Moving 275 Tons w/two Chrysler Outboards

[dwco5051]

The RHF or the "Rhino Ferry" as it was better known was designed by the Navy's Civil Engineering Corps to bridge the gap between ship and shore, or for short cross channel operations like that of the Normandy invasion. They were pontoons powered by two Chrysler outboard engines of 143 horsepower each. They had steering gear, displaced 275 long tons, a speed of about four knots and a shallower draft than an LST. Each consisted of 180 pontoons attached together, six across and thirty long or a 36 x 150' craft. Each individual pontoon was a welded steel box 5' x 7' x 5'. The lower end could be rotated up 180 degrees for service or in shallow water as shown in one of the pictures.

 

[racerone]

Outboards or the Chrysler flathead six.

 

[dwco5051]

Outboards or the Chrysler flathead six.

The construction sorta meets the definition of an outboard as it bolts on to the back of the craft. I seem to remember that the Chrysler Marine/Industrial six of the 1940's was rated at 110 hp but there my be other iterations of that motor.