Terral RiverService Adds Two New Towboats

Terral RiverService Inc., headquartered in Lake Providence, La., and with an operations base in Lettsworth, La., took delivery of two new towboats recently. Both were built by Steiner Construction Company Inc., Bayou la Batre, Ala. The boats are the mvs. Miss Charlotte Gattle and Grant Gattle, named for the children of Gabe Gattle, Terral RiverService’s vice president of operations.

Designed by Farrell & Associates Naval Architects, the identical boats measure 83 1/2 feet long by 36 feet wide by 9 1/2 feet deep with a draft of 8 feet. The retractable pilothouse of each vessel has a 30-foot eye level when fully raised, 13 feet when lowered.

To further accommodate navigation on the Red and Atchafalaya rivers, for which they were specifically designed, the boats each have three 800 hp. Mitsubishi S6R2 main engines from Laborde Products.

The engines turn 76- by 53-inch propellers on 7-inch shafts at a reduction of 5:1 via Twin Disc 5222 gears. The engines are equipped with Wartsila water-lubricated seals and Thordon bearings and are cooled by keel coolers from East Park Radiator. They are further equipped with Siemens engine alarm panels, both in the wheelhouse and engineroom.

Tankage includes 32,300 gallons of fuel, 5,000 gallons of water, 1,350 gallons of lube and 1,400 gallons of waste oil. Wastewater is treated by a Seahorse system.

The electric-over-hydraulic steering system, designed and installed by Custom Hydraulics, includes emergency steering toggle switches for each vessel’s nine rudders.

The fleet deck of each boat has two access points on each side with on/off access to the second deck. There are two 40-ton winches. The deckhouse features epoxy flooring, wood paneling and black no-glare ceilings.

The Miss Charlotte Gattle and Grant Gattle each have two John Deere 65 kw engines that provide auxiliary power for a crew of eight in four bunkrooms with three bathrooms and two half baths, plus a fully equipped galley and lounge. There are three Carrier heating and air conditioning units in each boat and a wall unit in the wheelhouse. Fire safety equipment includes a Novac suppression system, 17 portable extinguishers and a Hiller fire pump.

Electronic and communications equipment on each vessel include two radars, three radios, a swing meter, wind gauge, hull sounder, two Xenon searchlights and cameras. The hull is fully protected by wrap-around fendering.

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Featured photo caption: The mv. Grant Gattle is named after the son of Gabe Gattle, Terral RiverService’s vice president of operations. The company also recently took delivery of the Miss Charlotte Gattle, named for his daughter. Both were built by Steiner Construction Company in Bayou Le Batre, Ala. (Photo courtesy of Steiner Construction Company)