MAILBOAT NAME: M/V Air Swift
PAST NAMES: USS SC-1340 (18 Sept. 1943 to 30 Oct., 1945), USCGC WAVR 471 Air Swift (30 Oct. 1945 to 19 Jan. 1948)
DIMENSIONS: 110’10” long, 17′ wide, 6.5′ deep, 21 knots, 2 diesel engines, 2 propellers, 134 tons, Official # 191548
This rare photo of the “Air Swift” shows the boat with passengers and cargo serving Eleuthera in the 1960’s. The photo is from the Nassau “Tribune” and is captioned “The Air Swift traveled between Nassau and Eleuthera in the 1960s.” It is from an article by historian Jim Lawlor from the series “Writing to Remember” of August 31, 2013. The title is “Chapter 6 Continued: Hurricane Betsy 1965”. It is an excerpt from a book entitled “Paul Albury: A Man and His Writings,” by Jim and Anne Lawlor, his wife and Albury’s daughter.
Submarine chaser similar or identical to the SC 1340 which became the Bahamas mail boat Air Swift.
Photo source: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Poet-Ferlinghetti-chased-subs-in-WWII-2484205.php
http://www.crewlist.org.uk/data/vesselsnumview.php?OfficialNumber=191548