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Service Marine—A Full Service Yard For The Passenger Vessel Market Louisiana Yard Designs, Engineers & Constructs Variety Of Sophisticated Excursion Boats Based in Morgan City, Louisiana, Service Marine Industries, Inc., is a complete yard that offers vessel owners a wide range of custom de- sign, engineering, construction and interior decorating services to meet the needs of a particular operation. Incorporated in December 1985, Service Marine Industries has rap- idly built a reputation for quality workmanship and on-time delivery. "Quality workmanship is one of our principles," said Tom R. Hensley, president of Service Ma- rine Industries. "We stand behind our products 100 percent and we always do what we say we'll do," he added. One shining example of Service Marine's workmanship is the 600- passenger dinner/cruise boat Anna- bel Lee, a replica paddlewheeler built for Heritage Cruise Lines, Richmond, Va. Mr. Hensley called the Annabel Lee "a 90-day miracle," because that's how long the vessel took to construct. "We always deliver on or ahead of schedule," he said. Although she is powered by a pair of rebuilt Detroit Diesel 8V-92 die- sel engines rated at 310 hp at 1,800 rpm, the Annabel Lee's charm stems from her 19th century pad- dlewheeler appearance. She features two fully enclosed decks and a par- tially covered open air top deck called the "Texas Deck." Fully car- peted and air conditioned, the An- nabel Lee has an overall length of 108 feet, beam of 34 feet and draft of 3 feet 9 inches. She operates regu- larly on the James River, making 12 scheduled cruises per week, as well as special charters. The enclosed decks of the Anna- bel Lee are accentuated by large arched picture windows which pro- vide passengers with an excellent view of the scenery along the river. "The arched tops may be a small touch, but they complement the rest of the boat's design very well," said Mr. Hensley. Naval architects and marine engi- neers DeJong & Lebet, Inc., Jack- sonville, Fla., who provided stability and structural engineering for the Annabel Lee and the Spirit of Nor- folk, which is currently under con- struction at Service Marine, worked closely with the Morgan City yard on the conversion of the 600-passen- ger dinner cruise/excursion vessel Cape Ann. Transformed from a utility vessel that was used in the offshore oil industry, the Cape Ann presented quite a challenge from an engineer- ing standpoint, as a result of the limited amount of weight that could be added to the vessel due to its heavy workboat construction. The conversion project took ap- proximately four months to com- plete, with Service Marine perform- ing the majority of work. Service Marine added new steel deckhouses, performed blasting and painting, miscellaneous piping and hull work and drydocked the vessel for under- water gear work. Operated by A.C. Cruise Line, Inc. of Boston, Mass., the 116-foot Cape Ann carries a stability letter for 600 passengers on protected waters, and 400 passengers on par- tially protected waters. She features a fully enclosed main deck, an en- closed second deckhouse with an open deck all around the perimeter, and a completely open third deck. The vessel, with a beam of 26 feet, depth of 10 feet 6 inches and full load draft of 7 feet 3 inches, has a great deal more open deck space than most dinner cruise vessels. Op- perating on day-long excursion trips up the Massachusetts coastline from Boston to Gloucester, the Cape Ann has a dinner seating capacity of about 240. In early 1988, the Louisiana boat- builder delivered the elegant 600- passenger cruise boat Bay Lady (see this month's cover) to operator Bal- timore Harbor Bay Tours, Ltd., Bal- timore, Md., for dinner cruise/ex- cursion service on the Chesapeake Bay. Unlike the Annabel Lee, however, the Bay Lady has a sleek yacht-like hull shape and is designed for luxu- ry harbor cruising. The 140-foot- long boat features fine interior ap- pointments throughout, including custom bars with back lighting, pol- ished brass fixtures and teakwood accents. A sophisticated atmosphere is created by the use of mirrors and an excellent sound system. Passen- gers are kept comfortable by Carrier air conditioning, and outside glare is reduced by the use of tinted glass. A sub-chapter T vessel, she is powered by a pair of Cummins 300- hp NT-855 diesel engines, which are fitted with Nelson exhaust silencers to reduce engine noise. The partially covered top deck of the three-deck Bay Lady can ac- commodate 275 passengers, while her lower deck can handle 320 per- sons. Currently under construction at Service Marine is the Spirit of Nor- folk, a dinner cruise/excursion boat based on a sleek megayacht design. The new boat, which is being built for Cruise International, Nor- folk, Va., will have an overall length of 175 feet, beam of 35 feet and will be able to accommodate almost 500 passengers. The Spirit of Norfolk is based on the concept of Richard O'Leary, president and founder of Cruise In- ternational, who envisioned a vessel similar to Italian yacht design. Ser- vice Marine designers evolved his concepts into an ultramodern me- gayacht. She will be powered by two Caterpillar 3408 DITA B Series 430 diesel engines and cruise a speeds of about 10 knots. "We design and build a variety of boats, both in style and size," said Mr. Hensley. "Our customers find us flexible and easy to work with and we are constantly searching for ways to better serve the passenger boat market," he added. For free literature fully detailing the boatbuilding services offered by Service Marine Industries, Circle 55 on Reader Service Card Photos, left to right: The 600-passenger, replica paddlewheeler Annabel Lee; the Spirit of Norfolk under construction at Service Marine Industries, Morgan City, La.; and the converted Cape Ann. Newport News Awarded $3.3-Million Modification To Yard Services Contract Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Newport News, Va., was recently awarded a $3.3-million modification to a previously awarded contract for reactor plant planning yard services for the air- craft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN- 65) and the cruiser USS Long Beach (CGN-9). Under the contract (N00024-85-C-4014), which was awarded by the Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., work is scheduled to be completed Sep- tember 30, 1989. Comsat To Provide Low-Cost Standard-C Messaging Service Comsat Maritime Services re- cently announced its intention to provide a new, low-cost satellite data and messaging service, known as Standard-C, through its two coast earth stations and the International Maritime Satellite Organization (Inmarsat). The company said it will equip its Santa Paula, Calif., and Southbury, Conn., earth stations by late 1989 so that it can offer global satellite com- munications to small yachts, fishing boats, and other commercial and offshore vessels through compact, portable, mobile terminals. Comsat said that Standard-C is capable of providing store-and-for- ward data and messaging services and that its small size and low cost make it ideal for smaller oceangoing vessels or as a backup system on larger vessels. The system is all-digi- tal, operating at transmission speeds of 600 bits-per-second, and allows for interconnection to the telex network and electronic mail services. It can also be used for posi- tion reporting, remote monitoring and control, and remote emergency alarm systems. It cannot, however, be used for standard telephone voice service. For futher information and free literature from Comsat Maritime Services, Circle 20 on Reader Service Card Gotaas-Larsen Acquired By Barclay Brothers In $670-Million Deal The Bermuda-based shipping group of Gotaas-Larsen is being ac- quired by the British entrepreneurs David and Frederick Barclay in a deal said to be worth $670 million. The takeover by the Barclay brothers involves a modern fleet of 21 ships including LNG, LPG and oil tankers. A spokesman for Gotaas-Larsen said the merger was approved unan- imously by the directors, who also recommend that the cash deal be supported by the shareholders. 42 Circle 180 on Reader Service Card Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
