A Fast Daughter Craft (FDC) is to operate away from the mother ship or offshore installations for extended periods of time. Its primary function is search and rescue.
Effective search and recovery requires an FDC with excellent reliability, manoeuvrability and seakeeping abilities. Dutch Special Marine Group's designer, Pieter Meuzelaar, took the proven hull of the company's Fast Rescue Craft © 903 (used by the KNRM), but enlarged the beam and reshaped the bow area to obtain more bow height.
FDC Design
The FDCs are built by Habbeké Shipyard of seawater resistant aluminium (5083- H111), the hull is a fully planing, deep V type and has a low freeboard aft to facilitate rescue operations, have sufficient deck space to transport two stretchers, are self-righting, have a robust foam fender and are supplied with diesel inboard engines with water jet propulsion units. The singe-lift hook system of Henriksen allows the FDC’s to be launched from a mother ship even in heavy seas.
The FDCs are designed and tested in accordance to latest Bureau Veritas, Solas and UKOOA requirements. (Standard) propulsion includes a combination of Steyr engines with ZF gearboxes, driving UltraJet waterjets. A proven combination on the Fast Rescue Craft © 903.
