{"nrhp_refnum":"80001342","name":"AVR 661","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Calumet Harbor","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chicago","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":41.66188808000004,"lon":-87.57513147399999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-11-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"AVR 661 is an R-1 type Air Force crash boat (air-sea rescue boat) built and launched in 1943, displacing 50 tons and measuring 85 feet overall. The nomination gives its location as Calumet Harbor, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that AVR 661 is one of the last of its class in original condition, which gives it special significance despite its being less than 50 years old. It also holds that crash boats represented the humanitarian side of war and saved many fliers and sailors in World War II. By 1971 only AVR 661 and AVR 671 remained of the fleet, and AVR 671 was later scrapped.","narrative":"AVR 661 is a 50-ton Air Force crash boat, an air-sea rescue vessel built and launched in 1943. It is 85 feet long, powered by two Packard Marine engines giving a top speed of 35 knots, and carried machine guns, a 20 mm anti-aircraft gun and depth charges. During World War II it served at air bases in the Gulf of Mexico. Later it towed targets for helicopter gunship training, recovered drones, and towed mine-sweeping gear for the Navy. After many sister boats were sold off or sunk as targets, only AVR 661 and AVR 671 remained by 1971. AVR 661 was nearly destroyed as a bomb target, was handed to a museum in Memphis, and sank at its moorings there. The Naval Sea Cadet Corps salvaged it, and it was shipped to Chicago for restoration. The nomination values it as one of the last of its class in original condition and as a memorial to air-sea rescue crews.","period_of_significance":"1900-1943","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Undergoing restoration by the Naval Sea Cadet Corps in Chicago for use as a training vessel, with eventual retirement to museum status planned. Condition is marked good and the property as occupied.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.237275-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/41/8926/28892641/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/80001342.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892641","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVR_661","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4655066"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/avr-661-80001342/"}