Tampa Yacht Manufacturing is pleased to announce a contract award from an international customer for four {Tempest} 50-FAC, fast-attack crafts, a state-of-the-art patrol and interdiction craft. The 50-FAC is a 50ft (15.2m) interdiction and patrol-class vessel with a proven design heritage that has seen historic action with US customs and the US Coast Guard.
A totally redesigned, world-class commercial naval vessel, the 50-FAC is tactically sized, highly reliable, reconfigurable, combatant craft capable of operating from land or maritime platforms. The Tempest 50-FAC is supremely suited to provide patrol and surveillance in shallow coastal and riverine waters by day and night in marshy areas of creeks with shifting sand bars, with low draft, high maneuverability and speed.
The craft is well-suited for deployments beyond visual range from the coast, force protection and trawlers in company, coordinated and secure operations with boats in company as well as units from cooperating international navies, interception and boarding of high-speed craft, search and rescue, special force operations, including insertion / extraction of SOF into hostile / denied littoral / coastal areas, and seaward anti-terrorist protection of coastal installations. The craft includes a bow ramp for the disembarkation of troops quickly to shore for pursuit of smugglers or other violators.
The 50-FAC is a mono-hull form of the deep-vee type designed for coastal and near-shore operations in varying sea and weather conditions. The craft is designed for high-speed, open-ocean transits, with 16° transom deadrise, and 25° midship deadrise. The hull contains spray and lifting strakes to improve sea keeping, directional stability and planning performance. The boat is capable of achieving a maximum speed of 40kt (WOT) with a minimum sustained cruising speed of 35kt. With a minimum range of 400nmi at wide open throttle and a cruising range of 500nmi, the fully-outfitted 50-FAC is a very capable and effective purpose-built vessel for border security operations of unmatched performance in its class.
The 50-FAC is arranged for propulsion using twin inboard engines and water-jets to provide maximum speed and redundant capability. The 50-FAC has a prominent fendering system to protect it from damage during boarding operations. The arrangements of the 50-FAC maximize system functionality while minimizing crew fatigue.
The 50-FAC has a cabin suitable for the sixteen crew members. The cabin is fitted with an overhead hatch, galley, ammunition and weapons stowage, head / toilet, and freshwater. Forward and aft companionway doors are provided for egress, and four overhead escape hatch are also provided.
The 50-FAC includes a helmsman and engineer helm stations, and seating for crew, with cushioned bolster seats for 16. Steps from the cockpit lead up to the foredeck and aft to the aft deck. The cockpit is self bailing. Additional surge seating for ten persons is provided in the form of folding bench seating in the aft cockpit, with seating for five on each side of the aft cockpit.
Side decks are provided around the cabin and cockpit on both sides to allow the crew to transit alongside the side decks from the aft to forward deck areas. Sufficient handholds / handrails are provided along the route to allow the crew to safely conduct this transit under all operating conditions.
The Tempest 50-FAC deck includes a deck design that can be mission configured with seats and gear, and allowing for clear access. The interior cabin and cockpit are outfitted with safety rails and handholds throughout to ensure safe crew ingress and egress. The aft deck is a large, open platform, which can be mission-configured in the field to load and unload cargos, additional weaponry, small landing craft and boats, and offer ready access to the machinery space. Deck hatches are sized suitably to facilitate removal and replacement of all machinery, including main engines and marine gears readily. All deck hatches are custom-fabricated from lightweight composite, and include large coamings, and deep drained integral gutters, rubber gaskets, heavy duty cast 316L stainless steel dogging latches, hinges, and stainless steel nitrogen filled gas shocks.
The craft is fitted with a forward bow ramp for ingress and egress directly to shore from the bow of the craft. The craft is fitted with folding bench seats fitted on the coaming sides inside the aft cockpit that fold down and against the hull sides out of the way when no tin use.
In the cockpit, the portside console features optional redundant engine instrumentation and the starboard helm station includes shift / throttle controls, joy stick bow-thruster control, hydraulic steering. The radar / chart plotter display is configured to accept and display the input from the optional infrared (IR) camera system. The depth transducer is installed in a location that allows the system to correctly display depth at all speeds. Integrated navigation suite with one AIS receiver and police siren fitted.
50-FAC principal characteristics
- Length: 50ft / 15.24m
- Beam, overall: 14ft-8.5in / 4.48m
- Operational draft in full load condition: 2ft-6in / 0.762m
- Range at WOT: 400nmi (741km) at 35kt (minimum)
- Seating: permanently installed seating for 16 crew and bench seating for additional tn passengers
- Fuel capacity: 600gal / 2,271l
- Potable water capacity: 79.25gal / 300l
- Waste capacity: 40gal / 151.4l
- Full load condition, Full fuel and water, 16 crew, 1700# payload: 39,290lbs / 17.82mt