Stephen Biesty, take note
December 2, 2020 5:04 AM Subscribe
Salvage operations on the SS Golden Ray: In September 2019, the SS Golden Ray left the port of Brunswick, Georgia carrying a load of cars. It capsized shortly thereafter in the shallow waters of St. Simons Sound. Salvage operations have now begun, and it is fascinating to see how such a massive object is moved. The star of the show is the VB 10000, a massive gantry crane built on two barges. The wreck will be cut into eight sections, and a few days ago the first section was removed. (Facebook photo album)
(For those who don't use Facebook, many of the photos in that album are also in the first link of the post.)
(For those who don't use Facebook, many of the photos in that album are also in the first link of the post.)
This is an A+ post title. Pure gold.
posted by cgc373 at 5:30 AM on December 2, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by cgc373 at 5:30 AM on December 2, 2020 [5 favorites]
Not sure which is more fascinating, the cross-sections of the ship with the cars and trucks still inside, or that they're using a literal chain as a saw.
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:09 AM on December 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:09 AM on December 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
So what kind o futility / value does a car submerged 1 year in the ocean have? Anything at all beyond scrap metal?
posted by Meatbomb at 6:12 AM on December 2, 2020
posted by Meatbomb at 6:12 AM on December 2, 2020
> using a literal chain as a saw
So, like, some sort of ... chain... saw?
posted by dmd at 6:26 AM on December 2, 2020 [7 favorites]
So, like, some sort of ... chain... saw?
posted by dmd at 6:26 AM on December 2, 2020 [7 favorites]
I was not expecting the chain to be just a plain old chain rather than something more customized, but it certainly seems to be doing the job well. Fascinating pictures, and impressive levels of very large scale engineering.
posted by rmd1023 at 6:32 AM on December 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by rmd1023 at 6:32 AM on December 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
Wild! I was just in Brunswick a few weeks ago with my daughter and while exploring the area we saw the bright yellow structure in the sound between St. Simons and Jekyll islands. I knew about the capsized ship but had no idea that was what was going on out there. That thing is huge! Thanks for clearing up the mystery.
posted by TedW at 8:03 AM on December 2, 2020
posted by TedW at 8:03 AM on December 2, 2020
If this sort of thing is interesting to you, it seems like salvage operators do a fair chunk of video production. I guess to reassure potential clients that they've done big challenging projects in the past and are up to whatever toxic waste nightmare that's threatening to leak in your local bay?
A couple off the top of my youtube history:
Salvage of the MSC Napoli
Robson Bight Fuel Truck
posted by Kyol at 8:09 AM on December 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
A couple off the top of my youtube history:
Salvage of the MSC Napoli
Robson Bight Fuel Truck
posted by Kyol at 8:09 AM on December 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
When you slice across the fruit, the seeds become visible.
posted by thatwhichfalls at 8:12 AM on December 2, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by thatwhichfalls at 8:12 AM on December 2, 2020 [8 favorites]
Cargolaw.com is a old website but has tons of fascinating articles about wrecked cargo vessels and their recovery. The MV Tricolor (cargolaw article) is another famous auto carrier wreck that happened in 2002-2003 and underwent a similar cutting operation to salvage her.
BMW must budget for a certain amount of lost vehicles per year given how these things run.
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:27 AM on December 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
BMW must budget for a certain amount of lost vehicles per year given how these things run.
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:27 AM on December 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
My understanding is that any car, of any age, that is submerged in water is a complete insurance write-off. There are too many systems sensitive to water (think of all of the computers in a modern car, let alone mechanical systems where water inside an "oil only" space is very bad news), and too much potential for mold in the interior, to make it worth repairing--you'd essentially be starting from a bare steel shell to do it right. In the case of cars caught in fresh-water floods on land, you have the additional possibility of being contaminated by sewage or other bad things.
All of the "boat launch ramp" vids on youtube showing cars in the water after an attempted launch from a trailer they're towing are all so much junk. Beware salvage-titled cars, for some of them are cars written off in floods that were dried out, given a shampoo, and put back into service without proper remediation.
