44
ACT
FEBRUARY 2015
Lifting andmoving sails,
guns and other equipment
on the historic
USS
Constitution
, a Link-Belt
RTC-80130 performs
admirably.
VirginiaMcKain
reports exclusively for
ACT
.
naval vessel afloat in theworld and is part
of Boston’s FreedomTrail, which links
RevolutionaryWar andother historic
sites together topresent the earlyhistory
of Boston and the foundingof theUnited
States.
The crane constantlymoves guns on
andoff thedecks of the ship and from
the ship’s holding area belowdeck. The
crane alsomoves and lifts yards,masts,
generators and all types ofmaterial
including chains, rigging and apersonnel
platform.
Lifting the sails
In lateAugust 2014,Detachment
Bostonused theRTC-80130Series II
toplace threemain sails on the frigate
which included themizzen topsail, the
fore topsail and themain topsail. The
main topsail ismore than80 feet long at
thehead, weighs 1,200pounds, and like
the other two topsails, is hoisted aloft to
the yardby theRTC-80130 Series II and
then “bent-on” by the ship’s crew. When
set (openedup), themain topsail is 3,366
square feet – approximately the size of a
regulationbasketball court.
Throughout theday, operator Jon
Stolarski and the rigging crewmust
take into account the rise and fall of the
tide every sixhours inBostonHarbor.
The tide can shift asmuch as 12 feet or
more.Winds also affect themovement
of the ship; thenorthwindpushes
the shipout from its lines, while the
southwindpushes the ship against its
camel (flotationdeviceused to raise the
buoyancyof the ship) andpier.
“Themain topsail operation is easier,
but requiresmoreheight,” saidStolarski.
“With the boom extended162 feet, the
80130 lifts the 80-foot long sail, folded in
half, up andover the lines in a 90degree
swing to the tallestmast.”
Stolarski slowly lowered the sail to
waitingNavypersonnel and rigging
crew about 104 feet abovedeck, and
maintained thehooked loadwhile the
sailors spread the sail inunison.
TheRTC-80130 Series IIworks at
a 50-foot radius during the lifts, and
between a 60 and70degree boom angle
to lift the sails intoplace. The operator’s
cab is angledup as high as it can go to get
All hands
on deck
Detachment Boston riggers and United
States Navy crewmembers bend-on
the topsail to the yard of the
USS
Constitution
.
Photos and article by VirginiaMcKain
A
Link-Belt RTC-80130Series II
rough terrain cranehas been
introduced to its operator and
crew for the riggingpeculiarities of the
USSConstitution
, a veryold and stately
vessel located in theCharlestownNavy
Yardof theBostonNationalHistoric
Park.
The 130-ton capacityRT is beingput to
the test by theNavalHistory andHeritage
Command (NHHC)Detachment Boston
and theirworkon the
USSConstitution
as they ready the ship for drydock
refurbishment thatwill begin early this
year. The
USSConstitution
, America’s
Shipof State, is the oldest commissioned
SITEREPORT
LIFTING
