Peterson Delivers Big Tuna Seiner, Launches Another

A large contingent of the San Diego and San Pedro tuna fishing industry gathered in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., recently to witness the christening and delivery' of the tuna seiner Captain Frank Medina, built for Capt. and Mrs. Joe Medina Jr. of San Diego; and the launching of the Jane for Venatun, S.A. of Caracas, Venezuela.

Sponsor of the Captain Frank Medina was Miss Deborah Ann Medina, daughter of the owners, assisted by Mrs. Mary Ann Medina, wife of Steve Medina, Captain Joe's son who will be navigator onboard the vessel. The boat was named for Captain Joe's uncle, a pioneer San Diego tuna fisherman.

The Jane was named for and sponsored by Mrs. Jane Real, wife of John Real, president of Star- Kist Foods Inc. of San Pedro, Calif. She was assisted by Senora Concepcion Aramburu Villaneuva of San Sebastian, Spain. The seiners will fish for StarKist and are being built under a contract signed in July 1978 between Peterson Builders, Inc., and Ocean Blazer, Inc.

The Captain Frank Medina departed Sturgeon Bay on her dilivery trip to Panama via the St.

Lawrence Seaway. A high point of the trip was a stopover in Toronto where Captain Medina and the boat's namesake, Capt.

Frank Medina, had the opportunity to display it to the sizeable Portugese community there, which includes relatives of the Medinas.

The Captain Frank Medina represents Peterson's latest development of a design prepared by Ivo Zaninovich of San Diego. She is 225 feet by 41 feet by 19 feet, and will pack 1,200 tons of tuna in 17 refrigerated wells. Her GMElectro- Motive Division 20645E7 engine permits the craft to achieve speeds of up to 16 knots.

Electrical power is supplied by three Caterpillar D353 engines driving Kato 300-kw/480-volt generators.

The Schottel 48-inch bow thruster is driven by a Detroit Diesel 12V-71N engine rated 400 bhp at 2,100 rpm. The bow thruster is interfaced with the Sperry autopilot system to permit automatic heading keeping with the main engine shut down.

The deck machinery hydraulic system was designed and furnished by MARCO Seattle, and is powered by a dedicated Caterpillar D353E engine rated 470 bhp at 1,225 rpm. A standby main hydraulic pump drive is installed on the forward end of the port auxiliary generator, while an 80-hp electric motor/pump unit provides power for the anchor windlass, forward deck Husky crane and speedboat davits. A MARCO WS444 Superseine winch and 54- inch power block with power grip are principal features of the deck machinery complement.

The refrigeration system was furnished by Vilter Manufacturing Company of Milwaukee, and includes four eight-cylinder compressors circulating ammonia through approximately 26,000 feet of galvanized pipe coils in the wells.

The electronic complement is unusually complete and includes two Sperry MK126E radars, a Furuno 850B scanning sonar, Baymar recording depth indicator with Paragon digital readout, Taiyo marine band ADF and VHF automatic direction finders, two Hull single-sideband radios (one with Northern N541 1-kw linear amplifier), a Morrow model SSB- 150 emergency SSB radio with programmable scanner and emergency tone generator, a King K195 aircraft band radio, two Kenwood two-meter VHF radios, two Hygain model 655 VHF-FM-radios, a Magnavox 1242 satellite receiver, Furuno weather facsimile receiver/ printer, Yaesu all-band receiver, Regency VHF scanner, and a complete ham radio installation in the navigator's stateroom. The radio installation was engineered by Honor Marine Communications Inc. of San Diego and installed by Peterson Builders' technicians.

The craft is equipped to carry a Hughes 300 turbine-powered helicopter, which joined the ship en route. Twelve thousand gallons of turbine fuel is carried in double bottom tanks for the helicopter, and filtration and pumping is provided to supply the fuel to the helicopter deck.

Peterson Builders fabricated the two speedboat davits and bridge deck speedboat crane that permit rapid launching of all five aluminum chaseboats. They are equipped with Volvo Aquamatic inboard/outboard units. Three thousand nine hundred gallons of fuel is carried for the chaseboats.

Special care was taken with the interior and accommodations of the vessel, which represent a new standard in habitability. Mrs.

Carolyn Medina took a personal interest in and directed the interior decorations and appointments, working with Peterson Builders' design staff and carpenters.

Other major equipment installed on the vessel includes two Westphalia model OTA7B fuel oil centrifuges, Pacific Pumping brine circulating, transfer, bilge, condenser cooling and general service pumps; Buffalo Forge fans; Red Fox sewage treatment plant; Federal Pacific switchboard; Cutler Hammer controllers; Waukesha stern bearings and seals; Coolidge five-blade, stainless-steel propeller; Star Machinery electric cargo hoists; Crosby blocks and wire rope rigging and Marlite doors and paneling throughout.

The vessel was painted with epoxy and urethane paints applied using a system developed and supplied by Pro-Line Inc. of San Diego.

The Jane will join the fleet of Venatun, Inc. in the fall of 1980, j o i n i n g the highly successful Peterson-built Napoleon, which began fishing at the end of December 1979.

Peterson Builders' general manager Joe Gagnon announced that construction had begun on a series of three boats for delivery in 1981 to an undisclosed owner, affirming Peterson's establishment as a respected top-quality builder of tuna purse seiners. A formal announcement of the new contract is expected shortly.

Maritime Reporter Magazine, page 10, Aug 1980

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