The following is the text of a news release from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding:
(SOMERSET, Mass.) — The Lakes Pilots Association, District 2, in Port Huron, Mich., has accepted delivery of Huron Spirit, a new Chesapeake-class pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corp.
With a length overall of 52.5 feet, a beam of 16.7 feet and a draft of 4.8 feet, the all-aluminum pilot boat features the C. Raymond Hunt-designed deep-V hull. It is powered by twin Cummins QSM11 diesel engines, each delivering 602 hp at 2,300 rpm and a top speed of 25 knots. A Humphree interceptor, with automatic trim optimization, is installed at the transom. Diesel capacity is 690 gallons, which, shipyard officials say, will provide a range of at least 350 miles at an economical speed of about 20 knots.
The engines turn five-blade nibral propellers via Twin Disc MGX-5114A Quickshift gears.
The wheelhouse, flush-mounted to the deck amidships and with forward-leaning front windows, is outfitted with Llebroc seats and a settee and is heated by two Heatercraft 40,000-Btu units. The forecastle also includes a 40,000-Btu heater, along with a settee, portable head, and built-in storage cabinets.
Outside of the wheelhouse, the handrails and foredeck are heated by a 120,000-Btu diesel-fired heater. There are boarding platforms on the roof and port and starboard on the foredeck. At the transom are throttle and steering controls, and a winch-operated, rotating davit over a recessed platform for rescue operations.
