Motor Lifeboat News

U.S. Coast Guard crews from across two districts have worked together to assist three mariners aboard a disabled fishing vessel about 95 miles west of Newport, Oregon.The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Alder, an Air Station Sacramento C-27 Spartan aircrew, an Air Station North Bend MH-65 Dolphin aircrew, and a Station Yaquina Bay 47-foot Motor Lifeboat (MLB) crew responded to the Defiant, a 97-foot fishing vessel, after it reported at 6:42 a.m. Sunday that it was disabled, adrift…

The Coast Guard (including its heritage services) have employed boats since the beginning. Boats are just as important, if not more so, than ever.America’s first “boat force” came about in 1878, with the creation of the United States Life Saving Service (USLSS), whose boat crews rescued mariners in distress along the nation’s coast line. In 1915, the USLSS merged with the United States Revenue Cutter Service (established in 1790) to form the modern-day United States Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard rescued four people Thursday night from a fishing boat after a collision between two fishing boats occurred approximately 10 miles south of Block Island, Rhode Island. At approximately 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound received a distress call via VHF-FM channel 16 of two fishing boats colliding.Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and dispatched crews aboard a Coast Guard Station…

Five people were rescued from a tug that lost steering in heavy seas off the coast of La Push, Wash., Friday afternoon.At 4:10 p.m., the 130-foot commercial tug Luther lost steering and was beset by weather while towing a concrete barge 10 miles off the coast of La Push and requested assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard. On scene weather conditions were 10- to 14-foot seas and winds of 45-knots.A 47-foot Motor Lifeboat (MLB) crew from Coast Guard Station Quillayute River, an MH-60 Jayhawk crew from Coast Guard Air Station Astoria…

The U.S. Coast Guard late last month exercised an option to extend its contract with Birdon America for a program to upgrade its fleet of 47' Motor Lifeboats (MLB).The modification, announced on July 25, extends the term of Birdon's 47' MLB Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) contract through Order Years 6-10 and will allow up to another 72 MLBs to receive significant overhauls and upgrades.The Coast Guard's primary search and rescue platform, the 47' MLB is an all-weather fast response vessel used to patrol vast areas of the country's coastline.

The U.S. Coast Guard commissioned its 56th Fast Response Cutter and first one to be stationed in the Pacific Northwest during a ceremony held in Astoria, Ore., Thursday, marking the vessel's official entry into active service.Built by Bollinger Shipyards and delivered to the Coast Guard earlier this year, the Coast Guard Cutter David Duren (WPC-1156) is the first of three planned Fast Response Cutter’s (FRC) to be homeported in Astoria.The ceremony was presided by Vice Adm. Andrew Tiongson, Pacific Area Commander.

On September 22, Birdon completed work on the 12th Motor Lifeboat (MLB) and delivered it to the U.S. Coast Guard. This is the third and final boat to be delivered to Station Umpqua River, located along the Central Oregon Coast.“We’re proud to play a role in equipping the U.S. Coast Guard with state-of-the-art equipment it needs to perform lifesaving rescue missions,” said Patrick Kinser, West Coast MLB Program Manager.The 12th vessel was refurbished in Birdon’s Bellingham, Wash.

Four divers that went missing off the U.S. East Coast on Sunday were rescued Monday 46 miles southeast of Cape Fear River, N.C.The U.S. Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector North Carolina initially received a notification Sunday from Coast Guard Sector Charleston stating four men were diving from the pleasure craft Big Bill’s, approximately 63 miles east of Myrtle Beach, S.C. near noon, and had not resurfaced. Sectors Charleston and North Carolina coordinated a multi-asset…

Last month, Birdon delivered the ninth and tenth boats for its 47’ Motor Lifeboat (MLB) Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). Since the contract award in 2019, Birdon has established full-rate production facilities on both the East and West coasts to facilitate the delivery process. Birdon said it remains on schedule to complete work for up to 117 47’ MLBs by 2029.On June 9, Birdon delivered the ninth boat for the Coast Guard’s 47’ MLB SLEP. The vessel was completed in Birdon’s Bellingham, Wash.

Not every vessel in the U.S. Navy is built for major combat operations on the high seas. There are large numbers of boats and service craft that provide essential services to the sea services, the nation and its partners.The U.S. Navy procures about 100 small boats per year. Some of these boats are based on commercial designs, procured to a Navy developed specification that tailors the requirements to the end user needs. They are procured and managed by two Naval Sea Systems Command program offices—PMS 300 and PMS 325.Compared to warships and auxiliaries…

The U.S. Coast Guard recently accepted the Birdon America's first upgraded 47-foot Motor Lifeboat (47 MLB) at the agency's National Motor Lifeboat School (NMLBS) in Ilwaco, Wash., completing the first major milestone in the MLB Service Life Extension Program (SLEP). The first article vessel will undergo a four-month operational assessment by members of NMLBS.The 47 MLB is the Coast Guard's standard lifeboat, designed to weather hurricane force winds and heavy seas, capable of surviving winds up to 60 knots, breaking surf up to 20 feet and impacts up to three Gs.

Navico announced it has signed a five-year agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to provide C-MAP cartography under the USCG’s Small Boat Product Line (SBPL). Navico was selected for a competitive award by the USCG for products that met all of their technical needs. Navico’s C-MAP will deliver cartography cards to 300 different stations across America, twice a year.The SBPL aligns all boat support resources under a single entity with authority and accountability for maintenance and logistics for all boats in the Coast Guard.

