Page 14: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (February 2002)

HCW5

American West's

Sternwheeler Will Be

Built By Nichols Bros.

Nichols Brothers Boat Builders has been selected to build the Empress of the North, a 360 x 60-ft. (109.7 x 18.2- m) sternwheeler that will be the Whid- bey Island, Wash, yard's largest single- boat contract. The vessel, which will accommodate 236 overnight cruise guests and 84 crewmembers, will be uti- lized for cruises in season in southeast

Alaska and the Columbia/Snake River complex. Reportedly, the Empress will be the first sternwheeler on the Inside

Passage in more than 100 years.

With construction and outfitting costs reportedly expected to exceed $50 mil- lion, MarAd will provide a loan guaran- tee to facilitate funding of the project.

Guido Perla & Associates designed the "Empress, which is said to be a "stretched" version of the "Queen of the

West, a sternwheeler now operated by

American West Steamboat on Columbia and Snake River Cruises. Nichols Bros.

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The Empress will be delivered by May 2003 in time for a full Alaska cruise sea- son, and it will be repositioned to Port- land, Ore., in September for inaugural cruises on the Columbia, Snake, and

Willamette rivers to begin the three-year celebration of the Lewis & Clark Bicen- tennial.

An all-diesel-electric vessel, basic power for the vessel will be supplied by four 1,800-rpm Caterpillar 3516B diesel engines with KATO generators putting out 1,825 kW each. The service gener- ator will consist of an 1,800-rpm 3406

Caterpillar diesel with a 315 generator.

Matt Nichols, president of the ship- building firm, said that all engines will meet regional and International Mar- itime Organization (IMO) emissions and antipollution standards.

Two DC2000 General Electric motors will drive Schottel STP 1212 200-hp twin-blade Z-drives for primary propul- sion while a DC 1000 General Electric motors will power the paddlewheel.

Another 1,000-hp GE motor will supply electricity to a Schottel jet pump bow thruster. Service speed of the vessel at full load draft is expected to be 14 knots.

The vessel was designed in accor- dance with American Bureau of Ship- ping (ABS) Rules for Building and

Classing passenger vessels intended for service on coastal routes. The design draft will be 12 ft. (3.6 m) with a full load draft of 12.5 ft. (41 m) Depth to the main deck amidships will be 20 ft. (6 m); an air draft from the design load waterline to the crown atop the wheel- house will measure 52 ft. (15.8 in). The vessel, which will be under 250 gt, will have a displacement at design draft at an estimated 3,614 long tons; at full load draft, 3,812 long tons. Capacities include 75,350 gallons of fuel oil at 96 percent and 57,154 gallons of fresh water at 100 percent.

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