Photograph taken 22 September 2015, RAF Museum, Hendon, UK
 |
| A mid-1950s Vosper Thorneycroft 68-foot Rescue and Target Towing Launch (RTTL), a descendant of the Royal Air Force's high-speed rescue launches used during the Second World War. The RTTLs were primarily used to tow targets for RAF strike and anti-submarine aircraft, but they were fully outfitted for search and rescue operations. The RAF's Marine Craft Section downsized following the removal of flying boats and, by the 1980s, had been disbanded entirely. The few remaining boats were operated under RAF control by private contractors until the service was passed to the Royal Navy in 1991. |