RB-M Touts New Technology
By PA2 Dan Bender
Daniel.S.Bender@uscg.mil The artificial glow of instruments and displays pierce a jet black night. Outside, the low rumble of the engines drones a mechanical lullaby until the radio hisses and pops in your ears. A voice from miles away reveals your mission. Your grip tightens around the joystick and you throttle forward as the jets roar and push you farther into the darkness. But the inky abyss can hide nothing from the forward-looking infrared radar. Yes, this is a Coast Guard story, and no, this has nothing to do with flying unless you think skimming waves atop a deep-v, double-chine hull at more than 40 knots is flying. This isn't a conceptual design either. It's the Response Boat-Medium and it's here now.
Amenities
really comfortable even though it was 75 degrees out and we were wearing float coats because of the water temp." In addition to the climate-controlled pilothouse and survivors' compartment, the RB-M includes some heavy duty shock-mitigating seats, a microwave, built-in cooler and plenty of outlets to keep duty cell phones charged. Designers also improved on the potable water system of the 41-foot utility boat that the RB-M is intended to replace. The tank is removable, easier to clean and, the designers hope, more likely to be used. There is also a removable tank for the head on board, but someone will have to empty that too. Whose job that is should be obvious. "If you use it, you clean it," said Goolsby but added that emptying the cartridge is a pretty tidy process. "It's so clean it's not fun to make someone clean their own mess."
Piloting
Of the many innovations incorporated into the RB-M, one in particular is likely to standout. Air conditioning, possibly the holy grail for crews everywhere, comes standard on board the RB-M. "It's beautiful," said BM1 Jeremy Goolsby, a coxswain at Station Little Creek, Va. This April, the station received the first RB-M to be delivered to the Coast Guard. "The other day we were running with the AC on and it was
Like several of the newer cutters, the RB-M steering and throttles are controlled by joysticks. According to Goolsby, learning to use the joysticks, which are mounted on the armrests of the coxswain's and navigator's chairs, is an easy transition. "It's like playing a video game except you're controlling a 36,000-lb. boat instead of a little digital guy." Adding to the operational picture, the three navThe Response Boat-Medium (RB-M) is an all-aluminum, 45-ft. boat with twin diesel engines and with water jet propulsion. This boat will to be the primary nonheavy weather, multi-mission capable boat for the U.S. Coast Guard. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Mark Piber
60 MN
November 2008