Heroes of World War II... the RAF High Speed Launch

UNSUNG HERO: HSL (1940)

The great unsung hero of the Battle of Britain, the HSL was a revolutionary rescue boat that saved countless pilots stranded in the sea in Britain's hour of need.

It was the brainchild of a visionary pairing of racing boat builder Hubert Scott-Paine and a certain famous aircraftman, none other than Lawrence of Arabia, who would stop at nothing to achieve his vision.

Its design was based on racing boats, with a stable and streamlined hull that, combined with 1500 horsepower, that allowed the 64 foot-long hull to "plane" like a racer and reach up to 39 knots, around four times the speed of the conventional rescue boats of the day. And the hull stability and power also meant it was capable of going out in almost any weather.

Timewarp... During World War II there were 22 HSLs posted along the British coastline. Today there are over 230 RNLI lifeboat stations.

What Makes it Great... the simple, but revolutionary idea of combining racing technology with a "lifeboat" saved thousands of lives and changed the business of sea rescue for ever.
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Видео Heroes of World War II... the RAF High Speed Launch канала Engine Porn