More teeth . . . price per? And here’s a puzzle to savor . . . what connection is there between this machine and the 1893 Chicago’s World Fair aka Columbia Exposition? What connection is there between this machine and the mid-1950s arrival of German sub U-505 at its current location? Answers follow.
Guess the diameter of this pump housing?
Here’s a side view of the dredge Florida taken a few weeks ago from shore and
another taken while docking there yesterday. Imagine the innards? This vessel launched in 1954 from National Steel and Shipbuilding of San Diego.
In this view from the port side of the wheelhouse, the cutter head mission control is the area surrounded by monitors.
In the current operation, bedrock dislodged by the 30ish rpm cutter head gets scooped out by an excavator (see a future post). But in other projects, this pump can draw out loosened materials and blow them onto land. The diameter of this pump is . . . . pretty big.
Also below deck is power control.
Now those questions at the beginning, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock began as Lydon & Drews, and they provided the “shoreline” for the Columbian Exposition. Also, GLDD, as it was called in 1954, assisted in moving the U-505 into its current location at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industy. Cost of teeth . . .sooon.
William A. Lydon (see above) was this owner of steam yacht Lydonia, like Cangarda, built at Pusey and Jones of Wilmington, DE.
All fotos by Will Van Dorp.
9 comments
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October 18, 2010 at 12:09 pm
Les Sonnenmark
Thanks for the interesting photos–it was great that you could include that yellow-capped, orange-vested garden gnome in the photos to give a sense of scale.
October 20, 2010 at 10:03 pm
bowsprite
: D !!!
do i make the pump look fat?
October 18, 2010 at 12:40 pm
JED
Was it noisy in the control room/wheelhouse? My idea of dredges have, HAVE been of lots of noise and muck. That wheelhouse looks to have NONE and is manned by a skilled operator. Thanks for dispelling my outdated notions…
October 18, 2010 at 12:55 pm
tugster
wheelhouse was actually quiet. variations in vibration do suggest some serious “cutter heading” going on though. i was told that whenever the head hits something especially hard, it’s like being in an earthquake. a fairly substantial computer cabinet “walks” around its part of the floor some days. clean, too.
October 18, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Buck
I’m going with $5k per tooth. I have to assume they get refinished rather than simply discarded.
Don’t tell the dredger people that Bowsprite fits in there. They’ll shanghai her for sure!
October 20, 2010 at 10:05 pm
bowsprite
I tried to stow away but was booted off.
October 18, 2010 at 1:43 pm
Mage Bailey
I’m supposed to be at work, instead I am following your fascinating links.
October 18, 2010 at 3:57 pm
O Docker
$125/tooth, my final offer. Of course, at 200 teeth, that would mean a new set of choppers will set you back $25,000. They’d better have a good dental plan.
Guessing they want the weight of the used teeth because they get credit back for recycling the alloy?
October 18, 2010 at 7:47 pm
Cold is the Sea
I actually just read a 1971 novel by the guy who was in charge of capturing U-505 (Adm. Daniel Gallery). Let me tell you, he was NOT happy with the social changes of the late 1960’s and early 70’s! Cool pics as usual!