Silver Ships Delivers First Four Coastal Fast Response Boats
Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Silver Ships announced it has delivered the first four coastal fast response boats (CFRB) under a contract award worth $6.12 million from the Naval Sea Systems Command.
The vessels were designed and constructed as a part of the U.S. Navy Foreign Military Sale (FMS) program and will benefit the NATO Navy, while the other three boats support a Central American Navy upon delivery.
The seven custom-designed military CRFBs feature specialized communication and navigation equipment. These durable, 46-foot deep-vee hull vessels feature a cabin and WING collar system. They are powered by twin Caterpillar C7 500hp inboard diesel engines and Hamilton HJX-29 waterjets. The waterjets enable the vessels to continuously operate in shallow and coastal areas where outboards would typically be less effective.
The CFRB will be used for coastal and harbor patrol and as law enforcement interceptor vessels. The CFRB series is versatile and can be tailored to specific mission needs. The CFRB was developed in response to the U.S. Navy’s workboat program requirements. The large, fast cabin vessel amplifies the features of Silver Ships’ popular Endeavor and Ambar series vessels. As the design of this series evolved, Silver Ships’ leadership deemed it worthy of series implementation. Currently, Silver Ships has a CFRB fire boat variant in production.
“This is a special category of boat that incorporates some of the best features of our proven Endeavor (propulsion plant, hull form and push knees on bow) and Ambar (collar, cabin) designs. It is uniquely suited as a military, law enforcement, fire or dive platform with more endurance and a cuddy cabin that can support offshore missions of up to several days’ duration,” said Shawn Lobree, Silver Ships Director of Federal Programs.