Coast Guard Gets Ready To Launch Fleet Of Larger And Faster Lifeboats

The Coast Guard is replacing its existing fleet of motor lifeboats with a larger and faster model, with some of the first deliveries this month being made in the Northwest.

The new 47-foot motor lifeboat is more powerful than the 44- and 52-foot boats currently in use. The existing fleet has been in service for more than 35 years.

The new vessel has a top speed of over 25 knots and is designed to operate up to 50 nautical miles off shore. It is also designed to operate in winds up to 80 knots, seas to 30 feet and surf up to 20 feet, the Coast Guard said.

Five of the first 20 new boats are scheduled for delivery throughout the Pacific Northwest. Coast Guard stations at Cape Disappointment, Wash., and Umpqua River, Ore., are slated to get the new boats this month.

Tillamook Bay, Ore., will get one in June; Coos Bay, Ore., in December; and Chetco River, Ore., in March.