Truckster! 17

I caught up with this . .  the other day,

Switching lanes . . . I noticed something I’ve seen before

like here from a decade ago, and in many other posts like here. Of course, others become art objects for a while, maybe until they rust back into the earth.

 

Cars arrive from the factory on trucks, they depart from road use on trucks.   I’m glad there was a traffic jam on the main avenue so that I could get the photos after parking along the access road.

There may be some crushed trucks on that trailer . . . not just cars.

All photos, WVD, who always keeps the camera on the passenger seat.

 

Astrand

All photos today come thanks to John Huntington.  Check out his new site here, one which I mentioned a week and a half ago here.

Here are the basics on what you are looking at, mostly from John’s caption:  “FAR ROCKAWAY, QUEENS, NEW YORK CITY, NY/USA – FEBRUARY 25, 2016: The 24 meter (78 foot) scallop fishing vessel the Carolina Queen III, rests in surf in the Atlantic Ocean off Far Rockaway on the Rockaway peninsula of the borough of Queens in New York City. The boat ran aground at about 2am and all the crew were safely evacuated by the US Coast Guard.”   Of course, there are also the related stories about the USCG 25′ RIB attempting a rescue and capsizing in the 10-12′ seas, and its crew, trained and geared up for such a possibility, safely swimming to shore;  and the rescue of Carolina Queen III crew by helicopter.  Photos here.  A number of the RIBs can be seen here.

Salvage plans are underway.  The fishing vessel–to my untrained eye–seems to have held up well, a tribute to its builders as well as to the fact of coming ashore on the sand.  Those builders are responsible for two of the newest tugboats in the sixth boro as well.

I’m sure the owners and crew of the vessel feel sick right now.

 

But looking at John’s remarkable photos, I’m struck by their allure.  The calm water, patches of blue sky, reflection of a beautiful machine misplaced on soft sand  . . .  contrast sharply with how the scene must have appeared to the crews Wednesday night when the wind and spray made the decks feel like hell, a time of uncertainty and fear.

I’ve previously done a set of posts on a vessel ashore here.  And from South Africa four years ago, these photos from Colin Syndercombe and another fishing boat astrand.

Thanks again to John Huntington for use of these photos.

For a photo of Rodriguez Boatbuilders’ 2015 James E. Brown, click here and scroll.

For a sense of how shipwreck has attracted photographers of four generations of a British family, click here.

 

Whole Lotta Dredgin’ 12

Here’s where the “leverman” sits for a twelve-hour shift as the C. R. McCaskill slews port to starboard 400′ once each three and a half minutes.   Another way of saying that is  the dredge moves using a five-point mooring system: two swing anchors, two breast anchors and one stern anchor to move forward or back.  A different configuration uses a spudded idler barge;  in this case, the “swing” is longer and takes more more time.   Food gets delivered so that the leverman aka dredge operator can monitor all these screens and respond so that dredging can proceed 24/7 as long as equipment and conditions permit.  More on food later.

Slewing . . . drawing on cables attached to positioned anchors and pivoting on a stern point . . . requires that the 30” diamater hose be able to flex.  Hence, the easy curved slack before the piping to the beach.

The crewboat in the distance alternates between hydrographic survey work and other tasks.  More on that in a moment.  More crewboats in a future post.

Attachment at the stern is a ball and socket joint . . . like your hip.

Here’s the starboard GE engine, part of the power supply to the dredge.

Here is another view of the two huge hull-mounted pumps that do the work.

Another task of the crewboat is illustrated here:  recreational boaters sometimes allow their curiosity to override any sense of danger caused by a busy, slewing dredge.

The helicopter happened to be here on assignment to photograph the work from the air.

About the food, here’s  mission control presided over by Edwina Arthur, a member of the 30-50 person crew.

Food rules and pecking order are clearly posted.

Captain Randy Guidry, my host for this tour,  proudly displays the builder’s plate, Corn Island Shipyard in Indiana, where the hull was constructed.

As I stated in the previous post, McCaskill’s part in the dredging/beach replenishment has now ended and vessels and crew have moved south for the next job.

Many thanks to Captain Guidry, Jan Andrusky, and all the other fine folks at Weeks Marine for this tour.

All fotos, text, and (any inadvertent errors) by Will Van Dorp.

Whole Lotta Dredgin’ 9

Here’s a followup on the Rockaway sand pumping, and there’s gold in those sands, over $36 million worth.   Notice the dredging/pumping vessel upper right.

This was the fountain this morning.

Once the slurry exits the mouth, water flows back into the ocean and sand is pushed up the beach.

This repurposed container is project headquarters.

The top foto comes thanks to Barbara Barnard;  all others by Will Van Dorp.

Shear Legs

title sounds provocative?   Well,  I’ll subtitle this “whole lotta dredgin’ 6.”  It’s been almost three years since I’ve used this title, but .  .   . when Sabine‘s this close to the beach and

there’s a tube in the water, there must

be a shear leg  or

two lurking nearby, although I wonder if these are shear legs . . . technically speaking.

I’m not positive what Sea Wolf

George W, and

and Trevor were doing  . . . other than arranging the dredge spoils pipe,

with Sabine  monitoring . .  .

ut it has to do with the mother dredger ship some distance away.  Fotos of her .  . tomorrow.  And if there’s a dredger’s rainbow and someone gets a pic, I’d love to see it.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp, who found a reason to lurk awhile along NYC’s Copacabana/Ipanema . . . .

Groin Yanking

No . . . despite the title, this blog has not turned to commentary on recent developments in the “five boros” mayor’s race.  And no again . . . the focus has NOT shifted to the machines referred to water scooters aka PWCs.  I took this foto on Tuesday after the two guys here seemed to coordinate with the crew of

this vessel, which seemed distinctly intended for work.

A little while later, I saw this, although at the time I didn’t know the project until yesterday in the NYTimes I noticed the pic associated with

this article about the removal of “death sticks for surfers.”

All fotos by Will Van Dorp, who says . . . yank away!  Anyone know more about whose equipment this is?

Rockaway Sandy Before . . . After

A friend took these from her apartment on the dates specified.  This one was October 27, looking across Shorefront Parkway in Queens . . . yes this is NYC.  Notice the edge of an adjacent building along the left side of the foto, the walls of the handball courts “behind” the boardwalk, the “western” tip of Long Beach on the leftside horizon, and the street lights.

Dusk October 29.

Same location, midday October 30.  Since that time, heavy machinery has moved in to break up and cart away the sections of boardwalk.  I hope to followup with fotos.  And a discussion has begun about what to do with the hardwoods of the boardwalk:  Angelique, teak, pine, ipe, Cumaru,  greenheart  . . .  Click here and here for typical articles.   And as for sewage systems, the news is not good either.

Here’s a foto Elizabeth took today as I drove along Belt Parkway . . .   yacht still along the park.

Thanks to Barbara and Elizabeth for these fotos.  FWIW, Barbara . . . who went to work every day after November 5, managed to do so without heat, electricity, or running water.