The following is the text of a news release from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding:
(SOMERSET, Mass.) — Sabine Pilots in Port Arthur, Texas, has received its first new pilot boat built by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corp.
With a deep-V hull designed by C. Raymond Hunt Associates, the all-aluminum Chesapeake-class pilot boat, Port Arthur, measures 53.6 feet overall, with a 17.8-foot beam and a 4.8-foot draft. The launch is powered by twin Caterpillar C-18 diesels, each rated at 715 bhp at 2,100 rpm. Loaded top speed is 28 knots. The engines turn five-blade NiBrAl propellers via Twin Disc MGX-5135A Quick Shift gear boxes. A Humphree Interceptor trim tab system, with automatic trim control, was installed at the transom. The vessel is equipped with a 12-kW Alaska Diesel genset.
The boat includes wide side decks, side and rear doors, and boarding platforms on the roof and bow. At the transom are throttle and steering controls and a winch-operated hinged rescue basket, level with the rescue access.
The wheelhouse is cooled by two 16,000-BTU air conditioners. A third 12,000 BTU-unit is in the forecastle. Interior accommodations include eight Llebroc seats, head, small galley, and two settee berths forward.
For more information, contact Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corp., 168 Walker St., Somerset, MA 02725.
