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Motor Life Boat 44301

Retirement Ceremony

Welcome to the official Retirement site for the MLB 44301.

Description: 44-ft Motor Lifeboat Rescues Survivors of an Ocean Storm, 1963
Artist: Commander Mike Koloski USCG(Retired)

WHEN: Friday, May 8th, 2009 1200 hours*
WHERE: U.S. Coast Guard Station Chatham, MA (37 Main Street)
WHOS INVITED: Civilians and Military Personnel (please RSVP Below)
UNIFORM: Tropical Blue Long (weather pending)
*this is a correction the time previously posted was an error.

Click Here for parking and travel information.

RSVP

If you are intrested in attending the Ceremony, please take a mintue to RSVP by signing the guestbook below. We encourage you to leave any comments you may have about the first and last 44' MLB in service by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Sign Guestbook | View Guestbook

CG 44301 - First and last CG Production 44' Motor Lifeboat

Built in 1963, the 44301 is built of 3/16 inch Corten Steel. None have ever sunk. The 44' Motor lifeboats were all replaced by the 47' Motor Lifeboat. Due to the shallow shifting sand environment of the Chatham Bar, the 44301 has remained in service here due to her protected props and strong steel hull.

Key Benefits of the 44301

Operates in surf up to 20', and seas up to 30'
Operates in winds up to 50 Knots
Operating range of 215 NM's at cruising speed
Capable of towing vessels over 100 Gross tons
Capable of carrying 21 passengers in addition to her minimum crew of three.

Some More Photos

44301 U/W off Chatham, MA September 2006, photo by Nicholas Leach.

Air Station Cape Cod Jayhawk Helicopter conducting Helo training off the Chatham Bar. Norman St Pierre Photo.

Helicopter Hoist training with the 44301. Norman St. Pierre Photo

More Helo Ops Training. Norman St. Pierre Photo

Helo with the 44301. Norman St. Pierre Photo

One more Helo Op photo. Norman St. Pierre Photo

CG 44349 at the Brant Point Station.

44402 and 454403 underway off Chatham.

44402 with Spar decks at the Fish Pier.

The CG 44300, the first production 44 footer completed sea trials and was stationed briefly at Station Chatham.

The caption on the back reads "REPLACEMENT FOR FAMOUS LIFEBOAT - Portsmouth, VA, 30 APR 1962...Pictured is the first of the Coast Guard's new self-righting 44-foot steel hulled lifeboats. This rugged craft powered by two 180-horsepower diesel engines (twin screw), is designed to replace the Coast Guard's famous 36-foot motor lifeboat. With the increase in pleasure boating in recent years, faster all weather craft are needed by the Coast Guard and the old 36-footers, though reliable and seaworthy, cannot meet these standards. The CG 44300, the first of the new craft built at the Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, Maryland left the Yard on 14 April, 1962 enroute Chatham Lifeboat Station, Chatham, Mass. in the First Coast Guard District. The new 44 -footer visited Lifeboat stations in the Fifth and Third Coast Guard Districts before reporting to her new station in Massachusetts."

BMCS Bernie Webber, EN1 Dan Davidson, SN Robert Browning made the trip from Curtis Bay up the coast to Chatham. Bernie wrote, "[We] lived on board the boat for the 6 week trip with nothing but a blanket and pillow sleeping in forward and after compartments. The hot cup provided meals of Dinty Moore Stew, baked beans, soup and coffee. Hit every inlet and station between Cape Hatteras, [NC] and Rockland, Maine. Boy we and the boat sure stunk by the time we got to Chatham. Loved the GMV6's.
Those were the days."

Want more info the 44' MLB's?? Check out this website dedicated to the 44' Motor Lifeboats.

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Last Modified 1/26/2012