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IN THE BIG APPLE. NEW SES 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. SSEU 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 Circle 200 on Reader Service Card ^Signal
