44-foot motor lifeboat

A former USCG 44′ MLB in drydock
Class overview
Name44' MLB
Builders
Operators
Preceded by36-foot motor lifeboat
Succeeded by47-foot Motor Lifeboat
Cost$225,000 (circa 1972)
BuiltCG-44300 through CG-44409
In service1962–2009
Completed110
General characteristics
Displacement17.5 t (19 short tons)
Length44 feet 1+12 inches (13.449 m)
Beam12 feet 8 inches (3.86 m)
Draught3 feet 2 inches (0.97 m)
PropulsionDetroit Diesel 6V53, 185 hp (138 kW) each
Speed
  • 14 knots (16 mph; 26 km/h) (Cummins)
  • 14 knots (16 mph; 26 km/h) (GM)
Range215 nmi (398 km)
Complement4 crew

The 44-foot motor lifeboat was the standard workhorse of the United States Coast Guard (USCG) rescue boat fleet, designed in 1961 and built between 1963 and 1972. In the United States, the 44′ MLB replaced the 36' MLB (1929–1987) and was replaced in turn by the 47′ MLB starting in 1997; the last 44′ MLB left service in 2009.