Navy's New Double-Deck Pier To Be Fitted With Sea Guard Fenders

A new double-deck pier has been designed to meet the changing needs of U.S. Navy ships, and Navy engineers believe it could become the prototype for worldwide Navy facilities.

Known as Pier Zulu, the facility will be built at the U.S. Naval Station in Charleston, S.C., and will be outfitted with 16 of Seaward International's 7- by 14-foot Sea Guard dock fenders.

These fenders are constructed of the same energy- absorbing foam interior, covered with a rugged urethane, filament-reinforced jacket, as all of Seaward's marine fenders.

Pier Zulu will be a concrete structure 1,245 feet long and 76 feet wide, compared with conventional pier width of 100 to 120 feet. The cost for the new pier will be slightly higher than a conventional-width, single-deck structure, but less maintenance and more efficient operations are expected to reduce its long-term cost to the Navy.

The upper deck of the pier will be eight feet higher than conventional piers—about 20 feet above mean low water level—providing easier access to the quarterdecks on new Navy ships.

The lower deck will contain utility outlets, cables, and transformers in order to make line handling and equipment and vehicle operations easier. It will also be accessible to pickup trucks and forklifts to allow maintenance and repair of utility services, leaving the upper deck free for ship and pier operations.

Pier Zulu was designed by Gee and Jenson Engineers of West Palm Beach, Fla., in conjunction with the Southern Division of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command. H.G. Harders and Sons of Charleston will construct the pier, which is scheduled for completion in March 1986.

For additional information on Seaward's complete line of marine fenders, Circle 21 on Reader Service Card

Maritime Reporter Magazine, page 53, Jan 1985

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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.