The new vessel is a sister to the Chesapeake Class pilot launch delivered to the Maryland Pilots by Gladding-Hearn final yr.
The Association of Maryland Pilots has ordered a Chesapeake Class launch from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation, Somerset, Mass. Delivery is scheduled for early 2024.
With a deep-V hull designed by Ray Hunt Design, the brand new all-aluminum launch measures 52.6 toes in general size, with a 16.8 foot beam and a 4.8 foot draft.
The vessel is powered by twin Volvo Penta D16, EPA Tier 3-certified diesel engines, every producing 641 bhp at 1,800 rpm and is anticipated to achieve a prime pace of over 26 knots, The engines will flip 5-bladed Bruntons NiBrAl propellers through ZF500-1-A gear packing containers.
The launch will likely be geared up with a Northern Lights 12 kW genset.
A Humphree interceptor trim management system, with computerized trim optimization, will likely be put in on the transom.
The wheelhouse, with a small trunk, is being put in amidships on a flush deck. With electrically heated, forward-leaning entrance home windows, it’s outfitted with 5 NorSap shock-mitigating reclining seats, a baggage rack and three weathertight doorways.
The forecastle will embody a porta-potty, break up upholstered sofa/bunk, a instrument field and lockers for immersion fits and different security gear.
The vessels’ inside is heated and cooled by two 16,000 Btu reverse-cycle HVAC models, as well as there are electrical heaters within the wheelhouse and within the forecastle.
Outside of the wheelhouse, decks and handrails are heated to stop ice accumulation. A Harken TR-31 security rail system will likely be put in on the wheelhouse handrail.
An aft wheelhouse ladder results in hinged boarding platforms on the roof. A management station on the pilot launch transom may also embody a hydraulically-powered J-Basket rescue system, enabling a single operator to rescue a pilot to the primary deck.
