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May 2012www.marinelink.com 51Willard Marine: SEAFORCE 540 Willard Marine delivered the first of four patrol Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs) to a U.S. Navy project in Pascagoula, MS. The boats are being built for the Egyptian Navy. The boats supplied are the Willard Ma- rine Sea Force 540 inboard RIB. Willard Marine was chosen to supply this military quality RIB because of their expertise, best value and ability to build high quality, durable, military platforms that operate from larger vessels. This boat is powered by a 170 HP inboard diesel engine, connected to an outdrive. This light weight boat achieves speeds in excess of 38 knots and is highly maneuverable and durable for military service. Willard Marine currently provides the 7 Meter Standard Navy RIBs on all U.S. Navy Combatant ships, as well as a large number of support vessels in the U.S. Naval fleet. www.willardmarine.com Wing's P-4.7 CRRC Wing P-4.7 CRRC is a fully inflatable polyurethane boat capable of carrying big loads in mere inches of water. It can be easily transported to remote areas otherwise inaccessible to bigger craft. It also features thermo-welded air holding seams for superior air retention and longevity. But it is the unique design of the P-4.7 that gives it superior performance with a full load of people and gear. The P-4.7 does not have lower buoyancy tubes (speed tubes) so it has less form drag. Form drag increases as displacement increases, cre- ating more resistance as the boat load increases. Lower buoyancy tubes also negatively impact high speed turns by adding resistance, slowing down the speed of the turn and reducing operator response. This is a definite disadvantage if a situation calls for precise and quick evasive maneuvers. http://www.wing.com HMS Queen ElizabethHangs Out on the ClydeConstruction of HMS Queen Eliz-abeth, the first of two new aircraft carriers being built for the UK Royal Navy, took a significant step forward as the two giant sections of Lower Block 04 (LB04) were brought to-gether for the first time in a precision move at BAE Systems? Govan ship- yard. The structure and largest sec- tion of hull under construction is solarge that it stretches beyond the doors of the ship build hall in which it sits. Using a fleet of 132 remotecontrolled transporters, a huge sec-tion, weighing over 4,000 tons, was carefully maneuvered 100m across specially reinforced concrete. MR May 12 # 7 (50-55):MR Template 5/7/2012 3:13 PM Page 51