The Snapshots in Time Collection

U.S. Navy Motor Launch/Crash Boat Underway, March 1945

U.S. Navy Motor Launch/Crash Boat Underway, March 1945

Photographed in March 1945, this U.S. Navy motor launch was likely used for air-sea rescue or coastal patrol duties, tasked with recovering downed aviators and supporting fleet operations in the Pacific. Crewmen stand ready on deck near a mounted machine gun as the vessel speeds across open water in the closing months of World War II. Project: 218529