![USCG 47-Foot Motor Lifeboat-Morro Bay CA](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/USCG_47-Foot_Motor_Lifeboat-Morro_Bay_CA.jpg)
The 47-foot MLB is the standard
lifeboat
Lifeboat may refer to:
Rescue vessels
* Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape
* Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues
* Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen
...
of the
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...
(USCG). The 47′ MLB is the successor to the
44′ MLB.
[Coast Guard bids adieu to 44-foot boat – Local News Updates – The Boston Globe](_blank)
/ref>
At Station Chatham where the new 47-foot boat would draw too much to get over the bar, the 42-foot Near Shore Lifeboat was designed to replace the 44' MLB. [COAST GUARD COMPASS OFFICIAL BLOG OF THE U.S. COAST GUARD]
/ref>
The 47′ MLB is designed to weather hurricane force winds and heavy seas, capable of surviving winds up to , breaking surf up to and impacts up to three G's
The gravitational force equivalent, or, more commonly, g-force, is a measurement of the type of force per unit mass – typically acceleration – that causes a perception of weight, with a g-force of 1 g (not gram in mass measure ...
. If the boat should capsize
Capsizing or keeling over occurs when a boat or ship is rolled on its side or further by wave action, instability or wind force beyond the angle of positive static stability or it is upside down in the water. The act of recovering a vessel fro ...
, it self-rights in less than ten seconds with all equipment fully functional.
The boat's hull and superstructure are constructed entirely from 5456 marine grade aluminum. Designed with a hard chined deep "V" planing hull
Planing may refer to:
* Planing (boat) or hydroplaning, a method by which a hull skims over the surface of the water
* Hydroplaning (tires), a loss of traction caused by a layer of water between the tires and the road surface
* Using a plane (too ...
,[Operational Logistics Support Plan (OLSP) for the 47′ Motor Lifeboat (MLB)](_blank)
/ref> the 47′ MLB exceeds its hull speed
Hull speed or displacement speed is the speed at which the wavelength of a vessel's bow wave is equal to the waterline length of the vessel. As boat speed increases from rest, the wavelength of the bow wave increases, and usually its crest-to-tro ...
. The frame is composed of 17 vertical bulkhead frames, each of which is welded to the deck and hull, and five of which are watertight.
Employing "fly-by-wire" control systems,[Textron Marine MLB datasheet](_blank)
/ref> the boat can be operated from four different locations: two from the enclosed bridge, and two amidships from an open bridge. Because of the “by wire” system the boat is controlled by joysticks instead of wheels.
Situated less than above the water line are recessed retrieval wells, allowing for easier recovery of persons and jetsam, and easier boardings. A watertight survivor's compartment is equipped for comprehensive first aid. It is situated at the combined center of rotation of the ship. if needed a light machine gun can be fitted at the front of the vessel.
See also
* 41-foot Utility Boat, Large
* 44-foot Motor Lifeboat
* Cape-class motor lifeboat
The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) maintains a fleet of Cape-class motor lifeboats
based on a motor lifeboat design used by the United States Coast Guard. In September 2009 the CCG announced plans to add five new lifeboats, bringing the total number ...
(the 47′ MLB in service with the Canadian Coast Guard
The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG; french: links=no, Garde côtière canadienne, GCC) is the coast guard of Canada. Formed in 1962, the coast guard is tasked with marine search and rescue (SAR), communication, navigation, and transportation issues in ...
)
* Response Boat – Medium
The Response Boat – Medium (RB-M) is a utility boat used by the United States Coast Guard. It is a replacement for the Coast Guard's retired fleet of utility boats (UTB), which had been in use by the Coast Guard since the 1970s. On June 21, ...
* ''Trent''-class lifeboat—RNLI lifeboat of similar size and performance
References
External links
US Coast Guard datasheet on the 47 MLB
Textron Marine datasheet on the 47 MLB
contractor for the USCG 47 MLB
MetalCraft Marine
contractor for the CCG 47 MLB
47-Foot Motor Lifeboat - MLB
at military.com
{{US Coast Guard navbox
Motor Lifeboat
A rescue lifeboat is a boat rescue craft which is used to attend a vessel in distress, or its survivors, to rescue crew and passengers. It can be hand pulled, sail powered or powered by an engine. Lifeboats may be rigid, inflatable or rigid-inf ...
Motor lifeboats of the United States