IN THE BIS APPLE.
NEWSES MULTIPURPOSE FIRE & RESCUE CRAFT ESCORTS LEAD SHIP
IN JULY4TH TALL SAILING SHIPS PARADE.
While celebrating the past, New Yorkers
got a view of the future when the first of two
Textron Marine Systems' fire and rescue
craft sailed up the Hudson River with the tall
ships commemorating Columbus' voyage
to America.
Built by Textron Marine Systems, the
70-foot craft, named for fire fighter, John
P. Devaney, represents a new era in ship
and pier fire fighting and harbor rescue.
The new boats are the first additions to
New York's fireboat fleet in 31 years.
A surface effect ship (SES) design, the
craft rides on a cushion of air trapped
between flexible bow and stern seals and
rigid catamaran-style side hulls. This
technology provides high-speed capabili-
ties to respond nearly four times faster
than conventional fireboats. Able to oper-
ate in extremely shallow water, the new
SES craft reduces total fireboat inventory
requirements. Other operating costs are
kept low through fuel-efficient diesel
engines and small crew sizes.
The craft is equipped with five monitors
which deliver as much as 5,500 gallons
per minute and are remotely operated
from inside an enclosed wheelhouse by
one crew member, using an automated
fire-fighting system. Total crew require-
ments range from three in the wheel-
house to three to six on deck. Rescue
equipment, navigational and communica-
tions aids and pumping systems on the
new craft all represent the latest in fire-
fighting technology.
Like New York, any harbor-based city
benefits from swift response across water
in emergency situations. Tall ships come
and go, but New York City's SES fire-
boats will lead the way in keeping the
harbor in safe hands well into the next
century.
Marine Systems
Textron Marine Systems/Division of Textron Inc.
Textron Marine Systems, 6600 Plaza Drive,
New Orleans, LA 70127-2584. Phone (504) 245-6600.
FAX (504) 245-6634. Telex 6711199TMSNOLA
November, 1992
Circle 232 on Reader Service Card
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Digital Wave Publishing