According to the latest news on their website, the City of Adelaide, the oldest surviving composite clipper ship built in 1864, will be hoisted onto the deck of the heavy-lift ship MV Palanpur in the port of Rotterdam today. The heavy-lift ship will carry the historic clipper home to her name-sake city in Australia with several intermediate stops along the way. But, how does one lift 500 tonnes of historic ship and cradle onto the deck of a heavy-lift ship? The obvious answer is — carefully. For a more detailed answer watch the simulation below.
Clipper Ship ‘City of Adelaide’ Lifting Simulation onboard ‘MV Palanpur’
From the City of Adelaide website:
The voyage is likely to adopt the following itinerary:
- Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Norfolk, Virginia, USA
- Cape Town, South Africa (not visiting port)
- Port Hedland, Western Australia
- Dampier, Western Australia (not confirmed)
- Port Adelaide, South Australia
The MV Palanpur, with the City of Adelaide on-board, is estimated to arrive in Port Adelaide between 18 and 30 January 2014.
We are offering a once in a lifetime opportunity to buy a ‘virtual’ ticket on the final voyage home of the City of Adelaide . You can donate to become a member of the crew, a passenger or a stowaway or you can send some cargo. Please visit this link.
Having sailed in heavy lift capable ships and carried locomotives (100 tons each) and their tenders (65 tons each) this seems a very awkward lift over the port side with the cranes fitted to port. Why not lift it directly over a clear deck into place over the starboard side. There must surely be ballast tanks with suitable pumps to trim the ship during the lift.
Good Watch.