Marine 41 has side-scan sonar, forward looking infrared, a radar app that moves by the touch of a mouse or a joystick, and can also operate in less than three feet of water.
The Suffolk County Sherrif's Office manages the all-American-made vessel. It was made possible by a $1.2 million grant from FEMA. Since the East End is the gateway to New York City, the department of homeland security said it was top priority to have a vessel that could handle a biological or chemical attack. The cabin can maintain a pure air flow.
"The potential to have to go into places you wouldn't want to have to go into we now are equipped to do so," said Steve Calvo of the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office.
The crew wears radiation detectors on their belts.
"You can just scan, and you can see there's numbers on it, and the numbers go up and down depending on the direction of the radiation," Calvo adds.
Of course, Marine 41 can also respond to more common occurrences like boat fires. It can pump more than 2,000 gallons of water a minute.
"The people of the East End deserve a vessel like this to protect them," says John Andrejack of the Suffolk County Sherrif's office.
