Commencement (fireboat)

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The Tacoma fireboat Commencement pictured in 2010. Tacoma, WA Fireboat Commencement 01.jpg
The Tacoma fireboat Commencement pictured in 2010.

M/V Commencement is a fireboat operated by the Tacoma Fire Department (TFD) in Tacoma, Washington. [1]

Fireboat specialized watercraft and with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard fires

A fireboat is a specialized watercraft with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard fires. The first fireboats, dating to the late 18th century, were tugboats, retrofitted with firefighting equipment. Older designs derived from tugboats and modern fireboats more closely resembling seafaring ships can both be found in service today. Some departments would give their multi-purpose craft the title of "fireboat" also.

Tacoma, Washington City in Washington, United States

Tacoma is a midsized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, 32 miles (51 km) southwest of Seattle, 31 miles (50 km) northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and 58 miles (93 km) northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to the 2010 census. Tacoma is the second-largest city in the Puget Sound area and the third-largest in the state. Tacoma also serves as the center of business activity for the South Sound region, which has a population around 1 million.

Commencement is powered by two 535-horsepower engines and a 300-horsepower marine diesel engine that provides power to six 24-inch aluminum alloy fans which can be used to create an air cushion under the vessel, similar to a hovercraft. The ship has a maximum speed of 30 knots. [2]

In 2005 Commencement was renovated and refitted with a Port security grant provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. [1] [3]

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References

  1. 1 2 Dunkelberger, Steve. "Destiny fireboat takes to the water". Tacoma Weekly (10 May 2012). Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  2. "Marine Operations". cityoftacoma.org. City of Tacoma. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  3. "Art Anderson Associates to refit Tacoma fireboat". Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal. 18 June 2009. Retrieved 6 August 2015.