NZ Airforce Maritime Craft

The owners of the very fine 36’ Colin Wild 1939 built launch – Rehia were recently going thru a family photo album and uncovered the photos above from one of their grandparents. The grandfather in the late 1940’s > early 1950’s was a mechanic based at the Hobsonville airbase servicing the fleet of maritime support craft.

In my eyes in the photos above there are 3 different craft but it has been suggested that the top 2 photos are the same boat. Also the size of the airforce insignia on the bow of the top craft looks very large , maybe not a NZ vessel?

Can we ID the craft.

INPUT EX John Bullivant – The top 2 photos are of US built 63ft Maiami class crash boats. The RNZAF had a few of these operating from Hobsonville and Laucala Bay in Fiji . The class was originally powered by 4 Kermath 500hp ‘Sea Raiders’ (linked nose to nose in pairs) but later were powered by twin 630 hp Hall Scott ‘ Defender engines as standard, – some with V drives. A number of variants were made. Top speed was around 36 knots (16 model 168s were built with twin Packard 1250hp for a speed of around 48 knots) Boats were used by Russia, UK, Australia, Sth Africa, NZ and the Dutch.

INPUT EX Mitchell Hutchings – the two photos below show the two vessels featured above. The first one is of the 63’ Rescue Launch 276 and the second of 313, both at RNZAF Hobsonville.