This Is How You Lift A Sunk Warship Off The Sea [PICS]

Gizmodo ^ | 24 May 2010 | Gizmodo

[James C. Bennett]

 

 

With huge chains and honking cranes, that's how. Example: This Republic of Korea Navy's corvette—half of it, actually—floating over the sea's surface. And before you cry "PHOTOSHOP!", check out the scene from a distance.

It's the Cheonan, a South Korean Pohang-class corvette that broke in two on March 26. According to an international investigation, the cause was a torpedo fired from a North Korean Yeono class miniature submarine, killing 46 crew members. A few weeks later, on April 15, the South Korean Navy recovered the stern part from the bottom of the sea using a giant floating crane. On April 24, the bow was recovered.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

OH God, please cut the chains.

[1776 Reborn]

Thanks

[Travis McGee]

Well, they are two very different problems of course.

[Moltke]

The NKs never thought the SKs would actually be able to salvage that ship (or rather its parts). They must be in full ‘oh sh!t’ mode right now.

[Publius6961]

Bookmark

[bvw]

I’d think I would use a floating ping pong ball factory to raise an aircraft carrier.

[PA Engineer]

Where is looter man?

[TXnMA]

Courtesy ping -- and you were first!

They are right, though: I was concentrating on hull damage -- and missed noticing the massive size of that crane...

[TXnMA]

"The second picture is of an intact vessel. The rudders are clearly visible as is the bow. Nothing is missing between them."

"Yeah, the pictures we saw a week or so ago showed the two pieces. This doesn’t look correct."

~~~~~

You are both mistaken. The Cheonan was blown into three major parts: bow, stern and stack. Here are the three sections superimposed on a silhouette photo of a complete ship of the same class:

[TXnMA]

Korean version of my reconstruction. (Lacks correction for foreshortening due to section rotation...)

[TXnMA]

The South Korean computer reconstruction of the "explosion's eye view" really tells the tale of a slightly off-center blast coupled by a bolus of incompressible water:

The converging compression wrinkles on the bow section and the crumpled panels on the stern stabilizer planes speak volumes about the water-coupled overpressure...

[TigerLikesRooster]

Yes, when I first heard that they were bringing crane ship for salvage operation, I did not realize that they are going to pick up the whole ship with a single crane. It was indeed impressive.

If you go through my earlier postings, you will see photos of salvaging its stern and bow(posted separately.) Do a title search on "salvaged." Many shots of crane can be seen.

[Robert A Cook PE]

No.

The Norks are in full panic mode because the South Koreans found the torpedo propeller and drive train.

With NK markings on the torpedo controls, and traceable warhead residue in the ship...

[1776 Reborn]

I was wondering if there was a picture that showed the whole crane. This thing must be immense.

[Moltke]

Thanks for the additional info. Didn’t know about the torpedo parts. Just more physical evidence to make the NKs realize they screwed up big this time.

[Eye of Unk]

I think there is definitely going to be a reprisal soon, out of the sake of national security I won’t speculate in any shape or form of what it could be.

[Cronos]

the NKs have already lost. Their people starve while S. Korea is a developed country.

[bert]

I thought it was a corvette, not a pig boat

[Rummenigge]

This is a quite a good remark.