A huge cargo ship carrying 4,200 cars has been split open with an anchor chain, more than a year after it capsized and was left stranded on the Georgia coast.
The 600ft South Korean ship Golden Ray is finally being demolished after months of setbacks, with the dismantling revealing the many cars stacked inside.
It capsized in September 2019, shortly after leaving the Port of Brunswick about 70 miles south of Savannah.
The bow section of the vehicle carrier Golden Ray, with some of the the 4,000 cars still onboard, waits to be towed to a scrap yard
The South Korean ship Golden Ray is finally being demolished after months of setbacks, with the dismantling revealing the many cars stacked inside
More than 4,200 vehicles remain in the ship’s cargo decks and now officials are finally starting the process to remove it
More than 4,200 vehicles remain in the ship’s cargo decks and now officials are finally starting the process to remove it.
A 400-foot anchor chain is being used to cut sections, exposing the many Hyundai cars trapped inside the ship.
A giant floating crane, the VB-10000 lifted the first section of the wreck as the barge JULIE B came to receive it.
The wreck will be removed in a total of eight sections and this is the first major milestone in its dismantling.
A 400-foot anchor chain is being used to cut sections, exposing the many Hyundai cars trapped inside the ship
The wreck will be removed in a total of eight sections and this is the first major milestone in its dismantling
The bottom half of the bow section of the Golden Ray is covered with marine life after spending 14 months stranded in the sea
Each segment will be hoisted by a crane and then lowered onto a barge for transport to a salvage yard on the Gulf Coast.
The cutting and lifting are being handled by the VB 10,000, which resembles a giant archway of steel girders anchored to a pair of barges.
It is the largest such crane sailing under a US flag, capable of lifting loads of up to 7,500 tons.
While straddling the shipwreck, the crane is using chains to cut through the vessel.
The cutting and lifting are being handled by the VB 10,000, which resembles a giant archway of steel girders anchored to a pair of barges
The salvage team expects each cut will take a full day, with a week needed to cut, lift and remove each giant segment
A 400-foot anchor chain is being used to cut sections, exposing the many Hyundai cars trapped inside the ship
An expert concluded the Golden Ray (pictured before) tipped over because unstable loading had left its center of gravity too high
The salvage team expects each cut will take a full day, with a week needed to cut, lift and remove each giant segment.
‘Frankly, it’s very slow,’ said Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Himes, a spokesman for the command team. ‘The chain itself is moving about 7 to 8 feet per minute.’
Himes said noise had been minimal because the chain was cutting below the water level, working its way upward.
The command has booked an entire resort nearby through January 21 to isolate 100 salvage workers as a safeguard against the virus
Golden Ray, has been sitting in St. Simons Sound for over a year. A model shows the impressive way it is being dismantled
Crews erected a mesh barrier around the Golden Ray to contain any leaking pollutants and falling debris – including cars that were among its cargo – during the cutting.
That will be cleaned up once the rest of the dismantled ship gets removed.
The ship’s demolition was delayed by a busy Atlantic hurricane season, a handful of coronavirus infections among members of the salvage team and an engineering problem dealing with how to anchor the crane.
Crews erected a mesh barrier around the Golden Ray to contain any leaking pollutants and falling debris
The ship’s demolition was delayed by a busy Atlantic hurricane season, a handful of coronavirus infections among members of the salvage team and an engineering problem
The command has booked an entire resort nearby through January 21 to isolate 100 salvage workers as a safeguard against the virus.
The Coast Guard held hearings on the cause of the shipwreck earlier this year.
An expert concluded the Golden Ray tipped over because unstable loading had left its center of gravity too high.
Coast Guard Lt. Ian Oviatt said the ship lacked enough water in its ballast tanks, used to add weight at the bottom of a vessel, to offset that of the vehicles in its cargo decks above.