VIDEO: Golden Ray responders remove another section of wreck
Written by Nick Blenkey
Response managers from the U.S. Coast Guard, Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Gallagher Marine Systems observe Section Two lifting operations. [St. Simons Sound Incident Response photo]
Before the car carrier Golden Ray capsized in St. Simons Sound, Ga., on September 8, 2019, it was 200 meters (669 feet) long. As responders continue to dismantle it, the remaining portion of the wreck is getting significantly shorter.
The wreck is being sliced into eight sections using a chain mounted between the twin gantries of the catamaran heavy lift vessel VB-10000. Yesterday, responders lifted Section Two of the wreck onto the barge Julie B, which is being used to transfer the sections of the wreck to a recycling facility.
With Section Two removed, three sections of the wreck have now gone —the front two sections and the stern — and the VB-10000 will return to the aft end to prepare to resume cutting Section Seven. An earlier cutting operation on that section was halted when a link in the cutting chain parted. Divers will now continue operations to insert the cutting chain back into the cut groove for Section Seven.
Response engineers continue to collect data from fixed monitors and hydrographic surveys and they confirm that the wreck remains stable.
