“Big Blue” a $55 million 170- ton crane -capable of lifting 140 tons- has arrived safely at its destination of Portsmouth Maine yesterday (Tuesday) 2.5 weeks after leaving the Manitowoc Peninsula May 30th.
This state-of-the-art crane built in partnership with Konecranes, Broadwind Heavy Industries, The State of Wisconsin, and the city of Manitowoc, will be used for refitting the Loss Angeles Class nuclear submarine which includes picking out the nuclear reactors, putting parts on board, and anything related to those subs.
This crane is approximately 10 to 15 percent taller compared to the current cranes at the shipyard’s current portal cranes which have a boom height of 195 feet. Captain Daniel Etttlich, Commander of the Portsmouth shipyard, shared in a news release, “Global events have placed a great demand on our submarine fleet. This new portal crane allows the shipyard to support life-extension work which increases the number of submarines available for the Navy during this critical time.”
