Gladding Hearn delivers second pilot boat to Cape Fear

JUNE 7, 2015— Cape Fear Pilots Association, Southport, N.C., recently accepted delivery of its second St. John’s Class pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. The Cape Fear pilot boat marked a milestone for Gladding Hearn—it’s the 400^th boat built by the shipyard 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. Propulsion power is supplied by two Caterpillar C-18 diesel engines, each producing 479 bhp at 1,800 rev/min. The vessel’s 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 gearbox. Onboard auxiliary power of is supplied by a Northern Lights diesel generator.

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.