USCG Cutter Contract Spurs $4-Million Expansion At Tacoma Boatbuilding

With construction underway on four newly designed W-MEC 270- foot cutters for the U.S. Coast Guard, Tacoma Boatbuilding Co.

has expedited completion of a new 8.6-acre shipyard near its two other main yards on Puget Sound's Commencement Bay.

"We broke ground for the new yard in April 1978, and were burning steel for the first cutter in six months," reported Robert M. Hill, vice president, marketing, for the long-established Northwest firm. "A capital investment of over $4 million put us right on our production schedule — the first hull is almost complete, the second is 45 percent complete, and we've started cutting steel for the third." The contract for the four medium endurance cutters started out at $110 million and has increased to $130 million through change orders, with a substantial additional increase due to escalation, Mr. Hill said.

Enclosed steel fabricating shops account for 50,400 square feet of the new facility, according to yard manager Gus Lange. An additional 3,000 square feet houses yard administration and engineering liaison.

Two 35-ton whirleys flank the two 448-foot-long, 116-footwide launching ways. Way foundations are 12-foot-thick concrete poured over an existing bed and pilings from World War II ways on the old Todd-Pacific shipyard site.

Major new equipment includes a CM-100 numerically controlled plasma arc burning/cutting machine, a company-built 300-ton hydraulic press, a 750-ton Pacific hydraulic press brake, and an Erie pyramid plate bending roll.

The plasma arc cutter works over two tables, each of which accommodates two 10-foot by 40-foot plates for the simultaneous cutting of left and right mirrorimage shapes.

Additional facility revisions for company management and a 200- man engineering staff are currently underway.

At Tacoma Boat's other yards, work continues on several 245-foot gunboats for the U.S. Navy and 140-foot icebreaking tugs for the U.S. Coast Guard.

Although current emphasis is on military and marine transportation needs, Mr. Hill sees Tacoma Boat's expanded capabilities paying off for the fishing industry as well.

"Fishermen tell me that to be successful tomorrow, trawlers as large as 300 feet and boats with much more onboard processing equipment will be a n e c e s s i ty rather than a luxury," Mr. Hill said.

Tacoma Boat's half-century of experience actually started with salmon trollers in the 1930s. Since then, the firm has constructed vessels of all types—including the f r e e w o r l d ' s largest (258-foot) tuna superseiner, ice-class tugboats, coastal tugs, a large semisubmersible offshore drilling rig, and patrol boats and combat vessels for allied navies around the globe.

Maritime Reporter Magazine, page 28, Apr 1980

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Maritime Reporter

First published in 1881 Maritime Reporter is the world's largest audited circulation publication serving the global maritime industry.