Addition of 45-foot boat could save lives
MARQUETTE -- It's a 45-foot boat called a 'Response Boat Medium,' and the U.S. Coast Guard from Station Marquette describes it as "everything search and rescue could ask for."
But before it can be handed over to the Coast Guard Thursday, they've been running tests with its contractor, Marinette Marine, on the water. Some of those tasks include performing tactical J-turns, abrupt halts and pushing top speed on the water. However, it's not the sharp turns and high speeds that make this vessel really impressive, it's the technology.
A prime example is its infrared radar, crucial for nighttime rescues.
"It allows the crew to pick up heat traces in the water to distinguish (a person) between the normal masses or personnel vessels," says Chief Petty Officer Fred Bates.
As a whole, the RB-M is also safer for the crew. Shock absorbent seats make it possible for them to increase their stamina out on the water. Most importantly, it's prepared for the worst.
"It's got rollover capabilities; if for some reason they're out in very heavy weather during a mission and the boat got hit by a wave and capsized it, it will actually ride itself back up," Bates said.
It can handle 12-foot waves; their current 25-foot boat can only withstand 6 foot waves. It also can carry a larger crew; up to 25 people can fit onboard.
Following a difficult summer with six fatalities on Lake Superior, they say all of these new features are more important than ever for search and rescue.
"We have more people that we can put on this boat, more eyes on the water," says Petty Officer Richard Toledo, "and more technology we can use to find people and respond quicker."
The Marquette Coast Guard will also continue to utilize their current 25-foot boat. The new 45-foot boat replaces a 30-foot boat built in the 1970s that is being phased out.
The public will likely see the boat out on the water as it has to be used a certain number of hours each year.
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