Picture of the day

I think, for me, they would have done a nice job of it had they found a better way to route that exhaust pipe. Must have had to have the exhaust poop out low enough to keep it out of the cockpit.

While we're on the subject of aircraft and water, what about the RAF air-sea rescue launches?

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Fine looking boats - quick, well armed against aircraft, and constantly plucking hapless aircrew from out of the water.

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At least one is still running: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/mos...-rides-board-remarkable-WWII-rescue-boat.html
 
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^ And something a little less graceful of line
Normandy 2014 at Pegasus Bridge, Day + 70
 
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A shooting colleague(now deceased) and RN vet had been a gunner on an ASR high speed launch. He related a story of a night mission to the French coast transporting some VIPs whom they had been told to disregard. A young snippet of a girl and two men in civvy dress. Several card games with members of the crew occupied the time of the Channel crossing. They were told later the young girl was Odette Churchill(no relation to Winston)and two other SOE agents.
 
Dark Alley Dan said:
I think, for me, they would have done a nice job of it had they found a better way to route that exhaust pipe. Must have had to have the exhaust poop out low enough to keep it out of the cockpit.

While we're on the subject of aircraft and water, what about the RAF air-sea rescue launches?

http://2.bp.########.com/_rqH4fUbko2U/THjvX-e0UPI/AAAAAAAARtU/cwmQ4nmAxdA/s1600/ASR+Launch.jpg

Fine looking boats - quick, well armed against aircraft, and constantly plucking hapless aircrew from out of the water.

2655.jpg


HSL_164_with_RAF_Hurricane_off_Colombo_c1943.jpg


At least one is still running: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/mos...-rides-board-remarkable-WWII-rescue-boat.html
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Two good WWll movies: "Those In Peril" and "The Sea Shall Not Have Them"
 
There have been a few other MTBs and AS Rescue Launches dying slow deaths up river estuaries in the UK, but a double and triple diagonal strip-planked hull is hell to rebuild. They were never designed to last anyway.

Interesting fact that the classic "American" PT boat design is a direct copy of the British Power Boat Co. vessel which was rejected by the Royal Navy as not being sufficiently strong. Sold to the Americans she became PT9, and it all grew from there.

There was a big kerfuffle in the press about adopting a British design of course, but in the event most of the early boats went to Britain anyway under Lend-Lease.

The crews used to suffer from displaced internal organs due to the constant pounding over the waves and swells. The partial remedy was sprung floors and long leaves for the crews.
 
Sharps '74 said:
I believe that Lawrence (of Arabia) had a lot to do with the design of the RAF rescue boats. One of his many talents and interests.
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T. E. Lawrence. (airman Shaw, aka "Lawrence of Arabia") in his personal speedboat with Clare Sydney Smith.

read The Golden Reign by Clare Sydney Smith,

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After I had a tour of the HMCS Sackville K181, it forever changed my mind about the bravery those crews must have had.
The cook stood with a piece of chain to keep him from falling into the machinery. How he could even cook bouncing around like that is beyond me.
 
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