The Canadian Coast Guard formally welcomed a new search and rescue (SAR) boat into service in a ceremony on Thursday, August 13.
CCGS Mira Bay belongs to a series of SAR boats named after geographical bays across Canada, hence their alternate designation of Bay-class.
The aluminium-hulled boat was built by Hike Metal Products of Ontario to a design by naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd. The design is a development of the Severn-class SAR boats operated by the UK's Royal National Lifeboat Institution but with improvements including a larger size, greater range and specific design elements for dealing with extreme weather conditions encountered year-round in the waters off Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.
The boat has self-righting ability and is durable enough to withstand 12-metre seas and Beaufort Force 12 conditions.
Mira Bay has a length of 19 metres, a beam of 6.3 metres, a draught of 1.7 metres, a gross tonnage of 75, and a crew complement of four. Two diesel engines drive fixed-pitch propellers to deliver a maximum speed of 25 knots.
Significant noise and vibration reduction measures have been implemented throughout, including resilient mounts for the engines, gearboxes, exhaust silencer systems, ventilation intake air silencers, sound dampening deck treatments, and insulation measures.
Other examples of the Bay-class SAR boats are being built for the coast guard by Chantier Naval Forillon based in Quebec.