NEWS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION
November 6, 1998
File No. 96155
Subject: F/V BRISTOL LEADER: JMC Design is Largest U.S.-built Freezer Longliner
At 167′ x 34′, the BRISTOL LEADER is the largest freezer longliner ever built in the U.S. The new vessel was designed by Jensen Maritime Consultants in Seattle and built by Master Boat Builders in Bayou La Batre, Alabama. The new boat will be homeported in Kodiak, Alaska, and fish the Bering Sea out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
The ownership includes a group of Kodiak, Alaska, commercial fishermen who own and operate a somewhat smaller JMC-designed freezer longliner, the ALASKAN LEADER, also built at Master Boat Builders. The Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation (BBEDC) also owns 50 percent of the new boat.
Jonathan Parrott, JMC’s director of engineering, says the Kodiak group has been very happy with the ALASKAN LEADER, but wanted the new boat to have more capacity. Keeping the same beam, the designers stretched the overall length by about 20 feet. The additional length provides a 1.1 million pound cargo capacity and a larger processing area to help fill all that cold storage.
The principal target species for the BRISTOL LEADER is Pacific cod, which will be headed and gutted before freezing on board. Because the BBEDC participates in Alaska’s community development quota (CDQ) fisheries program, the new vessel will be able to fish both CDQ and open access fisheries.
From the engine room to the wheelhouse, the new boat is well equipped with modern machinery, but when it comes to handling the fishing gear, they do it the old fashioned way — by hand. All 55,000 hooks set each day are hand-baited and coiled in tubs.
The accommodations can handle 36 people, but the normal crew complement is 28. All staterooms, companionways, and the mess area are wood-paneled, providing a warm and homey feel.
A unique feature in the design and construction allows the skipper or whoever is driving the boat to watch the incoming gear at the roller on the starboard side of the main deck. With a full foc’sle deck–as on the BRISTOL LEADER –all activities on the main deck are usually out of direct sight from the wheelhouse.
However, on this boat, a 10′ x 10′ notch in the foc’sle deck’s starboard side provides an open line of sight between the wheelhouse and the roller. This is important because the skipper needs to keep the vessel properly aligned with the incoming longline gear during haulback.
Vessel maneuverability–for staying on the gear, docking, etc.–is excellent thanks to a bow thruster and twin screws. Main power is a pair of 3508 B Caterpillars, each rated at 1000 bhp. Auxiliary power is provided by four 3406 TA-powered gensets, each producing 300 kW.
Although Pacific cod is the primary target species, the BRISTOL LEADER will be able to fish for several others, including blackcod and halibut, all in the Bering Sea, one of the most demanding work environments in the world. The owners expect trips to last up to four weeks, fishing and processing around the clock.
JMC is a Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering firm with a proven track record of successful fishing boat designs, from small gillnetters to large freezer longliners and factory trawlers. JMC is also well known for engineering vessel modifications to increase power, capacity and seaworthiness.
The F/V BRISTOL LEADER particulars are as follows:
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