New Pilot Boat Delivered to Alabama Pilots
The Alabama Pilot, Inc. in Mobile, Ala., has taken delivery of Dixey, a newly built Chesapeake Class pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation.
With length overall of 53.6’, beam of 17.8’, and draft of 4.8’, the all-aluminum pilot boat features the C. Raymond Hunt-designed Deep-V hull. It is powered by twin Caterpillar C-18 diesel engines, each delivering 671Bhp at 2100 rpm and a top speed of 27 knots. A Humphree interceptor trim-tab control system was installed at the transom. Diesel capacity is 800 gallons, which shipyard officials say, provides a range of at least 400 miles at an economical speed of about 20 knots.
The engines turn five-blade NiBrAl propellers via Twin Disc MGX-5135A Quickshift gears. The launch is equipped with a 9kW Northern Lights EPA Tier 3-compliant genset.
The wheelhouse, flush-mounted to the deck amidships and with forward-leaning front windows, is outfitted with six Llebroc seats and a bag rack and cooled by two 16,000 Btu air-conditioning units. The forecastle includes a settee and safety gear storage.
Outside of the wheelhouse are wide side decks, side and rear doors, and boarding platforms on the roof and port and starboard on the foredeck. At the transom is a winch-operated, rotating davit over a recessed platform for rescue operations.