A boat with an interesting history

[skirk]

A friend of mine has just bought an old boat with an interesting history.....it really is a piece of beautiful engineering....anyone like to hazard a guess....





It should appeal to aviation types too.....

[Simpo Two]

Made from an old seaplane?

Not sure what the slot in the front is for though.

[TTwiggy]

Simpo Two said:

Made from an old seaplane?

Not sure what the slot in the front is for though.

I actually wondered if she was stern-on in the picture (shades of the 'carpenter's mistake' here) and that the slot was for a rudder?

[skirk]

The pic is the stern.....the slot is for the rudder....

[TTwiggy]

She's not jet-powered is she?

[skirk]

No,certainly not jet powered.......but at some point in her service career will have done more than 150 knots....

[tr7v8]

A converted drop tank or a droppable boat from an aircraft.

[TTwiggy]

So, either carried by an aircraft, or built from aircraft parts?

[DJFish]

Airborne lifeboat?

[Du1point8]

[skirk]

We have a winner.....Its a Saunders - Roe mk3 Airdrop lifeboat.....1950'S

Edited by skirk on Tuesday 29th July 17:35

[TTwiggy]

That's all you need eh? Bobbing about in the North Atlantic after your barky's been sunk and then some crabs drop a boat on your head!

[DJFish]

They have one fully restored in the classic boat museum on the IOW if you're interested.
https://sites.google.com/site/cbtmuseum/the-boat-c...

[Simpo Two]

It sounds like an excellent idea to give downed aviators and torpedoed seamen more time but I've never heard of them before. Were they used much?

[skirk]

I think the one in the IOW collection is a MK1 Uffa Fox design......the MK3 is over 30' in length....i don't think they were ever used in anger....

[maffski]

They were used during WW2 - the US version even had two engines - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xrjEFlvaGI

[Huntsman]

Interesting boat indeed, I recall there's a few variants of airborne lifeboat.

[leemorgan10]

Updated pictures of the Mk3 Airborne Lifeboat featured a few years ago. Launched on the 11th Aug in Totnes and now happily mooring in Dartmouth after over 40 years out of the water. Currently believed to be the only remaining Mk3 afloat (with the added cabin).

[leemorgan10]

[leemorgan10]

Even with it's original trailer..... Seen better days.