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Workboat Annual out of the Darley 1,500-gpm rated pump. Everything in the fire system was oversized, from the ZF transmission right through to the Akron nozzle. One of the keys to the system is the huge sea chest, large enough that a fireman could actually fit through the bottom of the boat when the flush bottom screen was removed. It was important that the sea chest intake did not disrupt waterflow to ensure that the the jet's efficiency was not reduced. The next design problem was how to get all the extra gear in the engine room and be able to service all this gear easi- ly. Here, MCM's Tom Wroe used his own 300 lb. frame as the test article. All the floor grates, which are retained by spring loaded clamps, lift up to get to any gear below them. One Cummins mechanic was so impresed by the engine room that the dealership's owner had to come down and see it for himself. When Firestorm left MetalCraft's facility in Kingston, Ontario, the boat had about 14 hours on it. The boat was leaving Kingston for a true endurance trial: 1,000 miles of canal, locks, and open ocean as she headed down the Erie Barge canal, through New York harbor down the eastern shore to her home on the Potomac just south of Washington. She completed the trip in approximately 48 hours of running. The Cummins 'C' series diesels and Hamilton jets purred the entire way, though they had just come out of the box. The OWL crew now had complete confidence in their new fireboat, Firestorm. The boat surpassed all of her design objectives and attended her first boat fire the first week she was in service, she performed her first rescue while on sea trials at Kingston. Firestorm is a boat that both the OWLFD and MetalCraft Marine are extremely proud of and sets a new standard for high speed rescue/fireboats. Conrad Ends Negotiations With Swiftships Conrad Industries, Inc. has awarded a new construction program for the Corps of Engineers totaling $22.2 million which brings the total current backlog to approximately $33.2 million, excluding an option for one towboat valued at $5.6 million. The contract award calls for the construction of three 124-ft. (37.7-m), 3,000 hp, ABS Class towboats valued at $16.6 million with an option for one additional towboat valued at $5.6 mil- lion. When delivered, these vessels will perform scheduled and emergency maintenance on the upper Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. Additionally, Conrad has terminated negotiations under the non-binding letter of intent executed August 12, 2002 regarding the purchase of substantially all of the assets of Swift- ships Shipbuilders, LLC and Swiftships Technologies, LLC. For additional details from the builder and suppliers of this boat, cir- cle the correct number on the Reader Service Card in this edition, or log on to www.maritimereporterinfo. com. MetalCraft Marine 172 Cummins 171 Hamilton Jet 170 Band, Lavis & Associates 169 November, 2002 8365 Highway 308 South Lockport, Louisiana 70374 Telephone: (985) 532-2554 Fax: (985) 532-7225 www.bollingershipyards.com Please visit us at booth #1335 Circle 222 on Reader Service Card or visit www.maritimereporterinfo.com
