View non-flash version
ON THE COVER New Chief Seattle Fireboat Provides High-Speed Response The Seattle Fire Department in Washington recently completed the training of crews for its new 26-knot fire boat, the Chief Seattle. With three Detroit Diesel 16V92TI en- gines rated at 1,000 shp at 2,300 rpm, driving both propellers and fire pumps, the boat can reach wa- terfront fires in a hurry and deliver 7,500 gpm of water. The Chief Seattle, which was de- signed by Nickum & Spaulding As- sociates, Inc., and built by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, replaces the department's 1909 vintage fireboat, the Duwamish, which will now be retired. Both the Duwamish and the Alki, built in 1927, will pump more water—the Duwamish 22,800 gpm and the Alki 18,200 gpm. But stud- ies of the fire-fighting needs that preceded the designing of the Chief Seattle revealed that no fire in Seat- tle in the last 20 years had required more than 7,500 gpm capacity. On the other hand, the fireboat needed to get to fires quickly in the increas- ingly sprawling port, and to dampen wake while on patrol. These require- ments dictated the relatively hefty horsepower and the planing hull of the boat. Nichols Brothers Boat Builders of Whidbey Island, Wash., delivered the boat to Seattle in October. At M/V CHIEF SEATTLE Length Overall 96 ft., 6 in. Length at waterline 90 ft. Breadth 23 ft. Draft at DLWL 7 ft. Displacement 43.1 long tons Horsepower 3,000 bph Speed, trial 26 knots Capacities: Fuel Oil 1,400 gallons Fresh Water 50 gallons Foam Tanks 300 gallons Fire Pumping Capacity . . 7,500 gallons per minute at 150 Owner . . . . City of Seattle Fire Dept. Builder Nichols Brothers Boat Builders Designer Nickum & Spaulding Assoc. Inc. Main Engines (3) Detroit Diesel 16V92TI Reduction Gears (3) Twin Disc 3.13:1 MG530 Omega Power Takeoff Clutch .... Systems Engineering Propellers Coolidge Shafts Aquamet Propulsion Controls Systems Engineering Silencers Harco/Maxim Monitoring System Sea-Land Fuel Filters Racor Engine Room Fire Systems . . Walter Kidde, Halon Auxiliary Generators . Northern Lights from Alaska Diesel Electric (2) John Deere M246 diesels, 40-kw generators Hydraulic Pumps Commercial Shearing Electrical Control Panels .... Nichols Brothers Steering System, Controls . . Wagner/ W.E. Hough Marine Pumps Cascade Machinery Rescue Boat Boston Whaler Wiring & Light Fixtures . . . Hardware Specialties Weather Tight Doors & Windows . . Pacific Coast Marine Life Raft Fisheries Supply Anchor Winch .... Fisheries Supply Paint & Coatings Devoe Paint Aft Deck Boat Winch Beebe Galley Equipment King Hatches . . . . Freeman & West Coast Radar Furuno Compass Danforth Radio Telephones Raytheon UHF Motorola Fuel Tank Gauges Gems Fathometer Raytheon Navigation Light Panel . Hose McCann Loud Hailer Raytheo VHF Radio Telephones . . . .Raytheon Fire Fighting Equipment . . Walter Kidde. Worthington, Systems Engineering Stang, DuoSeal, Farady the ceremonies at Waterfront Park in Seattle, during which the boat was turned over to the city, project supervisor Capt. Richard A. Co- lombi, said: "Our older fireboats were built primarily to fight fires in the lumber mills and wooden build- ings that once ringed the Seattle waterfront. These boats pumped a lot of water but only traveled 12 miles per hour. The Chief Seattle not only can respond speedily to a fire at 30 mph, but can also drop a rescue boat over its stern and pick it up again. It also provides emergency medical treatment as complete as a Medic 1 van." The new vessel also has a comput- er that can display information about hydrant locations and other data about waterfront docks. The computer can also report fire-fight- ing information about each of the Washington State ferries. The Chief Seattle will be sta- tioned at the city's waterfront Sta- tion No. 5 at Alaskan Way and Madison Street. The vessel has a breadth of 23 feet; length at the waterline of 90 feet; a depth at the main deck of 10 feet 7 inches; and draws 7 feet fully loaded. She displaces 43.1 long tons and carries 1,400 gallons of fuel, 50 gallons of fresh water, and 300 gal- lons of foam. Three Worthington 8LR20, 2,500- gpm, 150-psi