Harry McNeal, a TriFrame, and More

Tony Acabono wrote me that he was confused, although maybe he was not.

As this approached and passed by, I was briefly confounded.

The shape reminded me immediately of a tidal power installation in the East River, which I’d written about here 12 years ago.

The three nodes of the structure on the barge are marked A, B, and  . . . as you see . . . C.

I got out ahead of it.  The main tug here is Harry McNeal, and alongside is Miss Julia.  I’m not sure who owns Miss Julia.

A tidal strait, which the East River technically is, with tides in first one and then another direction, will spin these turbines and generate electricity.  Winds may be variable and intermittent, but the tides never cease.

Verdant Power is the clue will get you much more info.  

The three turbines/blades are fitted into a triangular structure, a TriFrame.  It will be submerged in the East River as part of RITE, Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy project, as yet a pre-commercial operation.  Materials and design are being tested.

And finally, from the Tideland Institute, Julia, Harry, and the turbines eastbound, like some low-flying albino birds,  in the Buttermilk.

  Read gCaptain’s take here.

And how would you imagine the Tri-Frame got lowered to the bottom? 

Columbia specializes in lowering and raising.

This post reminds me of Whatzit 36 . . . from three and a half years ago.

Thanks to Tony, Tideland, and AC.  Photos not credited to others by WVD, who’s repeatedly astonished by the sixth boro surprises and complexity. 

Other People’s Photos 54

Secret salts sometimes send along photos, and I appreciate that, since many waterways I’ll never see . . .  and that means boats I’d never encounter, like Reliance, 1979, 127′ x 40;’

Grand Canyon II, an offshore construction/ROV/IRM vessel, shown in this link getting towed from Romania to Norway for completion; and more.

Here’s an unidentified Marquette Offshore boat with an unidentified Weeks crane barge,

Paraclete . . .  look that word up here  and then see the rest of the names in her fleet,

Gulf Faith, 

USCGC Cobia, 

Gulf Glory and an unidentified Algoma self-unloader,

and finally a WW2-era tank-landing ship turned dredger and named Columbia, ex-LST-987.

 

All interesting stuff from Mobile, Alabama.   Hat’s off to the secret salt.

Sea Lion 2

Here was the first in this series.  The good news is that this past Saturday Sea Lion was raised.  The first two images are credited to Tug Life at Henry Marine and Orlando Martinez.

Jon Harrison caught the next two over on the west side of Bergen Point . . . .  It’s the crane barge Columbia and the raised tug gets moved over to Port Newark.

She’s up and now there’s a lot of rebuild work to do, but I suspect before summer, she’ll be working again.

Thanks much Tug Life Henry Marine, Orlando, and Jon.

Click here and scroll for a previous Columbia job.