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The Electric Launch Company, later renamed Elco Motor Yachts, ((Elco )) is a United States boat building and electric motor company that has operated from 1893 until present (with a "hiatus" from 1949 to 1987). It was originally run by Henry R. Sutphen in 1895. Its current president is Steve Lamando.〔(Lake George Resident Acquires Elco, Historic Maker of Electric Boats )〕 ==History== Elco first made its mark at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago. Fifty-five launches, each 36 feet long and powered by battery-driven (electric motors ), carried over a million passengers. In 1899 Isaac Rice, president of the Electric Storage Battery Company and owner of the Electro-Dynamic Company (both suppliers to Elco), acquired Elco as a subsidiary of his new Electric Boat Company. Elco built a new boatyard in Bayonne, New Jersey soon afterward. Previously, Elco boats had been built in subcontracted facilities.〔Records, Introduction〕 By 1900, electric powered pleasure boats outnumbered the combined number of boats powered by steam and explosive engines (as gasoline powered motors were called). By 1910, the advantages of the range and power of gasoline came to dominate the market and Elco converted to motor boats.〔(Elco History - Over 100 Years of Silent, Clean, Electric Marine Propulsion )〕 During World War I, the company built five hundred and eighty 80-foot submarine chasers (aka motor launches) for the British Admiralty, and 448 110-foot submarine chasers and 284 boats of other types for the US Navy.〔Gardiner, p. 101, 132-133〕 Between the wars, it introduced the 26-foot Cruisette,〔(Google image search for Elco Cruisette )〕 a cabin cruiser which became successful. This was followed in the 1930s with 30-foot to 57-foot Veedettes〔(Google image search for Elco Veedette ) and not some alternative spelling〕 and Flattops.〔(Google image search for Elco Flat Top )〕 During World War II, Elco formed the Elco Naval Division in Bayonne, New Jersey. Nearly 400 Elco PT boats were produced for the U.S. Navy . After experimentation, the first (PT boat ) built in any quantity was the 73-foot type. Later 77-foot and 80-foot types were built. More 80-foot Elco boats were built than any other type of US motor torpedo boat.〔(Naval Historical Center )〕 Perhaps the most notable 80-foot PT boat was PT-109, commanded by future president John F. Kennedy. In the film ''PT 109'', the "Elco" script logo can be seen on the cockpit throttle housing in several scenes. At the end of the war, the company merged with its sister company, Electric Boat, under John Jay Hopkins. In 1949, Electric Boat decided to focus on government contracts for submarines, and Elco was closed until 1987.〔〔(Records of the Electric Launch Company, History )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Electric Launch Company」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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