VESSEL REVIEW | CVLS 45-01 – All-weather rescue boat to serve Norfolk, UK

The Caister Volunteer Lifeboat Service (CVLS), an independent maritime search and rescue (SAR) charity based at the seaside resort town of Caister-on-Sea in Norfolk in the UK, recently took delivery of a new rescue boat from Isle of Wight-based boatbuilder Diverse Marine.

CVLS 45-01 was designed by local naval architecture firm Walker Marine Design to feature self-righting capability, allowing it to operate under all weather conditions. It is the newest example of a series of rescue boat that was originally developed in the mid-1980s.

The newbuild has an LOA of 14.03 metres, a beam of 4.76 metres, a maximum draught of only 0.9 metre, and a displacement of 17.9 tonnes. An aluminium hull, deck, and coach roof are coupled with a resiliently mounted FRP wheelhouse to reduce noise and vibration for the crew. The fully air-conditioned wheelhouse layout has been designed for up to six crewmembers, all with designated AllSalt Maritime SHOXS 2000 seats. Configuration is for a central helm station forward, a navigator's station aft to starboard, and an additional dedicated space for a stretcher and up to four casualties.

Two Scania DI13-077M main engines that each produce 552 kW at 2,300 rpm drive Hamilton HJ364 waterjets via Twin Disc MGX5114SC gearboxes to propel CVLS 45-01 to speeds in excess of 36 knots, while a service speed of 29 knots will allow the boat to sail for up to 250 nautical miles. The twin helm stations will feature HamiltonJet's AVX control system and Jet-Anchor functionality for station keeping.

A comprehensive navigation and communications suite was supplied by Boat Electrics and Electronics. These include a Furuno NXT radar and a Teledyne FLIR rotating thermal camera that will enable SAR missions to be conducted at night or in adverse weather. Handrails are fitted on the wheelhouse's exterior to provide greater operational flexibility during water rescues as opposed to having these installed on the deck perimeter.

CVLS 45-01 was officially welcomed into service at Caister-on-Sea earlier this week.

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