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Boat of the Week: Inside ‘Galactica,’ the World’s Largest All-Aluminum Superyacht

Heesen's behemoth has a high-tech "backbone" running its length to provide enough rigidity for the boat to reach a blistering 30 knots., julia zaltzman, julia zaltzman's most recent stories.

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What has an aluminum-plate backbone, more than one head, and runs faster than Usain Bolt? Heesen ’s superyacht Galactica— or “Project Cosmos,” as it was formerly called by the yard. The largest boat built by the Dutch shipyard to date is getting ready for its spring debutante ball. Fast, sporty and 262 feet long, the owner refers to Galactica as his “ultimate superyacht.”

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Hundreds of yachts around the world are larger than Galactica . None of them are built entirely out of aluminum. For the owner who likes to make a statement with his custom new builds, Galactica had to be his largest and fastest one yet. The owner decided he wanted a 30-knot top speed—greased lightning for a yacht this size and a conundrum for the shipyard.

A 262-ft. steel-hulled boat with conventional propulsion wouldn’t be able to reach that 30-knot mark. But an all-aluminum boat might, though that metal doesn’t provide the type of structural support that heavier steel does. Such a yacht had never been built, even by an aluminum specialist like Heesen. It would take serious creative engineering.

Galactica on her maiden journey through small Dutch villages.  Courtesy Galactica

The owner has history when it comes to these types of requests. His previous two yachts, Galactica Star and Galactica Super Nova are both all-aluminum with top speeds nearing 30 knots. At 230 feet in length, the latter was Heesen’s largest-ever build when delivered in 2016. Galactica is 30 feet longer, and while that doesn’t sound like much in the scheme of things, the technical ingenuity required to make it work had Heesen’s top engineers scratching their heads. The answer lay outside the boating industry, in the construction industry’s I-beam.

“Everyone knows the I-beam where you have the material on the outer veins of your structure,” Peter van der Zanden, Heesen’s general manager of design, development and engineering, told Robb Report . “That’s where our inspiration for the backbone came from, where we have the majority of materials in the bottom of the boat and on the main deck—our ‘outer veins’.”

The name “backbone” suggests a spine or something with flex, but the patented box-shaped structure is anything but. Composed of 15-mm aluminum plate, it’s lightweight and strong, running almost the full length of the yacht.

Glass was a main priority for the owner’s third boat in the Galactica series.  Courtesy Heesen

“We knew the design would work, our only concern was if it would work well enough,” says Van der Zanden.

Heesen created a scale model of the boat in water, divided into four segments, and simulated the pressures and forces at sea. When the results exceeded the requirements set out by Lloyd’s, the yard patented the design.

Of course, there’s more to Galactica than its hidden backbone. Key defining features of the Winch Design exterior include large sweeping panes of glass that trace the arching line of the superstructure. A bow helipad doubles as a cinema with seating and a screen that folds away into the deck. The glass-bottomed pool on the main deck reflects sun rays on the beach club below. Increasing the amount of light—both natural and artificial—throughout the boat was a chief request in this latest version of Galactica.

On its journey from the Oss shipyard to North Sea sea trials, the clearance between the top deck and some bridges was less than six inches.  Courtesy Heesen

“The owner’s previous experience has certainly influenced the way Galactica looks,” James Russell, exterior designer at Winch, told Robb Report . “It takes time to learn what you love, and particular focus has been paid to areas where more time will be spent, such as the beach club.”

Inside, an interior by Sinot Yacht Design & Architecture includes a central glass elevator, brushed oak and marble finishes, and in the main deck lounge, hand-cut glass ceilings. Galactica ’s windows incline at 45 degrees, rather than the standard 90 degrees, to give the illusion that the panes of glass are larger than they are.

Glass is a recurring theme, from the glass detailing in the straw marquetry and stainless-steel wall located in the main deck lounge, to the drinks display cabinet on the bridge deck with bespoke-sized backlit glass cubes sized to fit individual bottles. But glass is heavy. For the yacht to be fast, it needs to be light.

The helipad converts into an open-air cinema, with a screen that rises from the deck.  Courtesy Heesen

On a yacht of Galactica ’s size, everything is large, from the four MTU V20 engines (12 tons each) and the two gearboxes (13 tons each), to the air-intakes and the fuel tanks. But everything was made as lightweight as possible. The boat totals only 1,700 gross tons. The owner’s 30 knots will come from the MTUs’ 19,320 horsepower as well as the variable-pitch propellers.

Nothing has come easy with this yacht build. Its January journey from Heesen’s shipyard in Oss to the port of Harlingen where the boat is undergoing final testing in the North Sea was a game of inches. It passed through villages and squeezed beneath canal bridges with less than half a foot to spare, a hair-raising exercise for an undelivered superyacht. It will be turned over to its owner in April.

