Halter Delivers First U.S. Survey Boat With Z-Drives

Recon III, the first hydrographic survey boat in the United States to be fitted with Maritime Industries' steerable Z-drives, was recently delivered to Eagle Dredging Corp. by builder Halter Marine, Inc.

The 44-foot vessel utilizes two Mariner 120H propulsion units for steering and propulsion. The underwater drive legs rotate 360 degrees to give the aluminum boat extremely high maneuverability even at slow speeds in strong currents and winds.

Recon III will handle the surveying chores for Eagle Dredging's split-hull hopper dredge Eagle I, now under construction.

E a g l e D r e d g i n g is a company owned by C.F. Bean Corporation of New Orleans, La., and Royal Volker-Stevin Group, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

The survey boat has a speed of more than 14 knots, and is powered by two GM6-V71N diesel engines rated at 210 hp each. She has a 13y2-foot beam, 6Vfc-foot depth, and draws 4 feet of water with her Mariner units. Steering, clutch and propulsion are controlled by a single joystick for each unit. The electronic fullfollow- up steering system is also by Maritime Industries Ltd., Vancouver, British Columbia.

Recon III is outfitted with a Decca 110 radar and STR-25 VHF radio. Her survey gear includes a Raytheon PDD-200c precision depth digitizer, Raytheon DE- 719B-RRT depth sounder and a Motorola Mini-Ranger III positioning system.

The vessel was built by Halter Marine's Chalmette, La., division, one of 10 shipyards owned and operated by Halter in the Southeastern United States.

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