Portland, Maine, has operated a series of fireboats named the City of Portland. The fourth vessel named City of Portland was commissioned in 2010.
The 65 feet (20 m) vessel cost $3.2 million to construct. Included in it design is an infirmary laid out exactly the same as local ambulances, so that medical technicians would not require any training to familiarize themselves with its layout.
The vessel has stirred controversy due to several groundings. Edward D. Murphy, of the Portland Press Herald, had to resort to the Freedom of Information Act request to acquire a copy of a report on a grounding in October 2011. Murphy reports a mystery remains as to why there were a dozen unnamed passengers on the vessel, when she grounded.
References
- ^ "The Portland Fire Boat". Wayfarer Marine. Archived from the original on 2011-06-12. Retrieved 2014-10-28.
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Randy Billings (2013-01-15). "Portland fireboat going 14 knots before crash: The city's report to the Coast Guard on the 2011 incident also says the vessel was in an area with known hazards". Portland Press Herald. Archived from the original on 2014-10-28.
The city's fireboat was traveling at 14 knots through an area of Casco Bay with known hazards when it hit an underwater object near Fort Gorges in 2011, sustaining more than $50,000 worth of damage.
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Edward D. Murphy (2013-07-06). "Report on Portland fireboat accident leaves questions: Portland releases the report 11 days after a judge orders city officials to provide it to the Press Herald". Portland Press Herald. Archived from the original on 2014-10-28.
The Portland Fire Department's report on the accident involving its fireboat in 2011 says the crew steered across a channel, rather than down the middle, and went directly over a ledge and a wreck that were clearly identified by the $3.2 million boat's electronic navigation aids.