The smaller surprise was to see USCGC Beluga (WPB- 87325) traveling with speed from Sandy Hook into the Upper Bay.
I don’t believe I’ve seen Beluga before, although she looks identical to the 70+ Protector class 87′ boats named for marine predators. I didn’t realize that many marine predators existed, although once you start counting . . . they add up. More on parameters for replacing the WPBs here.
But what really surprised me was what Tony A mentioned about the blue/yellow vessel in the photo. Of course, it’s R/VShearwater, the Alpine Ocean Seismic Survey boat that’s been creating a complex bathymetric picture of parts of the sixth boro. I long thought she had an unusual design. What I hadn’t known is
that she’s former USCG WSES-3. WSES expands to “surface effects ships.” Hull 1 of the WSES series, WSES-1, was built for the US Navy as 110BH, then modified and became USCGC Dorado, then back to the USN as SES-200 Sea Flyer, then IX-515. That’s a lot of modification. More on that here (start near bottom of p 25) and here. For a photo of Shearwater, black hull and orange USCG stripe, click here. For her Alpine tech specs, click here.
All photos, WVD, who enjoys learning from surprises. Many thanks, Tony A.
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November 17, 2020 at 2:40 pm
tugster
https://blog.usni.org/posts/2009/01/14/the-caribbean-where-innovative-ships-godie
November 17, 2020 at 7:20 pm
George Schneider
It’s fascinating about this group. They were initially designed as high-speed oilfield crewboats (Termed “Dash Boats”) but they never sold any follow-on units after building (or at least beginning) 5 on spec. The Navy got the SES 1 along with other SES prototypes, but couldn’t come up with a practical use for her. The Coast Guard thought her speed was great and ordered three more (what they received were the commercial spec boats after modifications) but that too didn’t gain acceptence and were soon sold. Among other things, drug boat interceptors have to be able to quickly board their captures, so perhaps that was the failing with these.
The three Coast Guard followons were soon sold and laid idle in Louisiana for a long time. Finally they were re-marketed, this one, and two to Nigeria to be pirate patrol boats, but were reportedly quickly sunk. SHEARWATER, however, is apparently just what her owners needed, and now they’ve operated her longer than any other operator of boats of this class.