HSL 164 with RAF Hurricane off Colombo c1943

A high-speed launch (HSL) is a type of military boat typically used for

air-sea rescue Air-sea rescue (ASR or A/SR, also known as sea-air rescue), and aeronautical and maritime search and rescue (AMSAR) by the ICAO and International Maritime Organization, IMO, is the coordinated search and rescue (SAR) of the survivors of emergenc ...

operations. The British

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

(RAF) and others used HSLs especially during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The 64 ft. high-speed, air/sea rescue launch built by

British Power Boat Company The British Power Boat Company was a British manufacturer of motor boats, particularly racing boats and later military patrol boats. History The company was formed on 30 September 1927 when Hubert Scott-Paine bought and renamed the Hythe Shipy ...

(BPBC) was one of the earliest high-speed offshore rescue vessel used by the

. The prototype, numbered 100, gave its name to the class as the "100 class"; High Speed Launch 102 is the only surviving boat from that class. It was tested in 1936 and production boats were delivered in 1937. Later designs included the 1941

Type Two 63 ft HSL The Type Two HSL was a 63 ft high-speed launch craft made by British Power Boat Company (BPBC). The craft were used during the Second World War for air-sea rescue operations to save Allied aircrew from the sea. The Type Two superseded the 64 ft ...

"Whaleback", an adaptation of a motor anti-submarine boat, the first HSL to include gun turrets. British Power Boat chief designer George Selman later designed the 68 ft. "Hants & Dorset" By May 1944, The RAF had 130 HSLs.

References

Boat types Royal Air Force Marine Branch {{ship-type-stub