The Golden Ray then
rolled over onto its port side, running aground in the ocean bed of the
St. Simons Sound just south of the federal shipping channel that serves
the port. Those in the know said this final resting place for the Golden
Ray was no accident. They credit veteran Port of Brunswick Harbor Pilot
Jonathan “T.J.” Tennant with intentionally guiding the ship toward a
grounding outside of the port’s vital shipping lane.
While certainly a tourist attraction, she is also an obvious hazard to navigation and has to be removed. The question is how. CNN offers the following piece on that question and it's really quite amazing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 |
| Golden Ray before.... |
If you live in Georgia near the Golden Ray, a 656-foot long cargo ship that has been on its side in St. Simons Sound for five months, get ready for some noise.
Apparently, a good bit of noise.
"There's no way to remove the
Golden Ray without making noise -- there's no way around it," said Kevin Perry
of Gallagher Marine Systems. "... We appreciate everyone's patience with
the noise levels as we work to remove this wreck as quickly and safely as
possible."
At a news conference Friday (7 Feb), he said
the sounds will be like hammering you might hear from a construction site.
Officials hope to have the removal
of the car carrier completed by the height of the Atlantic basin hurricane
season, which begins June 1. The Golden Ray capsized September 8, and has been
on its side and half submerged since.
The work to put up an environmental
barrier will start the middle of this month and will only take place during the
daylight, officials said. The final product will include a large floating boom
to skim pollutants from the surface and netting to stop debris.
But then the ship, which still has
more than 4,000 cars on it [now there's a deal for someone!- ed], will be cut into eight giant pieces with a giant
diamond-cutting chain suspended from a lift vessel, officials said.
Once the sawing starts, it won't
stop, and they think it will take 24 hours for each cut.
"That means noise through the
night during some ... periods," said John Maddox, Georgia Department of
Natural Resources on-scene coordinator.
The VB-10,000 vessel will be an
interesting addition to the view from shore.
It comprises two metal towers, about
240 feet tall, each connected to a barge and to each other at the top. A crane
will remove the sections after they have brackets attached to the side, the
vessel will move, and the crane will put each section on a barge, which will
take them to a recycling facility.
Here's what the process looks like (animation): Click here
Here's what the process looks like (animation): Click here
The sections will be wrapped to
contain debris, T&T Salvage said in a presentation. Anything that falls to
the sea floor will be picked up with magnets or grabs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How's that for ingenuity! We will more than likely find more on this amazing recovery operation as the winter gives way to spring and will be sure to bring it to you.
Until next time,
Fair Winds,
Old Salt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How's that for ingenuity! We will more than likely find more on this amazing recovery operation as the winter gives way to spring and will be sure to bring it to you.
Until next time,
Fair Winds,
Old Salt
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