West Coast Shipyards
(continued)
AK), was delivered to the Navy, and
in May the yard turned over the
Maj. Stephen W. Pless, the last of
the three-ship T-AK contract. Dur-
ing the last half of 1984, a quarters
building, generator station, and
temporary work decks were deliv-
ered by the Offshore Division.
NASSCO's facilities include a
25,000-ton floating drydock, a
building dock in which ships up to
980 feet by 170 feet can be con-
structed, three inclined building
ways, cranes that can provide lifts
up to 175 tons, and 10 full-sevice
berths.
Current facility upgrading in-
cludes dredging to re-establish a 35-
foot water depth alongside the piers,
increased electrical and utility sup-
plies, a newly built pier, and a facili-
ty for berthing barges.
While placing a heavier emphasis
on the repair of ships, NASSCO is
actively seeking work in all seg-
ments of the shipbuilding and off-
shore markets. Constant monitoring
of market trends and timely action
will insure that NASSCO maintains
a position in the forefront of the
U.S. shipbuilding industry.
NICHOLS BROTHERS
Circle 18 on Reader Service Card
Nichols Brothers Boat Builders,
Inc. has found a niche as a builder of
a wide variety of specialty boats,
and a level of sophistication that
belies the company's pastoral set-
STEP UP WITH WESTPORT
Now the Source of Fiberglass Vessels to 120 Feet
Westport—the source for large fiberglass/Airex
Coast Guard certified tour and
excursion vessels finished to
yacht quality standards—
now offers boats up to
120 feet. In fact, no other
builder can match West-
port's size range in fiber-
glass... Examples of our
capabilities currently
afloat: The 150-passenger,
80-foot GLACIER SPIRIT
tours the waters of Prince
William Sound in Alaska.
The 80-foot AVALON EXPRESS,
a 150-passenger high speed ferry,
makes the run from Los Angeles to Catalina at
20 knots. The new 90-foot CATALINA EXPRESS
will make the same run at 25 knots... Not only do
our fiberglass passenger boats have the "yacht"
look and finish, they can out-perform metal boats
where it counts—speed, maintenance, and cost...
Westport's craftsmen can customize the lines of a
new mold to meet different speed and load require-
ments for hulls from 90 to 120 feet. With this mold,
Westport now offers the widest range of fiber-
glass capabilities in the industry...Two
,-.:- versatile molds from 65 to
120 feet, state-of-the-
art automated fiber-
glass equipment, an
efficient modern plant,
and a friendly crew
allow us to deliver the
best values available in
fiberglass passenger
and work boats...
Discuss your next tour or
other working boat with us. Both your passengers
and your accountant will enjoy stepping up with
Westport.
Westport Shipyard, Inc.
P.O. Box 308, Westport, WA 98595 • (206) 268-0117
t&TJ»0
ting on Whidbey Island, Wash. In
particular, the company, which
marked its 20th anniversary last
year, took a bold approach to mar-
keting a line of fast, economical cat-
amarans designed by an Australian
firm.
At midyear, with four of the In-
ternational Catamaran-designed
vessels already delivered, Nichols
Brothers had letters of intent for
some four 86-foot, 400-passenger
catamarans, most headed for the
developing market for high-speed
commuter vessels.
Nichols' first catamaran, the 72-
foot Klondike delivered in 1984,
now plies the Yukon River in Alas-
ka. The second was the 72-foot, 212-
passenger Spirit of Alderbrook, now
in both scheduled and excursion
service on Puget Sound. Before
heading north, the Klondike partici-
pated in two significant tests under
lease to Crowley Maritime—sched-
uled service to Catalina Island from
San Pedro and from San Francisco
to the Marin Peninsula.
Buoyed by the success of the
Klondike on San Francisco Bay,
Crowley's Red & White Fleet or-
dered an 86-foot, 400-passenger, 30-
knot catamaran. Named the Cata-
marin, she was delivered recently
and is now operating between San
Francisco and points in Marin
County across the Bay.
Crowley's Blue & Gold Fleet also
ordered a similar vessel, the Gold
Rush, for use on the Bay. Upon her
recent completion, however, the ves-
sel began a three-month test and
demonstration trial on the Inside
Passage in Southwestern Alaska un-
der lease to Exploration Cruise
Lines.
Catamarans are not the only ves-
sels built by the 100 to 150 em-
ployees at the company's 10-acre
yard in Freeland and completed at
an outfitting dock in Langley. The
City of San Francisco, a dinner/
excursion vessel with lines from the
1890s, was delivered to Hornblower
Yachts of Berkeley in November
1984. This vessel will accommodate
900 people in various lounges, dance
floors, and banquet facilities.
The Seattle fireboat Chief Seattle
was christened in August last year.
Capable of 26 knots, this craft will
deliver 7,500 gallons per minute
from an assortment of monitors.
The aluminum passenger ferry
McNeil, delivered in April, is a 66-
foot, 200-person vessel that operates
between Fort Steilacoom and the
Washington State Correction Cen-
ter on McNeil Island carrying pas-
sengers and supplies.
Nichols Brothers also built a se-
ries of yard-designed, shallow-hull
tugs during the past 18 months.
Other vessels delivered recently in-
clude the 3,600-bhp tractor tug
Portland for Shaver Transporta-
tion, 152-foot cruise vessels for Ex-
plorer Cruise Lines, and the 4,000-
cubic-yard, split hopper dredge
Newport for Manson Construction
and Engineering.
NORTHWEST MARINE
Circle 19 on Reader Service Card
Northwest Marine Iron Works
Circle 127 on Reader Service Card
18 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
Digital Wave Publishing