UPDATE: Giant Crab Sunk, But Not as Planned Strap supporting concrete crab snaps; outcome uncertain By Karen Wall Email the author 9:31 am
A 47-foot-long horseshoe crab replica is now sunk at an artificial reef off the coast of Mantoloking, but not as planned.
After Point Borough sculptor Chris Wojcik invested more than a year of time building and readying a concrete crab replica for its place at the Axel Carlson reef, it was finally sunk today.
But the sinking turned out to be far more dramatic than anyone expected or wanted. 😱
Two hours were spent methodically preparing for the sinking, with the crew of the ocean crane Columbia New York filling the twin, 50-foot barges that support the structure with water, then strapping it to a crane to ensure the crab, which is welded to the barges, remained upright when it reached the ocean floor.
But just before noon, the strap supporting the tail end of the barges snapped, and as Wojcik and dozens of others watched, the entire thing slipped into the water, which is 80 feet deep there, and disappeared.
A gasp went up from Wojcik's family and supporters, who were watching aboard Capt. Bob Pennington's Sea Devil as the crab slipped tail first toward the bottom.
Whether the result is disastrous is uncertain because of the angle at which it dropped. Wojcik remained at the reef with the crane company, which was sending in divers to check the status of the crab.
It's expected the giant crab will still function to enrich the existing artificial reef that serves as a marine life habitat. But it may not function as intended if its position in the water is not upright.
The crab was supposed to have been placed at the Axel Carlson reef – located about 2.5 miles off Mantoloking – July 25.
The crab was towed through Manasquan Inlet early Thursday morning.
The GPS coordinates for the target location for the deployment on the reef are:
73 59.300' 40 01.700' The state Division of Fish and Wildlife's Bureau of Marine Fisheries oversees the state's artificial reef system.
Click on this story to see PDF attachments of a map of the Axel Carlson site and a map of the state's entire artificial reef network, from the Division of Fish and Wildlife's artificial reef program website.
For more on Wojcik, who lives on Howe Street in Point Pleasant Borough, and his creation, as well as the artificial reef program in New Jersey, check out this article published earlier this month on Patch.
Patch will update the story as it develops.
John Hayes 1:28 pm on Thursday, August 30, 2012 Well, toast always lands jelly side down...
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Bill Gaal 2:43 pm on Thursday, August 30, 2012 It did not end well.... rigging snapped ..... crane company should refund cost at the very least.... as it was their rigging that broke!
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K 5:16 pm on Thursday, August 30, 2012 I was there yesterday and fortunate enough to view the crab on its barge. Beautiful ! Hopefully the crab will fulfill its purpose.
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2much2say 6:34 pm on Thursday, August 30, 2012 A let down to say the least, but this amazing piece of man made structure will most indefinite fullful it's purpose
I'm actually just learning if all the of all the reefs that we already have up & down the coast. Wow! What a great idea.
Re: Horseshoe crab sculpture placement didn't go as planned...unfortunately
Artist Chris Wojcik's sculpture shattered as support strap breaks during sinking process
By Karen Wall
The snap of a support strap was all it took to end Chris Wojcik's dream of placing a giant sculpture on the Axel Carlson Reef.
The 47-foot sculpture of a horseshoe crab -- representing more than a year's worth of work to construct it and raise funds -- lies in pieces in 80 feet of water, according to Hugh Carberry, director of the state's Artificial Reef Program through the Division of Fish and Wildlife.
"It was basically my worst nightmare coming true," Wojcik, of Point Borough, said Thursday evening, when he finally returned home after spending a few more hours at the reef site trying to assess the damage.
The sculpture was welded onto a pair of 50-foot deck barges, and the 50-ton assembly towed out to the reef site Thursday morning. Once there, Carberry said the barges were slowly filled with water and a pair of bridles -- one under the head of the crab, the other under the tail end -- were put in place.
As it neared the point of being ready to sink, Carberry said, the bridles were attached to a crane operated by DonJon Marine, an experienced heavy marine moving company. As they began to lower the crab to the bottom, Carberry said, the bridle under the tail section snapped and the barges sank.
