Packard Motor Company actually had a history with diesel engines, having built, in 1930, a 9 cylinder air cooled radial engine for aircraft that never became popular. After World War II they developed a family of turbocharged diesel engines and one model powered a class of minesweepers, of which nine were still operationa in 1981. The engines were non-magnetic, being built mostly of aluminum, stainless steel, copper, and brass. There was a V-8, model 1D-850, of which only eight were built. Their 600 hp., V-12, model 1D-1700, was by far the most popular model, with 451 built. Four of these engines went into each of the apprximately 100 minesweepers built. The engine that was the most likely candidate for powering rescue boats was the 760 hp V-16 model 1D-2270 but only five of them were ever built. For the 94 ft.rescue boats even three of them per boat were totally inadequate although the performance in the 55 ft. was good but the boat never went into production. This family of engines was produced between 1952 and 1956.