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Dream Maker--today a luxury charter yacht—long ago a WWII military Crash Boat hero

KCBX | By Tom Wilmer
Published July 4, 2017 at 6:55 AM PDT
U.S. Navy amphib training base at Morro Bay, California included Crash Boat air/sea rescue exercises
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U.S. Navy amphib training base at Morro Bay, California included Crash Boat air/sea rescue exercises
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U.S. Army Air Corps Crash Boat
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U.S. Army Air Corps Crash Boat
National Museum USAF
Crew aboard Crash boat
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Crash Boat crew
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Fastest crash boats could travel more than 50 miles per hour
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Fastest crash boats could travel more than 50 miles per hour
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crash boats saved many aviators
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crash boats saved many aviators
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Building crash boats at Herreshoff boat works at Walkers Cove Bristol RI
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Building crash boats at Herreshoff boat works at Walkers Cove Bristol RI
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cutaway model of 85' Crash Boat
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cutaway model of 85' Crash Boat
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WW II Herreshoff advertisement for the Crash Boat
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WW II Herreshoff advertisement for the Crash Boat
Crash boats moored in harbor
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Crash boats moored in harbor
The Hull Truth
Crash Boat
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Crash Boat
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Historic luxury charter yacht Dream Maker berthed in Newport Beach, California
Credit Thomas Wilmer
Historic luxury charter yacht Dream Maker berthed in Newport Beach, California

There’s an elegant luxury charter yacht home ported in Newport Beach, California. One has to look closely at Dream Maker’s lines to realize that the vessel was long ago a WW II Army Air Corps Air/Sea Rescue vessel, that were often referred to as “Crash Boats”.

Today Hornblower Cruises operates Dream Maker as a popular charter vessel for wedding parties, corporate events, family reunions and more.

But this is a story about Dream Maker’s illustrious history and its ongoing relationship with WW II veterans—some who served as crew aboard Crash Boats. Come along and join Kathy Leek as she shares Dream Maker’s fascinating story.

Kathy Leek and Tom Wilmer aboard M.V. Dream Maker in Newport Beach, California
Credit Hornblower Cruises
Kathy Leek and Tom Wilmer aboard M.V. Dream Maker in Newport Beach, California
NPR/Apple podcasts album art
Credit Kornreich Design, San Luis Obispo
NPR/Apple podcasts album art

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Thomas Wilmer winner of the 2016, 2015 & 2013 Lowell Thomas Award
Credit SATW Foundation
Thomas Wilmer winner of the 2016, 2015 & 2013 Lowell Thomas Award
Tags
Travel NPR OneHornblower CruisesNewport BeachWW II crash boatsM.V. Dream Maker
Tom Wilmer
Tom Wilmer produces on-air content for Issues & Ideas airing over KCBX and is producer and host of the six-time Lowell Thomas award-winning NPR podcast Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer. Recorded live on-location across America and around the world, the podcasts feature the arts, culture, music, nature, history, science, wine & spirits, brewpubs, and the culinary arts--everything from baseball to exploring South Pacific atolls to interviewing the real Santa Claus in the Arctic.
See stories by Tom Wilmer
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