Instead of simply hitting the bottom, however, Carberry said that during the descent, the crab separated from the barges and it hit bottom first and broke. The deck barges then landed on top of the pieces, breaking them further, he said.
"It's a heartbreaker," Wojcik said. The sculpture was expected to be listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest underwater sculpture. "It's a very discouraging situation."
Carberry said he and the crew from the reef program ran side-scan sonar over the area almost immediately and he said at first they could see the barges sitting right side up but not the crab. Side-scan sonar is projected out from the sides of a boat, instead of straight down, and has been used in mapping ocean wreckage for several years.
Carberry said DonJon had divers on the crane and sent them down to confirm the sonar findings.
"The way it (the bridling) was designed, it should have worked," Carberry said.
Carberry said the pieces of the crab and the barges will still make good habitat because they provide structure. Wojcik had welded steel piping onto the deck of the barge that will make good habitat for lobsters, and the pieces of concrete -- made from the same material the state uses to create reef balls -- will still attract all kinds of life.
"It'll still make a nice reef," he said, "but we would have liked to have seen it (whole) on the bottom."
Carberry said that when Wojcik approached him initially with the concept, he thought it was a really neat idea.
"I thought it was really unique," Carberry said, noting that Florida has some sculptures as part of its reef system. But the magnitude of the one Wojcik constructed surprised and impressed him.
"I had no idea it would be that big," Carberry said.
The sculpture had taken Wojcik and two friends six weeks to construct. A steel rebar skeleton was built, and the concrete that made up its body was poured in a single pour over the frame and shaped into place.
The sinking took several months to accomplish as Wojcik had to raise the funds to pay for it, then set all the arrangements in place with the state and the crane operator. Among those who supported the effort were the Hudson River Fishermen's Association, and the Ann E. Clark Foundation, which has been a significant supporter of projects on New Jersey's artificial reefs.
After the crab was inspected by the Coast Guard and the EPA and approved for sinking, Wojcik had to wait for cooperative weather. A planned July 25 sinking was scrapped when storms made the conditions unsafe.
When Wednesday arrived and the weather looked good for Thursday, the crab was moved from its home behind the Shipwreck Grill in Brielle, under the Route 35 and railroad bridges that span the Manasquan River to a dock behind the Shrimp Box in Point Pleasant Beach. Early Thursday morning final riggings were attached and the crab began its journey to the reef, passing through Manasquan Inlet to cheers from supporters and in sight of the curious who had heard about it or seen its construction in progress.
Hannah and Cameron Teza, 8 and 10 years old, dragged their father, John, to the inlet just as the sun rose to see it make its departure. Hannah had seen it when it was just being framed, and Cameron had seen the completed sculpture.
"I got home from a business trip last night and my wife told me they wanted to see it," Teza said.
As it moved along behind a TowBoat US boat, Wojcik could be seen on the barge, checking tielines and making sure everything was OK. He waved to the onlookers then went back to his work.
Out at the reef, Wojcik's wife, Caryn, other family members, and a number of folks who helped pay for the construction and the sinking of the sculpture, watched the progress from the deck of Capt. Bob Pennington's Sea Devil.
The wait was a long one as first Wojcik and Carberry walked around the perimeter of the sculpture, then were joined by the crew from DonJon. Coverings were removed from holes on the sides and hoses inserted to pump sea water into the interior of the barges. The sinking slowed when an air pocket developed at the head end of the barges and crewmen from the crane deck had to cut an additional hole in the side to let the air escape.
As water began washing over the deck, you could hear the anticipation rising for what was expected to be a slow descent. But the snap of the bridle caused a collective gasp, and the instant recognition among all that the result might be bad.
Wojcik, who had been watching and filming from a Zodiac, approached the Sea Devil to assure his family that he was OK.
"Somebody didn't calculate right," he said, then turned and headed back toward the site where the crab disappeared beneath the surface.
Thursday evening, Wojcik was trying to find some positives, but the devastation of the day was unquestionably his primary emotion.
"All the material will still make good habitat," he said. "It'll be a little better for lobster than for blackfish, because it will be flat like a dinner plate," while blackfish prefer nooks and crannies to hide in.