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Heesen Yachts: Building a Legacy

• By Diane M. Byrne
• Updated: December 18, 2020

This past summer, a handful of cranes lifted the massive aluminum superstructure for Project Cosmos into the air at Heesen Yachts , in preparation for joining the superstructure with the aluminum hull. The 1,700-gross-ton 262-footer is the largest yacht by volume and length in the Dutch shipyard’s history.

As exciting as the moment was for those reasons, it was arguably more exciting for the builder’s team because of Project Cosmos’ challenging construction and engineering. Incorporating a shipyard-patented hull component, the yacht is poised to cruise upward of 20 knots and top out at 30 knots.

The excitement in the air may have been reminiscent of a similar scene in 1979, when the 66-foot <i>Amigo</i> launched. <i>Amigo</i> was by far the largest yacht that a Dutch entrepreneur, Frans Heesen, had built. It was also the first yacht under his then-fledgling brand, Heesen Yachts.

With a business background in plastics, he had acquired the Striker Boats shipyard in 1978, initially for other purposes but ultimately deciding to keep boatbuilding operations going. He prioritized constructing aluminum yachts and marrying performance with luxury. In the ensuing years, Heesen Yachts earned a global reputation for both sport-fishing and performance designs.

While Frans Heesen sold the yard in 2008 and retired in 2012, the company hasn’t retreated from its pioneering path. During the past decade, it has delivered about two dozen aluminum yachts between 121 and 230 feet, as well as 18 steel-hulled yachts up to 184 feet length overall. While most have been semicustom and started on spec, Heesen replaces models regularly and is increasingly pursuing fully custom projects.

The builder can work on as many as eight yachts annually and is aiming for a larger share of the supersize-yacht market, with a 279-foot-long dry dock within a 295-foot-long construction shed. And Heesen Interiors recently added 24,000 square feet to its headquarters. The site now encompasses nearly 87,200 square feet. Staffed with draftsmen, cabinetmakers, wood finishers, upholsterers and more, Heesen Interiors is among the few full-service interiors departments under a superyacht shipyard’s ownership.

“It’s a constant evolution at the shipyard to try to stay current—because technology changes,” says Thom Conboy, US director of sales. Building on spec can run the risk of doing things the same way again and again, “but to try to continue to be on the cutting edge with spec boats is a fine balance between innovation and profit.”

A good example of striving for innovation is Heesen’s use of the fast-displacement hull form. Designed by Van Oossanen Naval Architects, it reduces hydrodynamic resistance throughout a yacht’s full speed range and reduces fuel consumption by about 15 to 20 percent. Heesen became the first builder to adopt it with the 213-foot <i>Galactica Star</i> in 2013. The hull form is now standard on several of Heesen’s series models in aluminum and steel.

The shipyard also adopted technical advances such as the Hull Vane, another Van Oossanen creation. Like a spoiler on a car, the Hull Vane is a foil, or a wing, that helps to create thrust while reducing drag, pitching and fuel consumption. The steel-hulled <i>Alive</i>, a 139-footer started on spec and delivered in 2014, was the first yacht to use the Hull Vane.

“With these spec boats, we’re not one of those shipyards that set out to build a run of 20, 30, 40 sisterships,” says Mark Cavendish, Heesen’s director of sales and marketing. Heesen limits each series to about 10 to 12 yachts, sometimes even fewer. “Then we’ll stop and redesign and engineer a whole new model. We’re not just taking the hull and tweaking it slightly; we’ll actually tear up the blueprints and settle down and look at what the latest technology can offer owners.”

Then, the Heesen team adds in owners’ ideas. “We’re known to be a flexible yard,” Conboy says. “If it makes sense and helps the sale, we’ll look at it.”

Even with its history of series builds, Heesen is fielding requests for fully custom yachts. Two notable contracts are Project Skyfall and the above-mentioned Project Cosmos. The latter’s quadruple MTU engines totaling 19,000-plus horsepower are expected to deliver a punch that requires rigidity and light weight in the yacht’s construction. Heesen’s in-house solution is a patented structure called the Backbone. Similar to an I-beam, the top of the Backbone runs port to starboard on deck, while the bottom forms the keel. The yacht’s hull spans the middle. Upon delivery in 2022, Project Cosmos should be the fastest all-aluminum yacht of its size.

That’s more than “something fresh in the offing,” as Cavendish describes Heesen’s operations. It’s bound to be a stiff breeze blowing customers’ hair straight out.

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Heesen deliver 80m superyacht GENESIS to her new owner

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By Katie Scott   4 September 2023

Dutch shipyard Heesen has successfully delivered the stunning 80m (262ft) superyacht GENESIS to her new owner, setting a new benchmark for the yard as the biggest yacht they have built to date.

Surpassing the previous record holders of Galactica Super Nova at 70m (229.6ft) and charter yacht ILLUSION at 65m (213ft), the new flagship is a custom-built motor yacht with design collaborations from Van Oossanen Naval Architects, Winch Design, and Sinot Yacht Architecture and Design. Embodying the classic, sporty DNA of the Heesen fleet, GENESIS is undeniably a true Heesen superyacht but with a contemporary and almost futuristic twist on previous builds.

