Spica class (1974)
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The Spica class (sometimes also referred to as the S class ) was a class of pilot station ships of the Dutch pilotage service.
description
The ships were designed by the Hoofdafdeling Materieel department of the Koninklijke Marine in cooperation with the pilot service on the basis of the Capella-class ships used in the Scheldt estuary . They were built from 1973 to 1974 at the Amels Holland shipyard in Makkum for the pilotage of the seaports on the Nieuwe Waterweg and in Rotterdam . They replaced three older ships built between 1948 and 1950.
The ships were powered by diesel-electric technology . The propulsion was carried out by an electric motor with 1200 HP power , which drove a propeller. Three diesel generator sets were available for power generation, each consisting of a diesel engine from the manufacturer Paxman (type: 12 RPHCZ) with 600 HP output as well as a direct current generator from the manufacturer Smit Slikkerveer to supply the drive motor and a three-phase generator from the manufacturer Heemaf for the supply of the on-board network passed. When the drive motor was supplied with a generator, the ships reached around 8.3 knots , with two or three generators 11 and 13 knots respectively. The ships were equipped with an electrically powered bow thruster with 420 hp.
In order to minimize noise development on board, the diesel generator sets and other machines in the engine room were mounted on vibration dampers . In addition, the walls of the engine room were provided with soundproofing materials.
There were cabins for the ship's crew on board . A further seven double cabins and a relaxation room with eight seats were set up for the pilots . For the ship's crew, separate messes and lounges were available according to ranks. A further fair and a further lounge were available to the pilots.
To transfer the pilots, the pilot station ships were equipped with four dinghies , two on each side of which could be lowered into the water and picked up again with the aid of davits . The system also included 23-meter-long, fast tender boats with the help of which pilots could be brought from the pilot station ashore to the pilot station ship or picked up from there. The boats could also be used for supplying and disposing of the station ships.
In the stern area, the ships were equipped with a helipad that could be used for the transfer of pilots by helicopter (which was necessary, for example, to bring pilots on board tankers that had to be manned before the pilot station).
Ships
| Spica class | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building name | Build number | IMO number |
Keel laying, launching, delivery |
Later names and whereabouts |
| Spica | 326 | 8933978 | January 17, 1973 September 15, 1973 January 22, 1974 |
1997 Intuition II |
| Altair | 327 | 8880195 | May 8, 1973 January 26, 1974 March 15, 1974 |
1996 Cargill , 2000 conversion to a yacht, Altair |
| Fomal skin | 335 | 8925646 | October 31, 1973 August 14, 1974 1974 |
1997 Princess Laya , 1998 Elanymor , 1998/1999 conversion to a yacht, 2008 Akula |
The ships with their home port Rotterdam were named after stars - Spica , Altair and Fomalhaut .
Whereabouts of the ships
All three ships were sold after decommissioning and converted into yachts .
The Spica was converted into the Yacht Intuition II in 1997 . The yacht is operated under the flag of the Cayman Islands . There is space for 14 crew members and 14 passengers on board.
The Altair was after the phasing out first at Greenpeace chartered. Greenpeace used the ship for two sensational missions in the North Sea as part of the protest actions against the planned sinking of the Brent Spar and in the Mediterranean for protest actions against nuclear weapons tests in the Pacific . In 1996 the ship was sold and renamed Cargill . In 2000 it was converted into a yacht and was renamed Altair again . The Altair sails under the flag of Italy . There is space on board for 20 crew members and 18 passengers, for whom nine cabins are available.
The Fomalhaut was sold in 1997 and renamed Princess Laya . In 1998 the ship was renamed Elanymor . The conversion to a yacht took place in 1998/1999. In 2008 the yacht was renamed Akula . The yacht, which operates under the flag of the United Kingdom , has space for 15 crew members and ten passengers in five cabins.
literature
- Nieuwe moderne loodsvaartuigen voor de Rotterdamse Waterweg. In: Ship en Werf. Volume 41, No. 16, August 2, 1974 ( PDF ( Memento from June 21, 2018 in the Internet Archive ), 1 MB).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Loodsvaartuig "Spica" , Stichting Ald Makkum eo. Accessed June 21, 2018.
- ↑ Loodsvaartuig "Altair" , Stichting Ald Makkum eo. Accessed June 21, 2018.
- ↑ a b Scheepsfotoruilbeurs , Nieuwsbrief, November 11, 2000 (PDF, 874 kB). Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ↑ Loodsvaartuig "Fomalhaut" , Stichting Ald Makkum eo. Accessed June 21, 2018.
- ↑ a b Scheepsfotoruilbeurs , Nieuwsbrief, March 14, 2009 (PDF, 835 kB). Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ Motor Yacht Intuition II , Superyachts.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ Motor Yacht Altair III , Superyachts.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ Motor Yacht Akula , Superyachts.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.