CCGS Cape Fox
CCGS Cape Fox is one of the Canadian Coast Guard's 36 Cape-class motor lifeboats.[1][2] She and a sister vessel, CCGS Cape Norman, serve the northern coast of Newfoundland. Her home port is Lark Harbour.[3]
 Sister ship CCGS Cape Sutil at Port Hardy | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | Cape Fox |
| Namesake | Cape Fox |
| Operator | Canadian Coast Guard |
| Builder | Victoria Shipyards, Victoria, British Columbia |
| Yard number | 824504 |
| Christened | 2008 |
| Homeport | CCG Base Lark Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Identification | MMSI number: 316002527 |
| Status | in active service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Cape-class motor lifeboat |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 14.6 m (47 ft 11 in) |
| Beam | 4.27 m (14 ft 0 in) |
| Draft | 1.37 m (4 ft 6 in) |
| Propulsion | 2 × diesel electric engines, 675 kW (905 hp) |
| Speed | 22 knots (41 km/h) cruise |
| Range | 200 nmi (370 km) |
| Endurance | 1 day |
| Complement | 4 |
Cape Fox and Cape Norman were built in 2002 at Victoria Shipyards, Victoria, British Columbia.[3][4] The two vessels were shipped from Vancouver to New York City aboard another vessel, where they proceeded under their own power.
Design
Like all Cape-class motor lifeboats, Cape Fox has a displacement of 20 short tons (18 t) and a total length of 47 feet 11 inches (14.61 m) and a beam of 14 feet (4.3 m).[5] Constructed from marine-grade aluminium, it has a draught of 4 feet 6 inches (1.37 m). It contains two computer-operated Detroit DDEC-III 6V-92TA diesel engines providing a combined 870 shaft horsepower (650 kW). It has two 28 by 36 inches (710 mm × 910 mm) four-blade propellers, and its complement is four crew members and five passengers.[5]
The lifeboat has a maximum speed of 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) and a cruising speed of 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph). Cape-class lifeboats have fuel capacities of 400 US gallons (1,500 L; 330 imp gal) and ranges of 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) when cruising.[5] Cape Fox is capable of operating at wind speeds of 50 knots (93 km/h; 58 mph) and wave heights of 30 feet (9.1 m). It can tow ships with displacements of up to 150 tonnes (170 short tons) and can withstand 60-knot (110 km/h; 69 mph) winds and 20-foot (6.1 m)-high breaking waves.[5]
Communication options include Raytheon 152 HF-SSB and Motorola Spectra 9000 VHF50W radios, and a Raytheon RAY 430 loudhailer system.[5] The boat also supports the Simrad TD-L1550 VHF-FM radio direction finder. Raytheon provides a number of other electronic systems for the lifeboat, including the RAYCHART 620, the ST 30 heading indicator and ST 50 depth indicator, the NAV 398 global positioning system, a RAYPILOT 650 autopilot system, and either the R41X AN or SPS-69 radar systems.[5]
References
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Susan Goodyear (2005-06-27). "Vessel Commissionings in Port au Choix and Lark Harbour". Canadian Coast Guard. Archived from the original on 2011-09-03.
Both CCGS Cape Norman and CCGS Cape Fox operate from May to October on 30-minute state of readiness with 24 hours a day, seven days a week coverage. The CCGS Cape Norman's primary area of operation is from Cow Head north to Cape Bauld along the west coast of the island of Newfoundland. The CCGS Cape Fox's area of operation is from Port aux Basques north to Cow Head.
- Carol Bond (2008-07-28). "CCGS Cape Fox / CCGS Cape Norman". Canadian Coast Guard. Archived from the original on 2011-06-12.
- "Fleet: CCGS Cape Fox". Canadian Coast Guard. 2008-03-31. Archived from the original on 2010-06-17.
-
"Careers". Canadian Coast Guard. 2009-02-25. Archived from the original on 2009-05-28.
One interesting story I have seen in my job experience is about the journey of two vessels, the Cape Fox and Cape Norman. They are two 47' motor life boats weighing approximately 34 tonnes and were built by Victoria Shipyards in British Columbia. These two vessels were actually loaded into another ship on Vancouver Island and then the ship sailed through the Panama Canal to the Port of New York, the reason for this being that the ship could not unload in a Canadian port due to regulations. These two vessels (Cape Fox and Cape Norman) actually sailed under their own power to Dartmouth and then eventually to Newfoundland and Labrador. This was quite a long and interesting journey for these two little vessels!
- "Motor Life Boat 47-Foot MLB: International Affairs (CG-DCO-I)". United States Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security. 1 July 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2015.