The cars here which were not submerged will yield some mechanical parts, but the underwater ones are just going to be so much scrap.
posted by maxwelton at 8:28 AM on December 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
All of the "boat launch ramp" vids on youtube showing cars in the water after an attempted launch from a trailer they're towing are all so much junk. Beware salvage-titled cars, for some of them are cars written off in floods that were dried out, given a shampoo, and put back into service without proper remediation.
The cars here which were not submerged will yield some mechanical parts, but the underwater ones are just going to be so much scrap.
posted by maxwelton at 8:28 AM on December 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
I want to know what it sounds like when they cut with that chain.
posted by kinnakeet at 8:48 AM on December 2, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by kinnakeet at 8:48 AM on December 2, 2020 [5 favorites]
The Cougar Ace (previously) didn't fully sink but all the cars on it were scrapped.
posted by rmd1023 at 8:56 AM on December 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by rmd1023 at 8:56 AM on December 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
All of the "boat launch ramp" vids on youtube showing cars in the water after an attempted launch from a trailer they're towing are all so much junk.
It honestly depends on if the water is salt or fresh, how much of its submerged, and for how long. A truck accidentally going into fresh water and immediately pulled out and dried will need some work, but probably isn't a complete write off.
posted by jmauro at 9:33 AM on December 2, 2020
It honestly depends on if the water is salt or fresh, how much of its submerged, and for how long. A truck accidentally going into fresh water and immediately pulled out and dried will need some work, but probably isn't a complete write off.
posted by jmauro at 9:33 AM on December 2, 2020
Want more shipping porn?
https://gcaptain.com
posted by davebarnes at 11:27 AM on December 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
https://gcaptain.com
posted by davebarnes at 11:27 AM on December 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
My understanding is that any car, of any age, that is submerged in water is a complete insurance write-off.
This is not always the case, and depends on the salt content of the water, type of car, how long the car was submerged, etc, etc.
A buddy had an ocean wave put literally a foot of water into the inside of the BMW i3 (bad timing of a huge rogue wave in Pacifica and him opening his door to get out), and insurance not only didn't totally it, it's fixed and he's still driving it a couple years later, and that's really not that expensive of a car. Hell, a buddy of my dad owns a body shop and took in some high end Mercedes sports cars that came off a train moving at a decent speed, and those got fixed up and sold as new cars. If the car is worth it, you can pretty much fix anything.
That said, the cars on this thing were certainly bought by the insurance company immediately, with the intention of sending them to somewhere China as scrap. And if you look at the pictures, you'll notice that you can only identify ~40% of the material as individual cars, with the rest of it being a mangled masses of junk. This was all a total loss even if somehow it magically happened on dry land.
posted by sideshow at 12:16 PM on December 2, 2020
This is not always the case, and depends on the salt content of the water, type of car, how long the car was submerged, etc, etc.
A buddy had an ocean wave put literally a foot of water into the inside of the BMW i3 (bad timing of a huge rogue wave in Pacifica and him opening his door to get out), and insurance not only didn't totally it, it's fixed and he's still driving it a couple years later, and that's really not that expensive of a car. Hell, a buddy of my dad owns a body shop and took in some high end Mercedes sports cars that came off a train moving at a decent speed, and those got fixed up and sold as new cars. If the car is worth it, you can pretty much fix anything.
That said, the cars on this thing were certainly bought by the insurance company immediately, with the intention of sending them to somewhere China as scrap. And if you look at the pictures, you'll notice that you can only identify ~40% of the material as individual cars, with the rest of it being a mangled masses of junk. This was all a total loss even if somehow it magically happened on dry land.
posted by sideshow at 12:16 PM on December 2, 2020
Nice to see the attention to environmental protection. Not just a boom, but also ROVs and multiple layers of netting to capture debris.
posted by suelac at 12:31 PM on December 2, 2020
posted by suelac at 12:31 PM on December 2, 2020
The thing's hollow -- it goes on forever -- and -- My God! It's full of cars!
