VICKSBURG, Miss.- A fleet of seven new vessels recently arrived at ERDC-Vicksburg, providing an upgraded capability for fresh and salt water studies by the facility scientists and engineers.
Led by the efforts of William Butler, a physical scientist in ERDC’s Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL), the boats were transferred from the U.S. Coast Guard at no cost to ERDC. The acquisition was made possible due to fleet upgrades by the Coast Guard. Efforts are ongoing to add an eighth boat to the transfer.
In what Butler describes as being in the right place at the right time, he was concluding an unrelated transaction on the Government Services Administration Excess (GSAXCESS) website and decided to access the boats link on the site. To his surprise, a number of vessels were listed as available from the Coast Guard in California. The vessels were no longer available but Butler left his contact information and was notified later that nearly 100 additional boats were available.
“I’m really excited we were able to make this transfer happen,” Butler said. “The vessels we currently have were all constructed in the 1980s and 1990s. What we’ve acquired are all 2005 models, and they are identical, which will make maintenance and upkeep much more efficient.”
“Current plans are to evaluate which boat has the most wear on it and use it for parts. Two others are earmarked for shipment to CHL’s Field Research Facility at Duck, N.C., to enhance their research.”
“Before the boats were here a week, we received a request from the Detroit District to outfit one of the boats for hydrodynamic data collection and associated water sampling,” Butler said.
Butler is also exploring opportunities to support U.S. Army Corps of Engineers emergency operations with the new boats.
Developed for the Coast Guard by Safe Boats International, the new acquisitions are Defender 250 models with a 25-foot-length and featuring a patented 100 percent Foam SAFE XDR-1 Extreme Duty Reinforced Collar System. The boats are also outfitted with a number of features to enhance their capability in rough water or austere conditions, such as reinforced keels and self-bailing decks. All seven are powered by twin 225-horsepower outboard motors and have a crew capacity of 11, including the pilot. These features increase their value to ERDC by providing expanded capabilities.
According to Butler, a key feature will be the ease of preparation and low cost to bring the vessels into working condition. Although the previous owners removed the marine radios and other electronics, such as radar, the wiring is in place, making it easy to replace those items. A variety of scientific testing equipment from ERDC’s current vessels will also be transferred to the new boats.
Depending on individual conditions, it will cost between $10,000 and $15,000 to outfit each boat. Since procurement of a single new Defender 250 is approximately $177,000, this transfer from the Coast Guard is a savings of considerable significance. The ERDC boats being replaced by the new Defender 250s will be available for transfer through GSAXCESS in the near future.