Page 24: of Marine News Magazine (December 2010)

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Name The Three Forty-Three

Type Fire Boat

Builder Eastern Shipbuilding Group

Owner New York City Fire Department

Named in honor of the 343 members of the New York

City Fire Department who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty on September 11, 2001, the city’s newest fireboat, the Three Forty-Three, can reach fires quickly and pump huge quantities of water. For both propulsion and pumping capacity, this waterborne firefighting vessel relies on four MTU 12V4000 M70 Series diesel engines totaling 8,980 hp. The fireboat is also equipped with the

MTU Callosum ship automation system, which controls the propulsion system and continuously monitors critical areas and functions of the ship. At 140 ft long and with a 36-ft beam, the vessel has a top speed of 18 knots and can pump up to 50,000 gpm. The need for such tremendous pumping capacity was made clear in the aftermath of 9/11, when FDNY fireboats supplied the only firefighting water available for many days following the attack on the

Twin Towers. The Three Forty-Three is the first of two such vessels to be commissioned by New York City. The second, named Fire Fighter II, is undergoing sea trials.

The two new vessels replace the FDNY’s longest-serving fireboats, both of which are more than 50 years old.

Designed by Robert Allan Ltd. of Vancouver, B.C., and built by Eastern Shipbuilding Group of Panama City, Fla., the new fireboats can carry 27 firefighters along with a seven-person operating crew.

Specifications:

Length, o.a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140 ft

Beam, moulded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 ft

Depth, moulded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 ft

Max. draft, o.a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 ft

Capacities:

Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9,350 gal

Potable water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,050 gal

Fi-Fi foam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3,300 gal

Fire pumps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10,000 gpm @ 200 psi 24 MN December 2010

MarineNews’ Great Boats 2010

Three Forty-Three