10.2m versatile Police Dive Cheetah for North East

Oct 8th, 2018

Cheetah Marine has designed and built a second dive and patrol vessel for specialist police operations.

The 10.2m Cheetah has been built for the Yorkshire and The Humber (YATH) Police Regional Underwater Search and Marine Unit to provide 24 hour coverage and replace two vessels which were previously used by the Force. The vessel follows the success of the smaller trailerable 7.2m Cheetah built for the Cheshire Police Department in 2012.

Whilst acting as a visible Police presence, the core duty of ‘5 Bells’ is to provide a versatile craft to facilitate the many roles of the Underwater Search and Marine Team which includes diving operations in the inland waterways and the North Sea.

With twin 300hp Mercury Verado outboards producing top speeds in excess of 40 knots the 10.2m can be mobilised rapidly between areas covering the coast of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire together with rivers and estuaries. Both the vessel and Officers will undertake wide and varied tasks including security patrols and border control whilst assisting in searches from intelligence led operations.

Five Bells has demonstrably good slow speed manoeuvrability as well as a very soft cushioned ride, removing the need for heavy and costly suspension seating. Keel bands fitted to the hulls provide protection during shallow draft operation and multi-terrain landings.

PC Roger Bennett, Yath Police Regional Underwater Search and Marine Unit comments

“We have moved away from the traditional RIB chosen by the police and purchased a catamaran as this provides better handling, stability and deck space. It also provides the true all weather capability and provides safety and flexibility required for the crew to undertake the roles required of a Police Marine and Underwater Search Unit.“

The 10.2m Cheetah features a 2.2m wheelhouse measured from the dash to the aft bulkhead providing a spacious interior accommodating seating for six personnel and a starboard side galley and workstation. Other amenities include Webasto heating system and head facilities in the port hull. The vessel is equipped with safety equipment to meet the Police Boat Code Category B coding for 10 persons.

A Cheetah designed built-in extendable stainless track system from the wheelhouse roof provides lifting capabilities up to 0.5m from the starboard side of the vessel. A 12v Lewmar winch and pulley system aids recovery of a rescue sledge along with other objects which need to be retrieved from the water.

Outside deck seating for four divers features dive bottle storage with generator storage below. Entrance to and from the water is via a removable boarding ladder located in the starboard side door with an additional access ladder at the stern.

“The reasons why we choose Cheetah Marine is based around the quality of the vessel and feedback we had received from past and present cheetah customers. The design and build quality of the vessels suited every aspect of what we required to undertake all of our roles. In past we have used various vessels depending on which role we were undertaking. Cheetah Marine vessel allows the team to have one vessel which was suitable for all our roles. Another deciding factor to choose Cheetah Marine was the flexibility to alter the design to suit every need we had. We provided a problem and Cheetah provided a solution with no fuss. The vessel has been designed around our complex requirements and has exceeded our expectations.

Throughout the design and build communications have been regular and we have been appraised of progress at every stage. Above all we have visited Cheetah Marine on many occasions and have always been made to feel welcome and have had a free reign to look at whatever we wanted and someone was always there to answer any questions we may have had. Every member of staff we have met has taken the time to discuss anything we wanted to know. We are looking forward to many years of service from the new Cheetah Marine vessel in conjunction with Mercury engine and Simrad electronics.”

Cheetah Marine is now successfully building at an additional location with full order books for both the Isle of Wight facilities and the Portuguese workshop.