Gladding-Hearn Delivers 400th Vessel

Cape Fear Pilots Association of Southport, N.C. has taken delivery of its second St. John’s Class pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. This vessel marks the Somerset, Mass. shipyard’s 400th boat built since its founding 1955.  

The new all-aluminum launch, an updated version of the pilot’s first St. John’s Class delivered in 2001, features a deep-V hull designed by C. Raymond Hunt Associates. It measures 52 feet overall, with a 17-foot beam and a 4.8-foot draft. It is powered by twin Caterpillar C-18 diesel engines, each producing 479 Bhp at 1,800 rpm. Top speed is 23 knots. Each EPA Tier 3-rated engine turns a five-blade Ni-Br-Al propeller via a Twin Disc EC-300 Quick Shift gear box. A Northern Lights diesel generator provides 9kW of electrical output.

The launch features wide side decks and is equipped with heated, exterior handrails to prevent ice formation and a boarding platform on the roof. At the transom is a winch-operated, rotating davit over the water-level, recessed platform for pilot rescue operations. 

Interior accommodations are cooled and heated by a pair of 16,000 Btu HVAC units. The wheelhouse has three Llebroc pilot seats and a helm seat. The forecastle is outfitted with a settee, a galley, two bunks and an enclosed head.