CCGS Sipu Muin
CCGS Sipu Muin[lower-alpha 1] is a Canadian Coast Guard Type 400 AP1-88 air cushion vehicle (ACV) or hovercraft based at CCG Hovercraft Base Trois-Rivières in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. The vessel was launched and completed in 1998 and entered service the same year. Sipu Main is predominantly used for icebreaking, search and rescue, and for servicing navigational aids in the Lower Saint Lawrence River and St. Lawrence Seaway.
 CCGS Sipu Muin seen near Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | Sipu Muin |
| Operator | Canadian Coast Guard |
| Port of registry | Ottawa, Ontario |
| Builder | Hike Metals & Shipbuilding Limited, Wheatley, Ontario |
| Yard number | 820551 |
| Launched | 1998 |
| Completed | August 1998 |
| In service | 1998–present |
| Homeport | CCG Hovercraft Base Trois-Rivières |
| Identification |
|
| Status | In active service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type 400 BHC AP1-88/400 hovercraft |
| Tonnage | 70 NT |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 28.5 m (93 ft 6 in) |
| Beam | 12 m (39 ft 4 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 2 × controllable-pitch propellers |
| Speed | 50 knots (93 km/h; 58 mph) max |
| Range | 300 nmi (560 km; 350 mi) |
| Endurance | 1 day |
| Complement | 7 |
Description
Sipu Muin is a Type 400 BHC AP1-88/400 air cushion vehicle (ACV) or hovercraft, the first of two vessels constructed for the Canadian Coast Guard.[1][2] Sipu Muin, which was constructed out of aluminium, has a standard displacement of 36 tonnes (35 long tons) standard and 70 t (69 long tons) at full load and measures 70 net tonnage (NT).[1][2][3] The hovercraft is 28.5 metres (93 ft 6 in) long with a beam of 12 m (39 ft 4 in). The vessel has a main deck cargo capacity of 110 m2 (1,200 sq ft) and a well deck measuring 8.2 m × 6.4 m (26 ft 11 in × 21 ft 0 in), serviced by a Polar Crane 5,000-kilogram (5.0 t) crane.[2][3]
The ACV is powered by four Caterpillar 3416 TTA diesel engines turning two controllable-pitch propellers creating 2,818 kilowatts (3,779 hp).[2][3] Sipu Muin has a maximum speed of 48 knots (89 km/h; 55 mph) and a cruising speed of 45 knots (83 km/h; 52 mph). The vessel has a range of 300 nautical miles (560 km; 350 mi) with the endurance of one day. The hovercraft has a complement of 7 with two officers.[3][lower-alpha 2]
Construction and career
The contract to build Sipu Muin and sister ship Siyay was awarded in May 1996 to GKN Westland. The two hovercraft were built by Hike Metals & Shipbuilding Limited at their yard in Wheatley, Ontario.[2] Sipu Muin was launched in 1998[3] and completed in August of that year.[2] At the time of construction, Sipu Muin and Siyay were the largest diesel-powered hovercraft in the world.[1] The name Sipu Muin is taken from the Miꞌkmaq phrase meaning "river bear".[3] Sipu Muin entered service in 1998 and is based at Trois-Rivières, Quebec.[3] Sip Muin is predominantly used for icebreaking duties in the Saint Lawrence River and St. Lawrence Seaway[4] along with servicing navigational aids and search and rescue duties.[1] The vessel is registered in Ottawa, Ontario.[3]
Beginning on 10 May 2016, the ACV underwent a six-month refit at Réparations Navales et Industrielles Océan in Quebec City, Quebec. The modernization included hull repairs and modifications to the pilothouse. The electronic navigation suite was upgraded and the fuel bladders and skirting replaced.[5]
Notes
- CCGS stands for Canadian Coast Guard Ship.
- Saunders[2] states the complement as 4 and the cruising speed as 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph).
Citations
- Maginley & Collin 2001, p. 280.
- Saunders 2009, p. 112.
- Canadian Coast Guard.
- Nakonechny, Simon (15 March 2019). "How a Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft breaks up ice without touching it". CBC News. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
- Haun, Eric (4 May 2016). "Sipu Muin Modernization Work to Begin in May". Marine Link. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
References
- "CCG Fleet: Vessel Details - CCGS Sipu Muin". Canadian Coast Guard. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
- Maginley, Charles D. & Collin, Bernard (2001). The Ships of Canada's Marine Services. St. Catharines, Ontario: Vanwell Publishing Limited. ISBN 1-55125-070-5.
- Saunders, Stephen, ed. (2009). Jane's Fighting Ships 2009–2010 (112 ed.). Alexandria, Virginia: Jane's Information Group Inc. ISBN 978-0-7106-2888-6.