Sporting a six-cabin layout, superyacht GENESIS hosts an army of indulgent features and amenities including a fully certified touch-and-go helipad that can also transform into an outdoor cinema, a glass-bottomed swimming pool, abundant exterior deck space for socializing and relaxing in the Mediterranean sun, plus an on-deck Jacuzzi and WiFi connectivity.

Enabling the owner and their guests seamless access to the sea, motor yacht GENESIS has a generous beach club environment with a wet bar, in addition to plenty of storage for adrenaline-fuelled water toys.

Currently, it is not expected that M/Y GENESIS will be made available for charter. However, if you’re interested in chartering a yacht of a similar caliber, you can view and compare all  Heesen superyachts for charter .

For more details on booking a luxury yacht charter , speak to your preferred  yacht charter broker  today.

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The Unique Burial of a Child of Early Scythian Time at the Cemetery of Saryg-Bulun (Tuva)

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Pages:  379-406

In 1988, the Tuvan Archaeological Expedition (led by M. E. Kilunovskaya and V. A. Semenov) discovered a unique burial of the early Iron Age at Saryg-Bulun in Central Tuva. There are two burial mounds of the Aldy-Bel culture dated by 7th century BC. Within the barrows, which adjoined one another, forming a figure-of-eight, there were discovered 7 burials, from which a representative collection of artifacts was recovered. Burial 5 was the most unique, it was found in a coffin made of a larch trunk, with a tightly closed lid. Due to the preservative properties of larch and lack of air access, the coffin contained a well-preserved mummy of a child with an accompanying set of grave goods. The interred individual retained the skin on his face and had a leather headdress painted with red pigment and a coat, sewn from jerboa fur. The coat was belted with a leather belt with bronze ornaments and buckles. Besides that, a leather quiver with arrows with the shafts decorated with painted ornaments, fully preserved battle pick and a bow were buried in the coffin. Unexpectedly, the full-genomic analysis, showed that the individual was female. This fact opens a new aspect in the study of the social history of the Scythian society and perhaps brings us back to the myth of the Amazons, discussed by Herodotus. Of course, this discovery is unique in its preservation for the Scythian culture of Tuva and requires careful study and conservation.

Keywords: Tuva, Early Iron Age, early Scythian period, Aldy-Bel culture, barrow, burial in the coffin, mummy, full genome sequencing, aDNA

Information about authors: Marina Kilunovskaya (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail: [email protected] Vladimir Semenov (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail: [email protected] Varvara Busova  (Moscow, Russian Federation).  (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences.  Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Kharis Mustafin  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Technical Sciences. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Irina Alborova  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Biological Sciences. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Alina Matzvai  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected]

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Het Bos van Oss – Growing together

With almost the entire construction of Heesen’s yachts taking place in Oss, employing mostly local craftsmen and suppliers, the shipyard is firmly rooted in the local community. To support local social and sustainability goals, Heesen has committed to planting a 50-acre woodland that unites the community.

Heesen is one of eleven pioneers supporting the local initiative ‘Het Bos van Oss’, The Forest of Oss. The seed for this idea was planted by the Verhoeven Family of Companies, which like Heesen is based in Oss, has an international outlook, and is committed to sustainability. Widespread support for the project among local entrepreneurs led to the establishment of an independent foundation. Chairman René van Ass says, “The project aims for a greener, more sustainable, and biodiverse local living environment, but also has a strong social goal to bring people together and collaborate in a joint mission. That’s how the Forest came to be. The municipality of Oss supported us and pledged to provide land for the Forest: a total of 50 acres. Local companies finance the planting of the trees, with about 1,600 trees per acre. It’s a significant challenge to find so much land in a densely populated urban area, especially because the Forest needs to be close to the residents. Once the Forest is established, it will be handed over to the municipality and the residents, so it’s crucial that it’s easily accessible and truly becomes part of the new Oss. The municipality has already designated eight locations where the Forest will be planted in phases, with the first acres set to be realized soon.”

“ The Forest has become a symbol of what a community can achieve when we join forces”

Community collaboration The Forest contributes to three Sustainable Development Goals: reducing CO2 emissions, combating deforestation, and collaborating on goals. Bringing together different target groups is a crucial function, as Van Ass explains: “Businesses, the municipality, residents, education, interest groups, and service clubs – almost the entire community is working on making it a success. For example, one of the schools is collaborating on creating an Education Forest; a part of the Forest where future generations of Oss residents learn the value of nature, biodi- versity, and sustainable behaviour. This knowledge is also shared in the form of a beautifully illustrated book provided free to young people. By actively involving all parts of the society of Oss, the Forest becomes more than just a piece of nature. It has become a symbol of what a community can achieve when we join forces.”

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