A U.S. Coast Guard vessel capsized on Saturday with four crew members aboard near Pier 39 in Astoria, Ore.Four Coast Guardsmen were aboard the 26-foot Coast Guard Trailerable Aids to Navigation Boat conducting routine operations when the vessel reportedly encountered a series of heavy wakes that came over the bow, which resulted in an unrecoverable starboard list that capsized the vessel, the Coast Guard said.At 11:39 a.m., watchstanders at the 13th Coast Guard District command…

Australian-based Birdon Group, headquartered in Port Macquarie, has announced that its US subsidiary has been awarded two new contracts worth up to US$390m (AU$575m). In one contract, valued at up to USD 191m, Birdon America has been appointed to carry out an upgrade of the US Coast Guard (USCG) fleet of 47-foot Motor Lifeboat (MLB) vessels.In the second contract, worth up to USD 199m, Birdon America has secured a five-year extension to its existing contract to supply Bridge Erection Boats (BEBs) to the US Army. Birdon won the fiercely-contested tender to supply the BEBs in 2014, beating a field of established global defence suppliers.When combined with Australian contracts secured in the past three months…

Birdon America Inc. has been awarded a $190 Million dollar contract to perform a Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) for the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) fleet of 47 foot Motor Lifeboats (MLB).The contract is a firm-fixed price (FFP), indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) for the design, development, testing, and upgrade/build of USCG MLBs over a period of 5 years with an option for an additional 5 years. The current in-service MLBs were designed by the USCG and built from 1997 to 2003. These boats, designated 47B MLB, are now approaching the end of their original 25-year service life. The goal of the SLEP is to extend the 47…

The Coast Guard saved three mariners aboard a disabled sailing vessel more than 50 miles east southeast of Cape Lookout, Saturday evening.At 9:45 a.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina received notification of the 36-foot disabled sailing vessel Cloud from Sea Tow. All persons aboard the sailing vessel had donned their life jackets and there were no injuries or medical concerns aboard.The Coast Guard launched Coast Guard Cutter Richard Snyder to assist, and diverted…

The U.S. Coast Guard said it is responding to a vessel fire near Trinidad, Calif. on Wednesday.A helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay has deployed in response to the fire aboard commercial fishing vessel Midori off the northern California coast.The Coast Guard said it also launched a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew from Station Humboldt Bay to assist the stricken vessel.

The December 2015 sinking of fishing vessel Orin C and fatality of a mariner on board were cause by structural failure of the vessel’s hull and subsequent flooding, according to a marine accident brief released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). After suffering an engine failure off the Massachusetts coast on December 3, 2015, the 51-foot Orin C was taken in tow by a Good Samaritan fishing vessel, the Foxy Lady. While in tow under adverse conditions, the Orin C sustained damage from a large wave, and the damage contributed to the flooding on the vessel.

The Coast Guard rescued three fishermen from a liferaft 8 miles west of Cape Blanco at 1:15 p.m., Sunday. The three fishermen, reportedly uninjured, are aboard a Coast Guard 47-foot Motor Lifeboat en route to Station Coos Bay, located in Charleston, after abandoning their fishing vessel when it started taking on water. Coast Guard watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Bend received a mayday call from the fishing vessel McCalis, homeported in Charleston, over VHF-FM radio channel 16 at 11:54 a.m. The fishing crew reported their fishing vessel was taking on water through the fish hold and the dewatering pumps were not keeping up. The crew also announced their intention to abandon ship.

A U.S. Coast Guard crew medevaced a 47-year-old fisherman suffering from chest pains off the coast of Gloucester, Mass. Watchstanders at Sector Boston’s command center received the report at approximately 11:40 a.m. Wednesday from a crew member aboard the commercial fishing vessel, First Impression II, homeported in Sorrento, Maine, that another crew member was suffering from chest pains. A 29-foot response boat from Station Gloucester arrived on scene first at 11:59 a.m. A 47…

A ceremony unveiling a historic lifeboat as a new static display in Chatham, Mass. is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday at U.S. Coast Guard Station Chatham. The new static display commemorates the first production 44-foot Motor Lifeboat purchased by the Coast Guard and commissioned in Chatham in 1963. Previously, this small boat was used by crews at Station Chatham from 1963-1971, and then again from 2002-2009. With advancements in small-boat technology, the vessel was replaced by the current platform, a 42-foot Near-Shore Lifeboat, specifically designed for the Chatham Bar.

U.S. Coast Guard crewmembers assisted in towing a 58-foot commercial fishing vessel after it became disabled Saturday about 50 nautical miles south of Shinnecock Inlet. Watchstanders at Sector Long Island Sound command center received notification at approximately 7 p.m. Saturday night that the fishing vessel Bookie was disabled and adrift with four mariners aboard. The vessel became disabled due to an engine casualty but still had power via an on-board generator. Commercial Salvage was initially contacted to tow vessel, but was unable to respond that far offshore.

Coast Guard, National Response Center and Washington State Department of Ecology personnel responded to oil pollution from a sunken 67-foot commercial vessel at Westhaven Marina near Grays Harbor, Wash., Sunday. Responders from the Coast Guard Incident Management Division in Astoria will arrive on scene Monday morning and will be working with partner agencies to monitor the situation and oversee the cleanup. After receiving a report of a possible sinking vessel at Westhaven Marina at approximately 12:40 p.m., Coast Guard Sector Columbia River watchstanders launched a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew from Coast Guard Station Grays Harbor to assess the situation. The commercial fishing vessel Persistence was found submerged at the pier, and a rainbow sheen was observed on the water.