Giant Claw Rips Oil Rigs, Krakens out of the Sea



I want one. I'm not sure what I'll do with it, but step 1 is to get this heavy lift ship, the VB 10,000 -- also known as "the Claw." The ship is capable of lifting 7,500 ton oil rigs off the seafloor. Here's how it works:

Each gantry measures 240-feet tall and weighs 3,400 tons—or about as much as the Ben Franklin Bridge in Pennsylvania. The barges both measure 300 feet by 72 feet and each is powered by a quartet of 1,000HP thrusters which also allow it to remain stationary over the job site. And to prevent the motion of the ocean from affecting the the lift, the VB 10,000 utilizes a set of articulated pins to connect the gantries to the barges. To perform the actual lift, four 2000-ton lifting blocks are attached to the oil rig deck by divers, who also cut off the rig's legs, and are then pulled to the surface by the vessel's quad 400-ton winches and deposited on the back of a waiting barge for transport back to port.


Link | Video | Photo: Versabar

Back in the 1960s the Glomar Challenger was supposedly a scientific survey ship, but actually was a CIA built device to retrieve soviet submarines: http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nukevault/ebb305/

This looks like it could do something similar.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
Login to comment.
Click here to access all of this post's 4 comments




Email This Post to a Friend
"Giant Claw Rips Oil Rigs, Krakens out of the Sea"

Separate multiple emails with a comma. Limit 5.

 

Success! Your email has been sent!

close window
X

This website uses cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

I agree
 
Learn More