(SOMERSET, Mass.) — Bermuda’s Department of Marine and Port Services has returned to Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corp., for a new Chesapeake-class pilot boat. The launch will be built to Lloyd’s Register class, with delivery scheduled for early 2023. The Somerset, Mass., shipyard built a 61-foot pilot/rescue vessel for the port service in 2011.
With a deep-V hull designed by Ray Hunt Design, the new all-aluminum pilot boat measures 52.11 feet overall, with a 15.10-foot beam and a 4.8-foot draft. Powered by twin Caterpillar C-18 diesel engines, each producing 670 hp at 2,100 rpm, the vessel’s top speed is expected to reach 22 knots.
The engines will turn a pair of five-blade Brunton nibral propellers via ZF 500-1-A gearboxes. The launch will be equipped with a 9-kW Northern Lights genset.
The vessel’s wheelhouse, with forward-leaning front windows and center helm, is set aft of amidship on a flush deck. It will be outfitted with four Norsap shock-mitigating reclining seats, a baggage rack, settee and cabinetry. The forecastle will include an enclosed head and a split settee/berth with storage below for safety gear. The vessel’s interior is cooled by two 16,000-BTU reverse-cycle air conditioning units.
Outside, a ladder on the back of the wheelhouse provides access to the roof. A Harken TR-31 safety rail track system will be installed on the wheelhouse handrail. A boarding ladder and a set of recessed steps at the transom will assist in pilot rescue operations.
– Gladding Hearn Shipbuilding
