Jensen Maritime, the Seattle-based naval architecture and
marine engineering division of Crowley Maritime, has completed concept designs
and performance specifications for two new fireboats expected to join the City
of Portland’s fire and rescue fleet in the first half of 2014.
The new fast-response fireboats are to provide emergency
response on long stretches of both the Columbia and Willamette rivers, and are
expected to have a 20-year service life, far more than the typical five to
seven years found on similar vessels in the class.
Jensen says it designed the two new fireboats with a number
of technologically rich elements, including automatic compensation for the
recoil from the water cannons and fully integrated controls for fast and agile
maneuvering.
The two 54-foot long by 16-foot wide fireboats will be
powered by twin MTU 8V2000 M84 engines each rated at 1,085 HP at 2,450 RPM. The
twin MTUs will turn ZF 665TS reduction gears and Rolls-Royce FF450S waterjets,
which combine to give the vessels a top speed of about 40 knots.
Each vessel’s also designed to have a 3,500
gallons-per-minute fire pump on the front end along with three monitors – two
on the bow and one on top of the cabin – and numerous hose connections both
forward and aft. A unique integrated hydraulics system with a hydraulic bow thruster
will also be featured on the vessels.
Jensen provided the vessels’ design, and Donald L. Blount
and Associates produced the final hull form. The boats are being constructed at
Portland-based Oregon Iron Works.
Other Jensen Maritime-designed fireboats include a 108-foot
fireboat and 50-foot fast-attack fireboat for the Seattle Fire Department;
three 40-foot fireboats for the Los Angeles Fire Department; a 40-foot fireboat
for the Los Angeles County Fire Department and a 37-foot, 40-knot patrol boat
and 44-foot patrol boat for the Seattle Police Department.
