William H. Latham (Icebreaker) (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The William H. Latham is a 77 ton icebreaker owned and operated by the New York Power Authority on the Niagara River. Her mission is to keep the Power Authority's inlet ports clear of ice. She was built in 1987. She is powered by a 625 horsepower engine. She is staffed by a crew of three. During emergencies two crews have worked twelve-hour shifts to keep the vessel at work twenty-four hours a day. The vessel's design and construction was overseen by Randy D. Crissman. She is named after William H. Latham a senior engineer with the Power Authority who died earlier that year. Ontario Hydro operates a similar vessel, the Niagara Queen, to clear the inlet ports for hydroelectric power generators on the Canadian side. The Latham is assisted by a second vessel, a modified tugboat, known only as Breaker.