Jeffboat-Built 'Conti-Karla7 Christened At Chicago's Navy Pier

The motor vessel Conti-Karla, fourth of six towboats under construction by Jeffboat, Incorporated for ContiCarriers and Terminals, Inc., was christened recently at the Navy Pier in Chicago.

ContiCarriers and Terminals is a subsidiary of Continental Grain Company, with headquarters in Des Plaines, 111.

The Conti-Karla has a length of 114 feet, beam of 34 feet 6 inches, depth of 10 feet, and normal operating draft of 7 feet 3 inches. Normal displacement is 620 tons. She can carry 44,200 gallons of fuel oil, 8,000 gallons of fresh water, 8,400 gallons of sanitary water, and 2,000 gallons of lube oil.

Specially designed to work on the Illinois waterway system and in the Chicago harbor, she is constructed with a retractable pilothouse to permit passage under the 15-foot bridge levels in the Greater Chicago area, and sufficiently powered by two GM Detroit Diesel 8E7 BA engines, each rated at 1,400 bhp at 900 rpm, to handle tows on the Illinois River.

The vessel has accommodations for a crew of 11. She is now in service transporting salt and other commodities to the Chicago area, and principally grain southbound.

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