Page 14: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (December 2010)

Three-Forty Three

Boats and ships are personal. Much more than the sum com- pilation of metal, machinery and wire; boats and ships – perhaps more so than any other mode of transportation – have a distinct connection to the people who work, sail and live aboard them.

Perhaps it’s the fact that, for the most part, many commercial vessels to this day are uniquely designed and constructed, pur- pose built for a certain task or region of operation, largely es- chewing the pros and cons of mass production. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that boats are as dependent upon a quality crew as crew are dependent upon a quality vessel; each serving as pro- tector against one of the harshest working environments on the planet. Named in honor of the 343 members of the New York

City Fire Department who perished in the line of duty on Sep- tember 11, 2001, the city’s newest fireboat, the Three Forty

Three, is designed to reach fires quickly and pump huge quan- tities of water. For both propulsion and pumping capacity, the boat relies on four MTU 12V4000 M70 Series diesel engines totaling 8,980 hp. The fireboat is also equipped with the MTU

Callosum ship automation system, which controls the propul- sion system and continuously monitors various critical areas and functions of the ship. Measuring 140 x 36-ft. beam, the vessel has a top speed of 18 knots and can pump up to 50,000 gpm. The need for such tremendous pumping capacity was made clear in the aftermath of 9/11, when FDNY fireboats sup- plied the only firefighting water available for many days fol- lowing the attack on the Twin Towers.

The Three Forty Three is the first of two such vessels to be commissioned by New York City officials. The second is named

Fire Fighter II. The two new vessels replace the FDNY’s longest-serving fireboats, both of which are more than 50 years old. Designed by Robert Allan Ltd. of Vancouver, B.C., and built by Eastern Shipbuilding Group of Panama City, Fla., the new fireboats can carry 27 firefighters along with a seven-per- son operating crew.

The red MTU engines are designed with two sets of per- formance characteristics, depending on whether they are being used for propulsion or water pumping. Each engine is equipped with a fire-pump clutch and pump assembly driven off the front of the engine. Pumping capacity for each fireboat is 25,000 gpm on two engines (when the vessel is in motion while fighting fires) and 50,000 gpm on all four engines (when the vessel pumps water from a fixed location). “The boat is tremendously fast,” said Edward Mauro, one of 14 pilots being trained on the Three Forty Three and a member of the fire department for 29 years. “We’re all firefighters from the beginning, but to pilot a boat like this is a thrill. The au- tomation is unbelievable. Between the pumping power and ma- neuverability, the boat is twice as fast as anything we’ve had before and gets us where we need to be in a hurry.”

FEATURE GREAT SHIPS 2010

Chetzemoka

Kwa-di Tabil Class Ferry (Photo Courtesy of WSDOT)

The first of three, potentially four

Kwa-di Tabil Class (64-car) ferries for

WSDOT Ferries Division (WSF) is the $76.5m, 64-car Chetzemoka, delivered on September 15, 2010. Designed by

Elliot Bay Design Group of Seattle and built at Todd Pacific Shipyard, Seattle.

The 750-passenger Chetzemoka is the first of the Kwa-di Tabil Class (64-car) ferries, with two sisterships – Salish and Kennewick – underway. With its option for a fourth vessel, WSF will pursue procurement of a 144-car ferry instead of a fourth Kwa-di Tabil Class ferry if sufficient funding is available.

Chetzemoka and Salish will be as- signed to the Port

Townsend/Coupeville route, restoring two-boat service. WSF has been leas- ing a ferry from Pierce County since

January 2008 to serve this route until new ferries are built. The Kwa-di Tabil

Class ferries are based on the Island

Home, a ferry currently operating in

Massachusetts. The 64-vehicle MV

Chetzemoka, named after the late Klal- lam Chief Chetzemoka, and was chris- tened by Gov. Chris Gregoire and recognized by the Klallam tribes. Chief

Chetzemoka was known as a peaceful man and a wise diplomat who was be- lieved to be about 80 when he died in 1888.

Principal Characteristics

Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chetzemoka

Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kwa-di Tabil Class

Length, o.a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .273.7 ft.

Length, w.l. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .251 ft.

Breadth (molded) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 ft.

Depth (molded) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17.5 ft.

Draft (molded) at DLWL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 ft.

Fuel oil capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20,750 gal.

Potable water capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3,000 gal.

Sanitary supply water capacity . . . . . . . . . .3,000 gal.

Sewage holding capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8,000 gal.

Automobile capacity . . . . . . . .64 WSF standard cars

Passenger capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .750

Speed (on trials) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15.5 knots

Three-Forty Three In Honor of NYFD Firemen Lost on 9/11

Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Three-Forty Three

Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fireboat

Owner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .City of New York

Builder . . . . . . . . . . . .Eastern Shipbuilding Group

Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Robert Allan Ltd.

Four MTU 12V4000 M70 diesel en- gines and the MTU Callosum ship au- tomation system help to make the

Three Forty Three “the most techni- cally advanced fireboat in the world.”

Argos

The ship is a compact Pana- max containership, capable of carrying containers of 4,380 TEU, including 360

FEU and cruising approxi- mately 18,200 nautical miles.

The vessel is also applied flow-through method for bal- last exchange and preemp- tively adopted Green

Passport as a environmental consideration. 14 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News

Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Containership

Owner . . . . . . . . . . . .Marlow Navigation

Builder . . . . . . . . . . . .DSME

Delivery . . . . . . . . . . .July 2010

Length, overall . . . . . .260.3m

Beam . . . . . . . . . . . . .32.2m

Depth . . . . . . . . . . . . .19.2m

Tonnage(dwt/grt) . . . .54,338.6 mt at Ts

Gross Tonnage . . . . . .42,112

TEU . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4,395

Flag . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cyprus

Classification . . . . . . .GL

Engines . . . . . . . . . . .MAN B&W