Gladding-Hearn Delivers Pilot Boat to Delaware Pilots
The Delaware pilots association has taken delivery of its third pilot boat of the popular Chesapeake Class from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation.
The delivery marks the fifteenth pilot boat of this class built by the Somerset, Mass., shipyard, since its introduction in 2002. Designed by C. Raymond Hunt & Associates, the all-aluminum pilot boat measures 52.6 feet overall. It has a 17-foot beam and 4.8-foot draft, and a top speed of 25 knots. The new launch is powered by twin Volvo Penta D16 diesel engines, each delivering 651 Bhp at 1800 rpm, with ZF 500-1-A gear boxes. Each engine has a two-circuit Fernstrum keel-cooling system recessed into extra heavy bottom plating for operation in ice. The engines turn 5-blade NiBrAl propellers. Volvo Penta’s EVC system is mounted at the control stations in the wheelhouse and at the transom. The vessel is fitted with a Humphree Interceptor automatic trim optimization system.
The wheelhouse is outfitted with five Stidd seats and a three-zone, diesel-fired Espar Hydronic 35 heater for the cabin, main deck, and handrails. The forward wheelhouse windows feature ¾-inch electrically-heated laminated glass for de-icing. Interior sound levels are approximately 78 dba.
At the transom is a winch-operated rotating davit over a recessed platform for pilot rescue operation. The Delaware pilots chose an unpainted launch to reduce maintenance costs.