The VS480 PSV entered service almost unnoticed, particularly by the Europeans when the Miss Jane Tide left the Quality Shipyard in May 2002. It was one of six ordered by Tidewater all delivered in the same year. They included the Damon B Bankston was to become famous as the ship which recovered the survivors from the burning Deepwater Horizon.

The ships are powerful with nearly 10,000 bhp available driving two aziprops and a couple of thrusters forward, and all of which can be controlled by a DPII system. Being designed by a Norwegian naval architects they included an FRC in the specification, which the owners did not put a red line through, and which was an integral part of the rescue activities at Deepwater Horizon.  

TYPE: VS 480		NAME: Damon B Bankston		PHOTO: Oddgeir Refvik
GENERAL		PROPULSION		CARGO CAPACITY
Length OA	79.5 m	Engines	4 x ?	Fuel	1300 m3
Breadth	18.3 m	BHP/kW	9790/7200	Pot water	600 m3
DWT	2750 tonnes	For'd Thrusters	1 x 1130 bhp	Mud	1290 m3
Deck area	720 m2	Az Thruster	1 x1130 bhp	Base oil
Year built	2002	Aft Aziprops	2 x 2970 bhp	Brine
Shipyard	Quality Shipyard	Joystick	yes-	Dry bulk	300 m3
Berths	36	DP	DP II	Tank Cleaning	None
Previous names
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