PORT OF BREMERTON BREAKWATER PROJECT
Sinclair Inlet, Washington

2007 Seattle Section Local Outstanding
Civil Engineering Achievement Award

The Port of Bremerton expanded its small craft harbor and the new facilities required protection from wakes generated by vessels docking at the adjacent Bremerton terminal. Coast & Harbor Engineering, Inc. (CHE) performed studies to develop alternatives for dissipating vessel wake energy below a given threshold within the harbor. CHE engineers guided the Port of Bremerton in the selection of the threshold levels of acceptable wave action.

CHE performed the following project tasks:

	Through a data collection program, determined the cause of the high and frequently occurring waves in the marina was wakes generated by ferries when they approached for landing next to the marina.
	Determined the dimensions of alternative breakwater concepts that would be needed to reduce the wake height to standard height of acceptable waves in the marina.
	Developed floating breakwater dimensions that balanced competing criteria of marina wave height and practical dimensions for the site.
	Performed numerical modeling of wind waves for assisting in design of marina layout and entrance dimensions (between ends of floating breakwater units) and orientation to minimize wave disturbance and optimize navigation safety.
	Conducted physical model tests of floating breakwater transmission and mooring forces for final design.
	Analyzed wave forces and transmission of pile-supported panel-type wave barrier and recommended dimensions of the panels for blocking wind waves from a direction of particular exposure.