''Vigilance'' is a

fireboat A fireboat or fire-float is a specialized watercraft with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard fires. The first fireboats, dating to the late 18th century, were tugboats, retrofitted with firefighting equipmen ...

operated by

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

. It is the second of two large fireboats Long Beach commissioned and the largest on

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

's West Coast. ''Vigilance'' and ''Protector'' were designed by

Robert Allan Limited Robert Allan Ltd. is Canada's oldest privately owned consulting Naval Architectural firm, established in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1930. Their experience includes designs for vessels of almost all types, from small fishing boats to ocean- ...

, a firm known for designing many widely admired

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...

s, fireboats and support vessels. ''The'' ''Vigilance'' is propelled by a pair of Voith-Schneider propellers, an advanced propulsion system that bears some resemblance to

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

propulsion, and enable instantaneous changes in the propeller thrust. It is 108 feet long, with a maximum speed of 13 knots. The ship's ten water cannons can pump 41,000 gallons per minute, more than four times as much as its predecessors. The cannons are able to throw water up to in the air, and up to away. In addition to firefighting duties, '' Fireboat 20'' and its sister-ship have air-tight crew compartments and a decontamination chamber, so they are equipped to respond to the releases of hazardous material, in particular they can respond to radiological, poison gas, or germ warfare attacks. The vessels pumps can de-water flooded structures. The vessels are highly automated, and require only a crew of four. They can transport 12 additional individuals. Part of the cabin can serve as an emergency infirmary. The pair of vessels was budgeted at $51 million.

Operational career

''The Vigilance'' was commissioned on November 13, 2017. ''The Vigilance'' and its sister ship ''Protector'' helped celebrate the 2019 Great Pacific Air Show.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite news , url = https://www.workboat.com/news/coastal-inland-waterways/port-of-long-beach-commissions-second-foss-built-fireboat/ , title = Port of Long Beach commissions second Foss-built fireboatBy Kirk Moore on NOVEMBER 13, , work =

Work boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on inl ...

, author = Kirk Moore , date = 2017-11-13 , access-date = 2019-10-03 , quote = The Vigilance joined sistership Protector, replacing the late 1980s fireboats Challenger and Liberty, designed when the port was typically serviced 4,500-TEU capacity containerships. Now Long Beach regularly sees 14,000-TEU ships and expects larger vessels, like the 18,000- to 22,000-TEU ships planned by carrier CMA CGM. {{cite news , url = http://www.marinelog.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=6711:powerful-fireboat-christened-at-foss-maritime&Itemid=229 , title = Powerful fireboat christened at Foss Maritime , publisher =

Marine Log Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Militar ...

, author = , date = 2014-04-15 , location = , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140516125623/http://www.marinelog.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=6711:powerful-fireboat-christened-at-foss-maritime&Itemid=229 , archive-date = 2014-05-16 , url-status=live , quote = Fireboat 20 and its sister are replacements for two older fireboats, the Liberty and Challenger. {{cite news , url = http://www.workboat.com/newsdetail.aspx?id=22046 , title = Two enhanced fireboats for the Port of Long Beach , publisher = Workboat.com , author = David Krapf , date = 2013-10-01 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140529103901/http://www.workboat.com/newsdetail.aspx?id=22046 , archive-date = 2014-05-29 , url-status = dead , quote = In addition to firefighting, the new boats will be capable of water rescue, including vessel dewatering, towing and dive support. EMS and paramedic operations will also be incorporated. And the vessels will be equipped for detection of and self-protection from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear agents. , access-date = 2019-10-03 {{cite news , title = First Look: Port of Long Beach's Powerful New Fireboat , publisher = GCaptain , author = Rob Almeida , date = 2013-08-29 , quote = Currently taking shape at Foss Maritime's shipyard in Seattle are the Port of Long Beach's new Robert Allan-designed fireboats. Once delivered in 2014, these will be amongst the world's most powerful fireboats. {{cite news , url = https://abc7.com/community-events/come-aboard-the-biggest-fire-boat-on-the-west-coast/5583040/ , title = Come aboard the biggest fire boat on the West Coast , work =

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

, author = Rachel Jordan , date = 2019-10-02 , location =

, access-date = 2019-10-02 , quote = Both Vigilance and Protector measure 108-feet-long and 38-feet-wide. Fireboats of California