Geo Shipyard Delivers Catamaran Survey Vessel

Geo Shipyard, Inc. has built and delivered a new Survey Catamaran Vessel, Blake, for David Evans and Associates Inc.’s Marine Services Division in Gulfport, Mississippi.

The newbuild, delivered in October, features wave-piercing bows, Tier 3 Cat diesels, twin 55-kW generators, a full suite of survey instrumentation, an A frame for towing astern, a DTI survey winch and a stainless steel hydraulically operated survey strut with a moon pool and hydraulically operated door through the wing deck to lower the strut for side scanning. There’s also a bow crane for side scanning in shallow water.

The Blake is named after the 19th century U.S. Coast and Geodetic survey steamer George S. Blake. The 148'x26'6" steamer operated from 1874-1905 and was built in Baltimore at E.J. Fardy for $84,600. The oceanographic and hydrographic vessel was known for testing innovative technologies such as the Pillsbury current meter, which was the first deep-sea current meter, and the Sigbee deepsea sounding machine. The original Blake operated in the Gulf of Maine, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

The new Blake will accommodate a crew of 10 for offshore service for up to 10 days. The vessel will operate out of Gulfport under contract to NOAA, initially performing charting surveys of Gulfport Channel and Chandeleur Sound.

Blake Specifications and Equipment
Builder: Geo Shipyard, Inc.
Designer: Roger Fyffe
Owner: David Evans and Associates
Mission: Survey
Length: 82’
Beam: 27’
Depth (Molded): 10’3”
Draft: 4’4”
Main Propulsion: Caterpillar, C18, 803HP at 2,100RPM X2
 Ship’s Service Power: Northern Lights, 55KW X 2
Marine Gear: ZF,500A, 2.48:1 Ratio
Propellers: ZF, 36” Dia., 44 Pitch, NYBRAL Material, four Blades
Controls: ZF, Cruise Command
Thrusters: Westmar 23HP bow thruster X2
Steering System: Hydraforce
Speed: 25 Knots, 20 Knots Cruise, 7 knots Survey
Hull Construction: Marine Aluminum
Capacity: Crew Capacity 4, Passenger Capacity 20, sleeps 10 in 5 staterooms
Capacities: Fuel 4,600 gal., water 735 gal, lube 80 gal
Water Maker: SK, 700 gal per/day
Electronics: Furuno radar and plotter x 2, Icom VHF radio x 2, Icom SSB radio, Furuno AIS, Simrad Auto Pilot, KVH TV system, Iridium Sat Phone system
Important Ancillary Equipment/Systems: Data Acquisition (DAC) Room, A frame for towing astern, DTI survey winch, Survey Strut w/ moon pool for side scan, Bow crane for side scan (shallow water), Rescue Boat, Cargo Crane
Classification/Certification: USCG Sub Chapter T, Certificate of Inspection
Delivery: Oct. 2014