Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Howard T. Tellepsen" in English language version.
With a price tag of just under $5 million each, the three new fireboats recently purchased by the Port of Houston Fire Department represent the state-of-the-art in firefighting equipment.
A two-week voyage through four Great Lakes and the Mississippi River will bring to the Port of Houston Authority the third of three high-performance emergency response vessels.
In 1924, a fire in the hold of a steamship carrying cotton prompted the Houston Fire Commissioner to declare that the Port of Houston needed adequate firefighting apparatus to attack fires from water as well as land. A bond election to pay for the city's first fireboat passed with a wide margin. This election occurred just one day after a fire along the banks of the Houston Ship Channel spread to oil on the water and burned for more than two hours, with flames as high as 40 feet.
Main propulsion comes from four Caterpillar C18 diesels, producing 1,150 hp at 2,300 rpm each. The Cats connect to four Hamilton Jet 403 waterjets through ZF Marine 665 marine gears. The cruising speed is 35 knots, and top speed is 45 knots.
