CCGS Cap Percé

CCGS Cap Percé is one of the Canadian Coast Guard's 36 Cape-class motor lifeboats.^[1] She was scheduled to be stationed at a new Coast Guard station in Kegaska, Quebec, on the Gulf of St Lawrence. Like her sister ships she will be staffed by a crew of four, two of whom will be search and rescue technicians.

CCGS Cap Percé at Tadoussac, Quebec
History
Canada
Name	Cap Percé
Operator	Canadian Coast Guard
Port of registry	Ottawa, Ontario
Builder	Victoria Shipyards Limited, Victoria, British Columbia
Yard number	827262
Christened	2009
Homeport	CCG Base Kegashka, Quebec - Quebec Region and various other ports in Maritime Region
Identification	MMSI number: 316013913
Status	in active service
General characteristics
Class and type	Cape-class motor lifeboat
Tonnage	33.8 GT
Length	14.6 m (47 ft 11 in)
Beam	4.27 m (14 ft 0 in)
Draught	1.37 m (4 ft 6 in)
Propulsion	2 × diesel electric engines, 675 kW (905 hp)
Speed	22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) cruise
Range	200 nmi (370 km; 230 mi)
Endurance	1 day
Complement	4

According to Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada:^[1] "Given the intensive commercial fishing activities and the pleasure boat and ship traffic that characterize the area, Kegaska is a strategic location for a Canadian Coast Guard lifeboat station. Furthermore, this will allow us to consolidate our coverage in this critical sector of the Gulf of St. Lawrence."

Design

Like all Cape-class motor lifeboats, Cap Percé has a displacement of 20 short tons (18 t), a total length of 47 feet 11 inches (14.61 m) and a beam of 14 feet (4.3 m).^[2] Constructed from marine-grade aluminium, it has a draught of 4 feet 6 inches (1.37 m). It contains two computer-operated Detroit DDEC-III 6V-92TA diesel engines providing a combined 870 shaft horsepower (650 kW). It has two 28-by-36-inch (710 mm × 910 mm) four-blade propellers, and its complement is four crew members and five passengers.^[2]

The lifeboat has a maximum speed of 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) and a cruising speed of 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph). Cape-class lifeboats have fuel capacities of 400 US gallons (1,500 L; 330 imp gal) and ranges of 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) when cruising.^[2] Cap Percé is capable of operating at wind speeds of 50 knots (93 km/h; 58 mph) and wave heights of 30 feet (9.1 m). It can tow ships with displacements of up to 150 tonnes (170 short tons) and can withstand 60-knot (110 km/h; 69 mph) winds and 20-foot (6.1 m)-high breaking waves.^[2]

Communication options include Raytheon 152 HF-SSB and Motorola Spectra 9000 VHF50W radios, and a Raytheon RAY 430 loudhailer system.^[2] The boat also supports the Simrad TD-L1550 VHF-FM radio direction finder. Raytheon provides a number of other electronic systems for the lifeboat, including the RAYCHART 620, the ST 30 heading indicator and ST 50 depth indicator, the NAV 398 global positioning system, a RAYPILOT 650 autopilot system, and either the R41X AN or SPS-69 radar systems.