Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation, has begun construction of a new St. Johns class pilot boat for Freeport Harbour Company in the Grand Bahamas. Freeport Harbour Company provides tugboat and pilot services in cooperation with the Grand Bahamas Port Authority. Delivery is scheduled for November.
The all-aluminum high-speed launch, designed by C. Raymond Hunt Associates in Boston, measures 52.6 ft overall, with an 17 ft beam and 4.8 ft draft, and is expected to reach a top speed of 25 knots. The deep-V hull will be powered by twin Caterpillar C-18 diesel engines, each producing 671 Bhp at 2100 rpm and turning a 5-blade propeller. The gear boxes are Twin Disc model MGX5135A Quick Shift. The launch will be equipped with a 12kW Northern Lights generator.
Interior accommodations will include 38,000 Btu HVAC units, Stidd reclining seats, a settee, two bunks, a small galley, and a head.
At the transom, there will be throttle and steering controls and a winch-operated davit over a recessed platform at water level for pilot rescue operations.