Exotics 24

I’m always thrilled to see these specialized vessels in the sixth boro.  I’d seen Regulus before, but see how her deck machinery back in November 2019 was different than it is now.  Versatility is key.

That red T identifies her as a Tidewater boat, a PSV (platform supply vessel), one of hundreds of speciality vessels operated around the world.  The link in the previous sentence provides lot of information about the company, its history back to the mid-1950s, and its boats.  Most Tidewater boats have a two-word name, the second being “Tide”, eg., Desoto Tide or Ebb Tide, which launched the company in 1956.  See a photo of Ebb Tide here. 

The fact that Regulus does not indicates she came from the Gulfmark fleet, which Tidewater absorbed.

 

I’m out of my depth here, but I’d wager there’s a “moon pool” directly beneath the red tower, an opening in the hull though which subsea equipment can safely be lowered or retrieved.  Scroll through this link to see a great photo through the moon pool and into the deeps.

The A-frame on the stern can also be used to lower/retrieve instrumentation, here inside the yellow frame.

 

 

If you didn’t notice in the links above, the dimensions here are 272′ x 58′ and powered by a total of 10250 hp.

As is true of many of the “exotics” in this blog, the impending wind farm construction explains their presence here. 

As of sunrise this morning, the Jones Act Regulus has headed back to sea.

All photos, WVD.