pumps—powered through a take-off with Systems En- gineering clutches by the main en- gines—provide a total pumping ca- pacity of 7,500 gpm for the four monitors on deck and atop the wheelhouse. All deck and under- wharf monitors were provided by Stang Hydronics of Orange, Calif. Two manually controlled 2,000- gpm, 4-inch monitors were installed on the aft bridge deck. The foredeck mounts a 6-inch, 3,400-gpm moni- tor. An 8-inch, 5,400-gpm "water cannon"atop the wheelhouse is con- trolled in azimuth and bearing from the wheelhouse. It is mounted on a telescoping tower that can be raised to 45 feet. The foam system was pro- vided by National Foam. A 3-per- cent solution of Triple F foam can be delivered through the water can- non with a nozzle change. Stang also provided the 4-inch underwharf monitors mounted port and starboard. Seven-valve hose manifolds manufactured by Duoseal International of Korea are mounted on the main deck port and star- board. The 16V92TI Detroit Diesel en- gines, provided by Pacific Diesel Power Company, Portland, power the 42-by 55-inch four-bladed, stainless-steel Coolidge propellers through Twin Disc 3.13:1 MG530 Omega reduction gearing and Aqua- met 4%-inch shafts. The variable ratio Omegas allow engines to run at a constant rpm to maintain pump speeds, while allowing the control of running or holding speed. Systems Engineering provided propulsion controls. Two Northern Lights 40-kw M246 generators pro- vide electrical power in the vessel. The hydraulic system is powered by "three-in-one" pumps from Com- mercial Shearing. Electrohydraulic steering system and controls were designed by Wagner Engineering and provided through W.E. Hough Marine of Seattle. The electronics suite includes Ai- phone push-button internal com- munications; Furuno radar; Ray- theon RAY400 loud hailer, RAY 88 VHF-FM, 50A synthesized VHF- FM, and RAY F720D Fathometer; and Motorola MCX100 UHF. UHF radio is also installed in the aft med- ical room for communications with doctors and hospitals ashore when needed in medical emergencies. The vessel has been classed as Maltese Cross A-l for Harbor Ser- vice by the American Bureau of Shipping. Nickum & Spaudling, designer of the Chief Seattle, is at work on two more fireboats. The Seattle naval architecture and marine engineering firm is designing an 83-foot, 15-knot fireboat for San Diego, Calif. This vessel will deliver 10,000 gpm of water. The firm is also doing a feasi- bility study of the fireboat needs for the harbors in Honolulu, Hawaii. Thomas E. Moran Acquires All Of Moran Towing Corporation Stock Thomas E. Moran, president and chairman of the board of Moran Towing & Transportation Corpora- tion, has announced that he has acquired all of the stock of the com- pany from other family members. Mr. Moran is the fourth genera- tion of his family to head the New York based organization founded in 1860 by his great grandfather, Mi- chael Moran. Mr. Moran has been a company director since 1954 and joined the firm in 1964 as presi- dent. Prior to coming to Moran, he was vice president in charge of oper- ations and chartering at Marine Transport Lines, Inc., a prominent ocean shipping concern. The Moran company has grown to be a leader in the tug and barge field, having operations in various ports from Maine to Texas. The Moran fleet has 66 tugs and oper- ates primarily in the Atlantic, Gulf and Caribbean. Mr. Moran is joined in the acqui- sition of the company by his young- er brother, Edmond J. Moran Jr. and other senior management mem- bers. Title XI Asked To Build $3-Million Barge American Gulf I, Inc., New Or- leans, La., has asked for a Title XI guarantee to aid in financing the construction of a 383-by 68-by 26- foot ocean hopper barge. The barge will operate between the U.S. Gulf Coast and Puerto Rico. Moss Point Shipyards of Moss Point, Miss., is the builder. The vessel is scheduled for delivery next April. If approved, the Title XI guaran- tee would cover $2,250,000 or 75 percent of the estimated actual cost of $3 million. Chief Seattle constructed by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, Inc. 10 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
