Post by ferryfast admin on Mar 6, 2012 13:54:19 GMT -5
New Virginia pilot boat can hit 29 knots
Kathy Bergren Smith
www.workboat.com/blogpost.aspx?id=12658
February 14, 2012
The Virginia Pilot Association recently took delivery of the Norfolk, a Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding aluminum pilot boat.
The boat is newest evolution in the successful Chesapeake class. Like her sisters, the Norfolk is a C. Raymond Hunt-designed deep-vee hull. The 53’7”x17’10”x4’10” boat provides a safe and stable platform for the pilots. It features wide decks, heated rails and decks to prevent ice buildups, a rooftop-boarding platform and a lifesaving davit system in the stern. The interior is equipped with reclining seats, air-conditioning and heat, an enclosed head and bunk.
2.14.12 - VA Pilot
the Norfolk
“Everyone is very pleased with the new boat’s performance and reliability,” said Mark Kampfmueller, the pilot association’s port engineer. Kampfmueller pointed out that the new pilot boat is the first in the class to be powered by Caterpillar C-18s, each rated at 715 hp at 2,100 rpm. The Norfolk can make 29 knots.
I recently got to check out the Norfolk in person on a breezy winter day at the mouth of the Chesapeake. It enabled me to witness another new feature of the Norfolk in action. The pilots have added adjustable Interceptor trim tabs to the hull to make the most of the deep-vee’s ability to cut through head seas. With just a minimal adjustment, Capt. Bob Sadler was able to push the bow down and flatten out the ride for the pilots without having to slow down and thus increase transit time.
The launch crew also likes the new props on the latest boats. The 5-bladed NiBrAl props, operators say, help increase the speed of the boat.
2.14.12 - Capt Adler - 240
Capt. Bob Sadler
The Virginia Pilot Association has a large theater of operations that encompasses the multiple terminals of the Hampton Roads deep-draft ports. Aside from meeting ships at Cape Henry in the open seas, one boat stays in the harbor serving as a water taxi to ferry pilots from one terminal to another in an area that is known its heavy vehicle traffic.
Kathy Bergren Smith
www.workboat.com/blogpost.aspx?id=12658
February 14, 2012
The Virginia Pilot Association recently took delivery of the Norfolk, a Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding aluminum pilot boat.
The boat is newest evolution in the successful Chesapeake class. Like her sisters, the Norfolk is a C. Raymond Hunt-designed deep-vee hull. The 53’7”x17’10”x4’10” boat provides a safe and stable platform for the pilots. It features wide decks, heated rails and decks to prevent ice buildups, a rooftop-boarding platform and a lifesaving davit system in the stern. The interior is equipped with reclining seats, air-conditioning and heat, an enclosed head and bunk.
2.14.12 - VA Pilot
the Norfolk
“Everyone is very pleased with the new boat’s performance and reliability,” said Mark Kampfmueller, the pilot association’s port engineer. Kampfmueller pointed out that the new pilot boat is the first in the class to be powered by Caterpillar C-18s, each rated at 715 hp at 2,100 rpm. The Norfolk can make 29 knots.
I recently got to check out the Norfolk in person on a breezy winter day at the mouth of the Chesapeake. It enabled me to witness another new feature of the Norfolk in action. The pilots have added adjustable Interceptor trim tabs to the hull to make the most of the deep-vee’s ability to cut through head seas. With just a minimal adjustment, Capt. Bob Sadler was able to push the bow down and flatten out the ride for the pilots without having to slow down and thus increase transit time.
The launch crew also likes the new props on the latest boats. The 5-bladed NiBrAl props, operators say, help increase the speed of the boat.
2.14.12 - Capt Adler - 240
Capt. Bob Sadler
The Virginia Pilot Association has a large theater of operations that encompasses the multiple terminals of the Hampton Roads deep-draft ports. Aside from meeting ships at Cape Henry in the open seas, one boat stays in the harbor serving as a water taxi to ferry pilots from one terminal to another in an area that is known its heavy vehicle traffic.