By Amy Scanlin
Museums and Archives are treasure troves of history. Antique Boat Museum, The Mariner’s Museum and Park and many others bring to life long ago and sometimes forgotten photos and documents that open the door for new study and exploration.
Deep in the Archives of the U.S. Army Transportation Museum at Fort Eustis, Virginia, are plans dated March 31, 1943 for Design 244, a purpose-built Radio Controlled Target Boat used for practice and training maneuvers in World War II.
Courtesy U.S. Army Transportation Museum, Fort Eustis, VA.
By 1943 the U.S. government was heavily engaged in building boats and other support equipment for the Allied War effort and manufacturers like Gar Wood, Hacker and Chris-Craft were there to support. Noted Gar Wood expert, Tony Mollica, writes in his book on the history of Gar Wood that as early as 1941, Wood offered the U.S. government full access to his Marysville factory and discontinued pleasure craft construction so that military production preparations could begin.
Prior to Radio Controlled Target Boats, the Army relied on Coast Artillery tugs to tow targets for gunnery practice. Though the Army was interested in using speed boats, they weren’t convinced that smaller boats could be held on course without an operator aboard. Gar Wood thought he could find a solution.
Courtesy of The Lou Smith Library and Marion Clayton Link Archives. Antique Boat Museum, Clayton NY.
When Wood demonstrated his newly designed pilotless target boat, it had a gyroscope in the aft cockpit that held the target boat on a fixed course. The Army was indeed convinced and the first Target Boat, JR 1, was shipped from Marysville by rail on March 16, 1942. Eighteen more Target Boats would follow over the next seven months and the Army would continue to purchase Target Boats from Gar Wood for the next six years
The Radio Control Target Boat specs found in the Transportation Museum Archives show that forty-three of the Design 244 Radio Control Target Boats were to be built through government contracts with Gar Wood and the Hacker Boat Company.
Design 244 was a single screw speed boat powered by a 550 hp Sea Rider Kermath engine. Because the boat was intended for target practice, per the specifications, the cruising range was immaterial, however documentation shows the expected range for its 24 gallon fuel tank traveling at an average speed of 35 mph was 175 miles.
The total cost for these Radio Controlled Target Boats was $18,000, $7,500 was allotted for the boat itself, and $10,500 for the engines and radio equipment which were furnished by the U.S. Government.
“These Radio Controlled boats were likely used anywhere the U.S. military practiced naval gun fire targeting towed targets.” says U.S. Army Transportation Museum director, Sepp Scanlin. He says it was common practice during World War II for the U.S. military to develop equipment specifications and for numerous manufacturers to build to them, just as happens today.
It is possible that earlier specifications for Radio Control Target Boats have yet to be discovered in the Army Transportation Museum Archives, or perhaps the specifications were formally finalized after production began which would explain why the documents uncovered are dated 1943.
Whichever is the case, what great snapshots in time and illustrations of how innovation can alter the course of history.
JR-3, Hull #6767 Target Boat built for the U.S. Army by Gar Wood. Courtesy of The Lou Smith Library and Marion Clayton Link Archives. Antique Boat Museum, Clayton NY.
My father had a sea wall company in Algonac, Michigan in the 50s. He found a boat near Toledo that was in bad shape but had a Kermath engine. Interesting as it had many advanced features. I spent a summer caulking the seams with oakum and red lead. I believe it was a target boat as it had the same specs and lines. We used it as a tow boat . After hours of restoration it was a beautiful watercraft and very powerful. He also built many Packard/ Allison PT boat engines in WWII.