Blakeley Delivers Third Boat To Plimsoll
Blakeley BoatWorks, a Cooper Group-affiliated shipyard on the Mobile River, has delivered the third in a series of three towboats for Plimsoll Marine. Named the Joanne C, the vessel was designed by Farrell & Norton Architects and measures 70 feet by 28 feet with a molded depth of 10 feet and a draft of 8 feet.
The new boat features twin CAT C32 Tier 3 engines from Thompson CAT that combine for 1,600 hp. Thompson CAT also supplied two CAT C4.4, Tier 3, 76 kw. generators. The vessel’s main engines are paired with Twin Disc MGX5222 reduction gears with a ratio of 6.1:1 from Sewart. Southeastern Propeller supplied the Joanne C’s two 70-inch, four-blade, stainless steel propellers.
Gulf Coast Air & Hydraulics provided the vessel’s steering system. The new vessel also features Johnson Heart Duramax cutlass tailshaft bearings and Thordon bushings on its main and flanking rudders. The towboat has tankage for 22,000 gallons of fuel, 5,200 gallons of potable water, 150 gallons of hydraulic oil and 660 gallons of slop oil. The vessel has accommodations for six crew members.
Fendering aboard the Joanne C is by Schuyler Companies. The vessel features paint from Sherwin Williams, gridcoolers from Fernstrum, and two Wintech 40-ton deck winches. The vessel’s switchboard is by Rio Controls & Hydraulics, while its radar, AIS, bridge alarm system, GPS and transducer are from Furuno. Bozant Glass supplied the vessel’s front window and Window Wiper Technologies supplied the wipers, while Dale’s Welding supplied the aluminum doors.
The mv. Joanne C is named after Joanne Cooper. She is the wife of David J. Cooper Sr., vice chairman of Cooper/T. Smith.
A Fourth Towboat Underway
Blakeley BoatWorks is building a fourth towboat for Cooper Marine & Timberlands (CMT), which is also a Cooper company based in Mobile, Ala. It will be larger than the previous three and is believed to be one of the first Tier 4-compliant towboats on the river. The vessel will be 110 feet long and have 3,400 hp., powered by twin Cat 3512E engines.
It is expected to join the 20-some-odd shifting and fleeting vessels in CMT’s fleet in August 2020.
Caption for photo: Mv. Joanne C completes the trifecta. (Photo courtesy of Blakeley BoatWorks)
