Largest self-righting RIB
The Italian Coast Guard, has taken delivery of what is claimed to be the longest self-righting and unsinkable boat ever built in Italy.
It is probably also the largest self-righting Search and Rescue vessel in the World as well as being the largest RIB, making this new design unique in its capabilities.
The new vessel coded CP420, and named Natale De Grazia after a Guardia Costiera hero, was built at the Intermarine Group shipyard in Messina which was previously the Rodriguez shipyard. This fast search and rescue vessel has been designed to expand the operating capabilities of the Guardia Costiera fleet, creating a vessel capable of operating on patrol and for search and rescue in extreme conditions.
The CP 420 is the first patrol boat in a new class of vessels named Angeli del Mare, (Angels of the Sea), dedicated to those who worked at sea with generosity and sacrifice. Vessels designed and developed to perform the vital task assigned to the Coast Guard by history and by law such as search and rescue, a mission that the new boat is able to perform even in the most testing meteorological and marine conditions.
This new type of self-righting boat was designed by the Intermarine research centre using world-leading technologies. It is one of the world’s largest search and rescue vessels and the yard claims that with its 10-strong crew, the CP 420 leads the way in naval technology, with state-of-the-art propulsion and communication instruments. The boat has an advanced command and control system which guarantees greater autonomy, greater receptive capabilities and better logistics for the crew, for the rescue of people adrift in the sea and on-board during rescue operations involving large numbers of people.
The vessel is constructed in a light alloy with a hull length of 33.6 metres and a beam of 8.15 metres. The hull has a deep-V hull form matched to a vertical bow with the hull protected by an all-round inflatable tube in a RIB-like style and is designed for capable operations in Beaufort force 9 and sea state 6 conditions. The craft uses Hamilton water jets for propulsion and there is a survivor cabin for over 50 survivors and a deck crane is used for the launch of a RIB tender.
By Dag Pike
