Kershaw County has finally joined other cities around the state, including Myrtle Beach, Georgetown, Charleston and Hilton Head, in providing protection of it's vast coastline from a growing criminal element. The Sheriff's Department, tasked with providing the protection, was working with outdated equipment, and unable to meet the growing demands created by criminals and the cigarette boats they have begun using to expand their criminal enterprises.
The department's existing boat was over 25 years old and it's paint scheme didn't match the new color pattern being deployed to all Kershaw County Sheriff Department vehicles. The motor (not seen here, since it shares time with the department's duck hunting boat, which is on routine drug patrol in the marshes of Arkansas) is also nearing it's end of life, and isn't salt water rated nor possesses sufficient power to pull more than one skier at a time. The integrated trailer, considered state-of-the-art when the boat was first purchased, has become problematic is recent years, and - with the trend towards large, lifted trucks - only five deputies possess the squatted truck necessary to pull the boat without it dragging on the roadway.
The new craft, christened the KCC Catfish at a recent ceremony (closed to the public due to COVID-19) at the Kershaw County Council's Hunting Lodge on Lake Wateree, carries a crew of 16 (including two gunners to operate the twin 50 caliber machines guns) and can reach speeds of up to 70 knots running on bio-fuel produced by the Kershaw County Landfill. The custom paint job matches the newest pattern being added to all Kershaw County patrol cars this fall. The Catfish, seen here on routine patrol on Lake Wateree, will also patrol the Wateree River, Kendall Lake and Pine Tree Hill Creek as part of expanded coverage by the Sheriff's Department.
Kershaw County's newest addition will necessitate several months of training to acclimate the boat crew to it's new capabilities. KCSD's watercraft training facility, located at Wateree Veteran's Park on US1 next to the Wateree River bridge, offers a large, deep training facility that is clear of the river. While the facility is currently experiencing an abnormally dry season, it is expected to rise again to full training stage after the next rainfall.
We caught up with Council Chairman General Julian Burns, who was currently rehearsing for the upcoming Revolutionary War Field Days, and he had this to say about the acquisition. "It's a great day in Kershaw County and we're looking forward to finally being able to reach full capacity in terms of law enforcement on the lake and the river. The use of the Wateree River as a major thoroughfare for drug trafficking and gun running up and down the river between Great Falls and Congaree is going to stop, and council is excited to be able to fund this newest tool at no cost to tax payers thanks to an ATAX surplus this year." Sheriff Lee Boan (seen loading the cannon in the attached photo) added, "I like big boats and I cannot lie. This boat is freakin' awesome and goes really, really, really fast. It also shoots bullets."
Staff Reporter Thomas "T" Rex contributed to this story.
Comments