Maritime Activity Reports, Inc.
(Photo: Dakota Creek Industries)
Built by Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes, Wash., the first of the U.S. Navy's new fleet of six YT 808-class tugs was delivered in October after completing the last construction phase. Measuring 90 feet long and 38 feet 3 inches wide, the YT 808 vessel is powered by twin Cat 3512E marine engines, each rated at 1,810 horsepower. The engines drive two Schottel SRP 340 fixed-pitch z-drive thrusters providing a top speed of 12.5 knots and an expected bollard pull of 40 metric tons.
The new series of Robert Allan Ltd.-designed tugs are the Navy's first vessels built to meet the U.S. EPA Tier 4 Final diesel engine emission regulations. The use of the 3512E engines will drastically reduce emissions at the naval installations where they operate. The YT 808's will replace the Navy's 45 – 55-year-old YTB class tugs at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine and the Pacific Northwest.