Motor Life Boat 11 X 14

The US Coast Guard's 44-foot Motor Life Boat, developed and tested from1960 to 1962, was revolutionary in the design of surf-zone rescue craft.

Motor Life Boats face the incredibly challenging task of performing search and rescue in the shallow areas where ocean swells break on shallow sand bars – especially in zones where powerful river currents meet the swells, interacting to form violent breaking waves in unpredictable and dangerous ways. This requires them to be tough, nimble, fast, and to be self-righting: able to turn back to an upright position after a knockdown, or even to roll over 180 degrees.

The 44-footer was tested on the river bars of Oregon and Washington to meet the needs of surf rescue guardsmen in the most challenging river mouth in the world - that of the Columbia river. These vessels and their crews of surfmen saved countless lives before being retired in 1996. They were so highly regarded that the design was adpoted by eight other countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom.

Artist: Tom Crestodina

There will be 500 prints in this limited edition.