oh muddy mud mudsucker...

[the doctor]

just watched a modern marvels on dredging...pretty cool stuff

ever seen it? they showed us the Vasco de Gama, big mofo.

Also the Palm Islands of Dubai in the persian gulf, sultan of dubai(oil) building island in the persian gulf shaped like a palm tree and another series of islands that will appear to be a map of the world...you can buy your own island for around $10MM...you might be dredging in the wrong area??

cool stuff anyhow

the doc

[mudsucker]

The "Vasco De Gama" is one of the largest dredges in the world! Alot bigger than the "US Dredge Wheeler" (pictured at left) that I work on. We are the only one in the USA with three dragarms. two oversides and one in the center in like a "moonwell". The center is 36" pipe with two pumps in the pumproom that are about 8' tall!!! Our hopper capacity is 8256 cu. yds.

[Bankermane]

Put a palm tree on old Rusty.

[the doctor]

I think I remember the Vasco de Gama could hold 35000 cu yds??? anyhoo lots of cool work going on with these ships...when you guys gonna start filling in NO??

the doc

[hillhunter]

yea I watched that on omodern marvels last night and though about you mudsucker. thats some pretty cool stuff right there. I do have a question though, do you stay on the boat for the full two weeks and then get off? When you do get off do yall helicopter in or just dock that big sob. anyway pretty cool stuff on them boats. Which part do you operate?

[mudsucker]

We stay on here for the whole time as we have our own rooms and get fed on here. I normally work two weeks on and two off but I am now at 3 1/2 weeks and counting! Came in a week early and am staying a week extra on O.T. Will be off next week for the goose shoot! We tie it up at our District H.Q. in New Orleans. We just got back this past tues. from 18 days down river in Southwest Pass and at the Head Of Passes. Saw ducks down there everyday and "Whitey" too. Not lots of whiteys but groups of 50-60 at a time. If the Ship is working and I get off it is on our 44' crew boat that we keep with us in craddles on deck! I am one of the Deck Officers and as such, stand watch on the bridge "driving" the ship for three hours and opperating the dredging gear for the other three of a six hour watch. There are two Mates on watch and we split it up so as to not have to stand up for six hours straight. We work 6hrs. on and 6hrs. off watch while underway! (Gets old quick). In port as we are now, we stand 12 hour watches and do fire and security rounds to check lines, and to check that nothing springs a leak or catches fire! I am on the midnight to noon watch this week. Lots of time to "surf da net" in between rounds!

The Sucker of Mud
J. Mitchell

[lowbar]

Yeah I saw that too. Pretty cool show. I would like to go the Corps in Vicksburg and see those models they were talking about.

[hillhunter]

So how long does it take before you get to run one of those things? Just curious.....seems pretty neat to me. Do you do all of your work keeping the river channel open? also how long does it take after you dredge a spot down there that you have to come back a redredge it? Do you take off 10 ft of sediment, 20 ft?.....sorry about all of the questions but it is pretty neat to me.....never hurts to learn a little something either.

[MudHog]

I've seen that one before. Watch Modern Marvels and Extreme Engineering all the time.

Extreme Engineering had a clip on a TransAtlantic Pipeline for transportation. In the days of ships, it took weeks to cross the Atlantic. Planes cut that down to hours and with the TransAtlantic Pipeline, it would be cut down to minutes.

What I got from the show, it's actually be thought about and things are being engineered for it. It would house two maglev trains that would move at speeds of 5,000 MPH!!!!!. 3 chambers would get the train to that speed for the simple fact that no human body can withstand the G's from 0-5000 mph.

Oh yea, the pipeline would be a vaccum too. For the reason of no wind resistance, thus easier to propell an object to higher speeds without wind drag.


Back on topic, I when I seen the dredgers, it showed the ones that actually open their bellys to dump the sediment. Amazing how they don't SINK.

[mudsucker]

So how long does it take before you get to run one of those things? Just curious.....seems pretty neat to me. Do you do all of your work keeping the river channel open? also how long does it take after you dredge a spot down there that you have to come back a redredge it? Do you take off 10 ft of sediment, 20 ft?.....sorry about all of the questions but it is pretty neat to me.....never hurts to learn a little something either.

You need 1080 days sea time on deck as an AB(able body seaman) to be able to sit for the US Coast Guard test for Third Mate Unlimited(which is good on any oceans for any size ship). I got alot on my sea time in the Navy and went to work on deck of this thing for 1 1/2 years till I had my time certified to "sit". THEN I got promoted to Jr.Mate which is a training position for like 6-9 mts. to learn how to handle the ship and to operate the dredging gear. Then I was promoted to Third Mate which you are on watch without supervision. That was in 1987 so I been driving this thing since then! GOD I feel old now! I started in 1984 right out of the Navy.
We were built with the Miss. River in mind but we go all over the Gulf coast and up the East Coast as far as N.C. with this thing. We have worldwide capabilities and went to Puerto Rico in the winter of 1988 to dredge! That was a kick as I remember leaving N.O. on Mardi Gras morning and it was like 17deg. here and 76 degs. there!
During high water times, alot of sediment comes down. As the river falls, the shoaling happens faster than at other times. It is not 10-20 feet but maybe 2-3 feet and the Corp springs into action and gets a dredge on that spot. Some times, 4 weeks later it may need it again if it is a trouble spot or a bad flood year.
No problems with the questions. As you can see I am one of the fortunate ones that likes the job I have! Even if it does SUCK!(mud that is)!

[mudsucker]

Back on topic, I when I seen the dredgers, it showed the ones that actually open their bellys to dump the sediment. Amazing how they don't SINK.

Fellow MUDman,
That is how we dump. We are called a "Hopper" dredge because we hold the material on board to dump at a predetermined dump site. We have 14 bays with doors at the bottom of our hopper that open to the sea to let the mud out. On either side of the hopper and from the main deck to the bottom we have void spaces. Pipes and cables and valves are located in these spaces but they are there to provide flotation to compensate for the weight of the mud and to keep us floating when the "doors" are open. They are open right now here at the dock so we do not have to run the Hydraulics to keep them closed! You can see the current bubbling up down in the hopper. The hopper is 45' from top to bottom. Right now maybe 12' of water in there with the doors opened(weight of ship pushing down into water)!

[Seymore]

Where do you dump the mud? Are there spots out in the open Gulf where it's deep enough that you just go to and open the doors.

[mudsucker]

Yes Seymore, We have designated disposal areas usually right outside the ent. channel. At the seabouy to S.W. Pass, we go 1/2 mi. west of the bouy and "let it go". It is only about 45' deep but always has a good current from the river there so the mud gets dispersed. If we are working up river, we dump in a deep bend(90' or so). That material is usually heavier and will settle into the deep holes. Some dredges of our type can pump it ashore like you see on cutterhead dredges up river. We can not at this time. It is not cost effective but I wish we would do it to build up land(marsh) down here!!!

[John Ebanks]

Hey Mudsucka why dont u go make a round, the ship is probably sinking!

[chadrideduck]

Cool stuff mudsucker....very interesting. Actually sounds like alot of fun.