Wojcik, who had previously talked about possibly doing other sculptures, wasn't sure what his next step would be.
Did the barge stern end break free from the rigging with the crab intact? - if so why did not the bow cables continue to hold the barge until the stern could be recabled? - Having seen chain and cable over stressed and break during rock moving jobs lucky no one was hurt - cables can cut - hope she landed upright -
Posted by Dan Wright on 9/3/2012, 5:21 pm, in reply to "Video..."
Don Jon, what knuckleheads! Cutting corners on using ancient 2" webbing that snapped. I hope the sculptor sues their asses off and wins in court. Idiots!!
Re: Video...
Posted by Duane Clause on 9/7/2012, 2:42 pm, in reply to "Re: Video..."
"Cutting corners on using ancient 2" webbing that snapped."
You know that how?
Re: Video...
Posted by Dan Wright on 9/8/2012, 10:22 am, in reply to "Re: Video..."
Inside info...
Re: Video...
Posted by Duane on 9/8/2012, 11:29 pm, in reply to "Re: Video..."
Having worked with Don Jon on numerous heavy lifts i would think your inside info is suspect.
Re: Video...
Posted by Dan Wright on 9/9/2012, 6:13 am, in reply to "Re: Video..."
There truth will be revealed soon enough Duane, I am not going defend myself to you...
Re: Video...
Posted by Duane on 9/10/2012, 11:41 am, in reply to "Re: Video..."
You don't have to defend yourself to me, I'm not the one with the post.
Maybe your inside info buddy left the 1 off and meant a 12" strap.
I didn't get to see this live, but having worked with and been on the Columbia, I seriously doubt a 2" strap was used for a 50 ton lift.
A 2" wide, double ply strap is typically rated at (approximate) 6K and 12K in a basket. Far less then a 100K and no reserve.
Re: Video...
Posted by Capt Tony on 9/9/2012, 10:52 pm, in reply to "Re: Video..."
I just couldn't help myself. I scrolled through the pictures associated with the above link. I see on several picts ( one in particular) a crew worker standing with a lift strap in front of his leg. This same lift strap seems to be in the location of the one which failed.
This person is fairly large ( considering I'm a bit vertically challenged.) the strap covers his entire leg - suggestive of either this guy has 1 inch thick legs - toothpics for legs or that the so-called inside informant needs to put a dollar around his ruler ( or whatever he thinks is 2 inches) and get a new one!
The strap seems from my perspective to be either a standard 8 or 10 inch size.
Again - having known of the expertise of DonJon since my early days of diving - I just couldnt help responding!
Re: Video...
Posted by Dan Wright on 9/10/2012, 10:07 pm, in reply to "Re: Video..."
Typo guys.....please! LOL
Re: Video...
Posted by Capt. Bill on 9/11/2012, 8:30 am, in reply to "Re: Video..."
Dan you sure do have a way of putting your foot in your mouth. Just read the small paragraph in North America Dive news about you and your crew. Maybe you should be more careful abut how and what you post this is after all the internet. Capt. Bill
where is the small paragraph
Posted by bartman on 9/13/2012, 10:25 pm, in reply to "Re: Video..." Moonsnail Master
many people are dying to read it - come on Capt Bill where is it, I am looking all over for it lololol - I NEED TO KNOW !!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Brandon, I don't know who posted it on DNN, Certainly Bill Cleary was leading the trip, his boat, and his GPS numbers. I just mated and set the hook with Sherwood. The DNN story makes it look like I was in charge, but nothing in my video credits allude to that. Can't believe half of what you read... Cheers,
Posted by Dan Wright on 9/13/2012, 8:52 am, in reply to "Re: Video..."
Thanks Bill for the advice, please feel free to call me at 917-617-4536, I have no idea what you are referring to. PM me or phone, no need to play games on this forum. Cheers
Re: Video...
Posted by Capt. Bill on 9/13/2012, 9:18 am, in reply to "Re: Video..."
No problem just want to tell ya like they used to say lose lips sink ships. SOmetimes not saying anything is the right thing to say.Capt. Bill
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on 8/30/2012, 7:07 pm
And who shot that video ? GEEZ !!!