posted by Westringia F. at 12:51 PM on December 2, 2020 [10 favorites]
posted by Westringia F. at 12:51 PM on December 2, 2020 [10 favorites]
After the Genesee river spilled over it's banks many years ago, a friend of mine bought a flooded out Jeep. He paid $200, and figured he could clean it up himeself. The project took 6 years. He basically had to do a off-frame restoration. Almost anything that was more than two parts had to be taken apart, cleaned and reinstalled. Some of the computers were OK because they were in waterproof boxes, but every connector needed to be taken apart and cleaned. This project took him about eight years, and he is so proud of driving his "two hundred dollar Jeep." But he never mentions the time and money he put into it, and really can't sell because of the salvage title.
posted by Marky at 1:54 PM on December 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Marky at 1:54 PM on December 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
I heard there was a Toyota Hilux on board, but they drove it off before the pictures were taken.
posted by Lanark at 2:29 PM on December 2, 2020 [7 favorites]
posted by Lanark at 2:29 PM on December 2, 2020 [7 favorites]
Bits of sawed up cars, oil, and tarballs continue to wash up on the beach and into the saltmarsh. If you're interested in the ongoing environmental impact of this now 14 month disaster, Altamaha Riverkeeper is posting regular updates.
The environmental impact of this has been so much greater than it would have been anywhere else along the east coast of the US because Georgia's shoreline is almost entirely protected salt marsh. How Georgia Protected Its Salt Marsh 50 Years Ago, And Why That’s Important For The Future (from the always excellent science reporter Molly Samuel at the always excellent WABE). We never destroyed our marshes to make the developed beaches seen everywhere else, and now those protected marshes, property of the people of Georgia, are suffering mightily from this disaster.
posted by hydropsyche at 3:24 PM on December 2, 2020 [9 favorites]
The environmental impact of this has been so much greater than it would have been anywhere else along the east coast of the US because Georgia's shoreline is almost entirely protected salt marsh. How Georgia Protected Its Salt Marsh 50 Years Ago, And Why That’s Important For The Future (from the always excellent science reporter Molly Samuel at the always excellent WABE). We never destroyed our marshes to make the developed beaches seen everywhere else, and now those protected marshes, property of the people of Georgia, are suffering mightily from this disaster.
posted by hydropsyche at 3:24 PM on December 2, 2020 [9 favorites]
I want to know what it sounds like when they cut with that chain.
Can only imagine it had to be orders of magnitude louder and more ear-shattering than the chains in an anchor drop failure like this one or this one.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:37 PM on December 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
Can only imagine it had to be orders of magnitude louder and more ear-shattering than the chains in an anchor drop failure like this one or this one.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:37 PM on December 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
1 877-Kars-4-Kids
As fun as it is to joke about their earworm jingle, the real organization is not so funny.
posted by JoeZydeco at 6:15 PM on December 2, 2020
As fun as it is to joke about their earworm jingle, the real organization is not so funny.
posted by JoeZydeco at 6:15 PM on December 2, 2020
The Golden Ray sank due to sheer incompetence. The ballast tanks were not filled enough before putting to sea, so the ship rolled over when attempting to make a sharp turn. All of this monetary and environmental damage is because a few people didn't do their jobs.
posted by monotreme at 7:15 PM on December 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by monotreme at 7:15 PM on December 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
I want to know what it sounds like when they cut with that chain.
Here's a video of it, at seven feet per minute, the chain appears stationary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVep7ufSrSE
I'm surprised that a chain with no obvious sharp edges is able to cut metal at such a slow speed.
posted by Lanark at 7:55 AM on December 3, 2020
Here's a video of it, at seven feet per minute, the chain appears stationary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVep7ufSrSE
I'm surprised that a chain with no obvious sharp edges is able to cut metal at such a slow speed.
posted by Lanark at 7:55 AM on December 3, 2020
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They took a very simple principle -- a saw -- and applied it on a scale that I am sure wouldn't even occur to most people. I can't tell if that's more a testament to their creativity or their engineering skills, but it doesn't matter because it works!
posted by wenestvedt at 5:07 AM on December 2, 2020