MV Grey Lady IV is a high-speed catamaran ferry operated by Hy-Line Cruises that runs on a route between Hyannis and Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Hy-Line Cruises is a family owned and operated Massachusetts ferry and cruise company. The company currently operates the second largest passenger ferry service between mainland Cape Cod and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. The company also operates sightseeing cruises and fishing charters. The company's main office is located at 22 Channel Point Road in Hyannis.
Hyannis is the largest of the seven villages in the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is the commercial and transportation hub of Cape Cod and was designated an urban area as of the 1990 census. Because of this, many refer to Hyannis as the "Capital of the Cape". It contains a majority of the Barnstable Town offices and two important shopping districts: the historic downtown Main Street and the Route 132 Commercial District, including Cape Cod Mall and Independence Park, headquarters of Cape Cod Potato Chips. Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis is the largest on Cape Cod.
Hy-Line's request to regulator Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority to construct the ship that would become Grey Lady IV was approved in May 2014, [1] and the vessel was ordered from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding in February 2015. [2] Construction began on May 13, 2015, [3] with delivery planned for early June 2016. [4] However, delays during construction meant that she was not launched until July 6, and Hy-Line finally took delivery on August 31. [3] Grey Lady IV entered service on September 2. [4]
The Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority, referred to colloquially as The Steamship Authority or simply the SSA, is the statutory regulatory body for all ferry operations to and from the islands from the Massachusetts mainland, as well as being an operator of ferry service from the mainland Cape Cod to the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, and the only ferry operator to carry automobiles to the islands. The Authority also operates several freight vessels, thus serving as the main link for shipping any commercial goods to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket that are not transported by air.
Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Somerset, Massachusetts on the Taunton River. It primarily builds pilot boats and high-speed catamaran ferries.
Grey Lady IV was designed by Incat Crowther, and is 153.5 feet (46.8 m) long, with a beam of 34.5 feet (10.5 m) and a draft of 8 feet (2.4 m). [3] She has a passenger capacity of 493 on three decks. [3] She is powered by four Cummins diesel engines working through Twin Disc gears which drive quad HamiltonJet HM721 waterjets, which give her a top speed of 34 knots (39 mph) when loaded. [3]
Incat Crowther is an Australian Company, headquartered in Belrose, a suburb of Sydney specializing in Marine engineering design. Incat Crowther has offices in Lafayette, Louisiana, United States and Winchester, UK.
Cummins is an American Fortune 500 corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, filtration, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipment, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission control, electrical power generation systems, and semi trucks. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, United States, Cummins sells in approximately 190 countries and territories through a network of more than 600 company-owned and independent distributors and approximately 6,000 dealers. Cummins reported net income of $999 million on sales of $20.4 billion in 2017.
Twin Disc, Inc. designs, manufactures and distributes power transmission equipment for a wide range of applications, including marine, off-road vehicle and industrial. The company was founded in 1918 to manufacture clutches for farm tractors. It is now a worldwide company with subsidiaries or sales offices in Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America.
