Big mobile cranes proved their worth again on a lift made recently at the North Florida Shipyards in Jacksonville, FL.

The job was part of a project in which a research vessel was being lengthened.

The ship was placed on a floating dry dock and cut in half so a new center section could be inserted. The 40-by-40-ft. mid-section, weighing approximately 105 tons (95 t), was built on land, adjacent to the waterfront.

Two Grove GMK 7750 550 ton all-terrain cranes, one from Crane Rental in Orlando and one from Sims Crane Service in Tampa, combined to make the lifts necessary to complete the project. Each crane was set up with 130 ft. (40 m) of boom, 75 ton (68 t) wide body shackles, and a nine part braided line.

The machines were selected for their mobility and easy set-up.

Crane Rental staff coordinated the lift. The day after the cranes arrived at the scene, the machines inverted the mid-body section, which had been built upside down, and then moved it so it was immediately adjacent to the dock area. The new section was then repositioned and set on a barge.

The cranes then repositioned the barge to a place between the dock and the floating dry dock.

The following morning, the cranes picked up the mid-body section. The barge was then moved out from between the dock and the dry dock vessel and the floating dry dock was moved next to the dock. The cranes then lowered the mid-body section into position to complete the task. CEG Staff

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