Four years in the making, new patrol boat begins guarding Marblehead, Salem harbors

Get our free local reporting delivered straight to your inbox. No noise, no spam — just clear, independent coverage of Marblehead. Sign up for our once-a-week newsletter.

Marblehead’s newest public safety vessel officially entered service Friday morning as town officials, harbor staff and residents gathered at Fred Dion’s Yacht Yard in Salem for the traditional christening of the Stacey H. Clark, a new patrol and rescue boat designed to strengthen emergency response across Salem and Marblehead harbors.

The ceremony, hosted by the Harbors and Waters Board and the Harbormaster’s Office, marked the culmination of nearly four years of planning, grant writing and design work. The event included remarks from town officials, acknowledgments of those involved in the project and the longstanding maritime tradition of pouring champagne across the bow before a vessel’s first launch.

Harbormaster Mark Souza said the moment represented both a personal milestone and an important upgrade for the town’s waterfront safety operations.

“It’s been a lot of work,” Souza said. “But what means the most is that the town has gotten an asset that’s been needed for quite some time.”

Seventy-five percent of the vessel’s roughly $387,000 cost was funded through a federal Port Security Grant Program award. Souza covered the remaining 25 percent using enterprise funds.

The 31-foot aluminum patrol boat, built by Munson Marine in Washington state, will serve as the primary year-round vessel for Marblehead and Salem harbors’ patrol operations. Its tri-hull design provides increased stability and durability compared with older patrol boats while allowing crews to operate safely in shallow water and rough harbor conditions.

Powered by twin 350-horsepower outboard engines, the boat is equipped with modern navigation and safety technology, including radar, sonar, GPS and thermal imaging. Those systems will support search-and-rescue missions and nighttime patrols in one of Massachusetts’ busiest recreational harbors.

Beyond routine patrol duties, the new Stacey H. Clark significantly expands the harbor department’s emergency capabilities. The vessel includes a high-capacity firefighting system capable of pumping roughly 1,000 gallons of seawater per minute and a dewatering pump that can assist vessels taking on water.

The boat’s design also allows crews to land directly on shorelines or beaches without dock infrastructure, making it possible to reach waterfront homes, islands and remote areas quickly during emergencies.

“It’s more manageable and more user-friendly,” he said. “It gives the patrol staff more confidence in its abilities.”

Harbor officials say the new boat arrives at a time when activity on the water continues to grow.

Jarrett Russo said Marblehead’s harbor has become increasingly busy in recent years, with more visitors and boaters arriving each season.

“We’re the second-largest harbor in the state after Boston,” Russo said. “Every year our port becomes a lot busier — whether it’s transient boaters coming through or people making Marblehead their destination.”

Russo added that boating trends have also shifted, with more people choosing powerboats over traditional sailing vessels.

“Yachting is still the backbone of the boating world,” he said, “but now it’s all about accessibility. A lot of people are moving away from sailboats and going to powerboats.”

Funding for the vessel came primarily through a federal Port Security Grant administered through FEMA, with the remaining share paid through the harbor enterprise fund rather than local taxpayers.

The vessel continues a longstanding naming tradition in Marblehead’s harbor patrol fleet. It is the fourth boat to carry the name Stacey H. Clark, honoring a former Marblehead harbormaster who served during the early 20th century.

Local historian and former Select Board member Bill Conly, who wrote a book on the history of Marblehead Harbor, said the name reflects a long-standing piece of the town’s waterfront history.

Clark served as harbormaster during the early decades of the 20th century and was also associated with the Marblehead Transportation Co., which once played a central role in the town’s harbor operations and ferry service.

Conly said Clark’s legacy remains visible in the harbor today through landmarks tied to the Clark family, including Clark’s Wharf near State Street Landing.

Preserving the name on the patrol vessel, he said, helps maintain a connection between the town’s working harbor and its maritime past.

Following remarks, state Rep. Jenny Armini carried out the ceremony’s traditional christening, pouring champagne across the bow to mark the vessel’s official entry into service.

Moments later, the boat slipped into the water for the first time, beginning its service protecting one of Massachusetts’ most active harbors.

For harbor officials and residents gathered on the dock, the launch represented both a nod to Marblehead’s maritime heritage and a modern investment in the safety of the town’s waterfront.

BEFORE YOU GO … Our reporting remains free and open to all. It is sustained by readers who choose to support it — by contributing so that routine, document-based local reporting continues without paywalls or promotional framing. Right now, 101 readers support The Marblehead Independent with monthly or annual contributions.  Click here to become an Independent member.