Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Company of Mobile has delivered the scalloper Westport to Tradewind Fishing Corporation of New Bedford, Mass. She is the first of four identical vessels to be built at the Bender yard — another for the same owner and two for Donna Lynn Fishing Corporation, also of New Bedford.
This latest series of vessels embodies many changes and improvements arising from operating experience with the fishing boat Tradewind, which was delivered to Tradewind Fishing in 1978. The Westport has an overall length of 98 feet, beam of 25 feet, and depth of 14 feet.
The new vessel is powered by a Caterpillar D399 diesel engine with an output of 1,125 bhp at 1,225 rpm, driving a Columbian Bronze 4-blade, 70- by 75-inch propeller in a Kort nozzle through a Caterpillar clutch and a Cat 7261 reduction gear having a ratio of 3.84:1. Service speed is 11.5 knots; engine controls are Mathers model AD12.
Cutless rubber stern bearings were supplied by Lucian Moffitt; main shaft bearings are Dodge Sleevoil. The main engine is cooled by Fernstrum keel coolers. Two auxiliary engines are Caterpillar model D3304T.
Deck equipment includes two Hathaway model 12 AITHS hydraulic trawl winches and a 16-inch Hathaway trawl block. Hydraulically positioned gallows are moved outboard into fishing position by hydraulic rams. When in this position, fishing loads are carried by the structure of the vessel.
Central air-conditioning by Therman serves the wheelhouse and main and lower deck accommodations. The shucking house aft has Carrier air-conditioning and heating. The 15-person inflatable liferaft was supplied by Swit-Lick, and the air horn is a Kahlenberg model T1.
Electronic gear, supplied as a package by EPSCO and installed by the R.H. Sassaman Company of Mobile, includes the following: EPSCO radar model M16, radar model EB Seaveyor, Loran C model Seanav XL (one 32-volt dc and one 115-volt ac), two model 2001 depth recorders, model 901 autopilot with model 505 standard compass; Cobra CB radio with SSB, Northern SSB radio model N550, Yaesu shortwave receiver model FRG-7, and Raytheon loudhailer.