VESSEL REVIEW | Dashields – Workboat to support US Army Corps of Engineers’ waterway maintenance duties

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) recently took delivery of a new river maintenance workboat from Alabama-based boatbuilder Silver Ships.

Dashields is the second in a series of three landing craft workboats built by Silver Ships for the USACE Pittsburgh District, the first being the 2022-built Allegheny River. The vessels will support the Pittsburgh District's mission of improving navigable waterways and water infrastructure, particularly along the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers in Pennsylvania.

The custom-built, welded-aluminium vessel measures 40 feet (12 metres) long and is powered by twin 350hp (260kW) Suzuki outboard motors that provide enhanced manoeuvring capabilities for working in tight spaces. A modified vee hull with a recessed cargo bay provides a stable work platform. As a landing craft, the vessel offers high load-carrying capacity and a shallow draught for loading and unloading applications.

Other features include a walkaround cabin, Furuno navigation and radar systems, a Westerbeke 20kW generator, Maxilift cranes with 2,000-pound (907-kilogram) lifting capacities each, and an A-frame with a 3,000-pound (1,360-kilogram) lifting capacity.

As with other Silver Ships vessels, the hull is designed for strength and durability in compliance to ABS rules for high-speed naval craft.

Silver Ships said the workboat will support maintenance efforts of navigation locks and dams as well as buoy tendering operations.

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