:
I guess this is the particular type which come closest to the Dutch/Danish wooden boats that are the main topic here, am I right?
Some more pictures of 'Oberinspector Pfeifer' -please not the uncommon spelling in German, 'Inspector' with -c- (instead of -k-) and 'Pfeifer' with only one -f- in the middle.
Would be really nice if we could find the dimensions and some plans of this one!
"I've heard there's a wicked war a-blazing, and the taste of war I know so very well
Even now I see the foreign flag a-raising, their guns on fire as we sail into hell" Roger Whittaker +9/13/2023
The design of these very seaworthy double ended small boats is quite universal. I have some minor experience as a Cox'n of the 26' Motor Whaleboat, but of course not in the conditions these rescue craft were employed.
I think there are some images in the R4 Tractor manual that might be useful, of the lower frame and track units removed, as these parts are not so easily observed in place. For the D7 I did for the APA and LSM projects, I had found a lavishly illustrated construction of a WWII version of the tractor on one of the Tank/Armor sites. In the large scale he was using, every small part was visible.
Would be really nice if we could find the dimensions and some plans of this one!
Maxim sent me an article from the German model ship building magazine 'Das Logbuch' -- which included the plans of this MRB!
Length of the boat was 11m, width 3.15m. I guess these were too heavy to be used as transportable beach rescue boats, the Germans stuck to the stamped metal rowing boats discussed above until 1942 - so well into WW2 it seems. The MRBs were launched on rails from their sheds, just like the larger Danish MRBs. This was also the case with the first Dutch MRB 'Eierland', until roller tracks became in use as a good alternative by 1930. From then on all Dutch beach rescue boats got this feature, until the present day.
"I've heard there's a wicked war a-blazing, and the taste of war I know so very well
Even now I see the foreign flag a-raising, their guns on fire as we sail into hell" Roger Whittaker +9/13/2023
I added the frames into the boat sides, and the top bar above.
Next was the engine compartment, this was added to the existing boats from 1953 onwards, the new built ones got it right away of course. The Kurt Carlsen was the first that received it. I will add details to the rear face, and it will serve as basis for the radar mast in PE too.
Of course it will remain as a separate part, to be added by the builder.
"I've heard there's a wicked war a-blazing, and the taste of war I know so very well
Even now I see the foreign flag a-raising, their guns on fire as we sail into hell" Roger Whittaker +9/13/2023
Thanks, Wefalck, Jim and Pascal! It's now really down to the details.
Btw: together with Wefalck I already anticipate building a German 'tin' standard rowing boat, much in the same way.
These were really from galvanised steel plate, pressed into a pattern that made them look (superficially) like clinker built boats. Using the 'Francis' patent of 1830. These formed the backbone of the German rescue service DGzRS for over seventy years until 1942, and in the DDR even to around 1956!
"I've heard there's a wicked war a-blazing, and the taste of war I know so very well
Even now I see the foreign flag a-raising, their guns on fire as we sail into hell" Roger Whittaker +9/13/2023
Yes, interesting footage on the KNRM, Pascal! Thanks for posting that.
The wooden 'Eierland' class which is the topic of this thread is also shown, with its tracked beaching cart, its Danish heritage is told in the voice-over.
"I've heard there's a wicked war a-blazing, and the taste of war I know so very well
Even now I see the foreign flag a-raising, their guns on fire as we sail into hell" Roger Whittaker +9/13/2023
Thanks, Wefalck, Jim and Pascal! It's now really down to the details.