November 8,1979 COAST GUARD SENDS A MUSCULAR BEAUTY TO REPLACE ACACIA Open house will be held aboard Sturgeon Bays spanking new Coast Guard cutter MOBILE BAY on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The ship will be christened on November 17. The 140 foot MOBILE BAY is one of a class designed to replace the 110 foot tugs like the RARITAN and ARUNDEL. The new class was engineered specifically for ice breaking, and according to the MOBILE BAYs skipper; LCDR Lawson W. Brigham, her sister ship KATMAI BAY has crunched through ice a yard thick with ease. Weight,hull configuration, and a bubbler hull lubrication system invented by the Finns, makes a big difference. Those who were familiar with the ACACIA class will note the day-night difference with the MOBILE BAY type. Its like moving from a well kept, but nevertheless 1940s vintage Chevy to a brand new Monte Carlo with stereo and air. The MOBILE BAY is comfy, has the latest technology, and a color coordinated interior. The ship cant handle buoys-it wasnt designed for that, but it will do everything else better as one would expect of a vessel designed by the Coast Guard for its own uses. The MOBILE BAY has 2,500 horsepower, good for towing, ice breaking, and when needed; speed at 14.7 knots. She can handle booms to coral oil spills. Sturgeon Bay, which has discussed the need for a fireboat, now has something of this capacity in the MOBILE BAYs two nozzles atop the bridge. They can throw streams 210 feet inland at 250 gallons per minute. Two 64-mile radars aid in search and rescue. For its size, it is one of the most capable vessels in the world boasted Brigham. Two Fairbanks diesels drive generators that provide electric power to drive the ship. The electric motor housing looks like a small nuclear reactor. Even though the ACACIA is 180 feet, and the MOBILE BAY 140, the latter is for all practical purposes as big. It has the same beam, 37 feet, and lacks the buoy deck of the tenders. While Brigham does wish the MOBILE BAY had twin screws for better maneuvering, there is one feature that makes it easier to handle. The bridge is 34 feet wide, almost as wide as the ship, and there are twin control centers at extreme port and starboard inside the ship for close maneuvering. Ea h has a throttle and joystick (for rudder control.) The ships were made single screw for maximum protection of the prop in ice conditions. The prop is stainless steel, 8 ft. in diameter.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 15:13:50 +0000