20.10.2007

Moving the Sea Stallion

In 1957 the wreck of a five Viking longboats were discovered during the underwater excavation of Skuldelev barrier in Roskilde Fjord. The boats had been scuttled there at the end of the 11th century in an attempt to block the fjord.

The boats were numbered 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 – the archeologists originally though they had found six ships. Skuldelev 1 and 3 were long cargo ships. Skuldelev 6 was a long fishing boat and Skuldelev 2, now named 'The Sea Stallion from Glendalough' was a warship of 30 metres in length.

Some 30 years later it was discovered through tree ring analysis of the keel, that the timber used in Skuldelev 2 had been felled in 1042 and even more surprisingly that the trees had come from the Dublin area in Ireland.

After three years of hard work, the National Museum in Dublin and the Viking Ship Museum in Denmark reconstructed the ship to resemble how it and other similar vessels would have originally appeared.

60 men could sit at the oars of the warship and it could carry an additional 10-20 men. The large crew suggests that the ship belonged to a rich chieftain or perhaps even a king. The original ship stayed in use until the very late 11th century before she was scuttled.

The newly constructed version was built using Viking tools, materials and much the same methods as the original ship. Queen Margrethe of Denmark christened the ship 'Havingsten fra Glendalough', which translates into 'The Sea Stallion from Glendalough'.

On 1st July of this year the ship and its 70-strong crew, including two Irish members, set sail from Roskilde. The ship was manned by members of the Viking Ship Museum staff and 120 international volunteers who took turns joining the 70-person crew.
Please register to see all images

The Sea Stallion arrives in Dublin

The ship stopped off in Norway and then sailed around the top of Scotland, completing its 1,000 kilometre voyage with its arrival at Hanover Quay on the river Liffey in Dublin on the 14th of August.

The next challenge was to move the 30 metre long 14 tonne boat from Hanover Quay to the National Museum of Ireland at Collins Barracks where it will be on display until next summer.

The challenge was handed over to Meade Crane Services of Rathcoole. Owner Fergus Meade took direct responsibility for all of the lifting on the project, while John Meade director of Sean Meade & Sons handled the transportation aspects of the Sea Stallion move.
Please register to see all images

(L-R)Fergus Meade - MD Meade Crane, Pat Wallace director of the National Museum and John Meade- director of Sean Meade.

Meade arrived at Hanover Quay at 9:00 with its 130 tonne Grove GMK 5130 All Terrain crane. The crane was then rigged with 50.6 metres of main boom and 23.5 tonnes of counterweight to remove the boats ballast and masts prior to lifting it out of the water.
Please register to see all images

Setting up the rigging note the Modulift sub spreaders

Please register to see all images

Out comes the 14 tonne Sea Stallion

Please register to see all images

The Grove GMK5130 makes light work of it

The boat’s hull weighing around 14 tonnes was then lifted out of the water on to dry land. A cleaning team with pumps and vacuums removed the excess water from the hull, reducing the boats weight to 13 tonnes.
Please register to see all images

The Sea Stallion is lowered ready for cleaning and drying

Please register to see all images

The Sea Stallion ready for loading onto the transport

At 16:00 the Sea Stallion was lifted onto Meade’s Nooteboom trailer fully extended to 25 metres.
Please register to see all images

All loaded on the 25m Nooteboom trailer and ready to go

At 23:00 the truck and its ship set off for the short drive through some narrow streets to the front of Collins Barracks, arriving at 23:25.
Please register to see all images

The Grove GMK5130 now set up in the Croppie Acre Memorial gardens lifts the Sea Stallion over the fence

It was not possible to manoeuvre the truck and ship through the main entrance gate so the GMK5130 set up on temporary trackway inside Croppies Acre memorial garden and at midnight, rigged with 45.8 metres of boom and 40.1 tonnes of counterweight, it lifted the boat off of the trailer over the fence and into the yard.
Please register to see all images

The Grove GMK5100 was set up on Trackway

The truck then moved into Croppies Acre, allowing the boat to be placed back on its trailer.
Please register to see all images

Back down onto the trailer for the short ride

The boat was then driven to the far end of the garden to where Meade’s Demag AC200 was already set up with 42 metres of boom and 69 tonnes of ballast. The Demag’s job was to lift the boat over the Luas tram lines into the outer courtyard of Collins Barracks. It had to wait until 2:00 am though, for the lines to close and the overhead power lines to be turned off. Once this lift was completed the team headed off for a short rest.
Please register to see all images

...The next crane, a Demag AC200 lifts the boat over the Luas tram lines

Please register to see all images

The boat is lowered to a position ready for Grove GMK6300 to lift the next day

Work resumed at 7:00 next morning when a Grove GMK6300 with 100 tonnes of counterweight, 23 metres of main boom and 45 metres of luffing jib lifted the Sea Stallion from the outer courtyard, over a four storey building into the inner courtyard.
Please register to see all images

The Grove GMK6300 prepares to make the penultimate lift

Please register to see all images

Next day the Grove GMK6300 with luffing jib lifts the Sea Stallion over the 4 storey building

Please register to see all images

A crowd waits expectantly

Please register to see all images

Down She comes - note the entrance arch to the inner courtyard on the right

Once unhooked the boat had to be moved a further 32 metres to the other end of the courtyard to its final resting place. Meade selected a Demag AC100 as it was compact enough to pass though the small archway entrance into the inner courtyard and yet was large enough to move shift the boat the full 32 metres from a single set-up location.
Please register to see all images

The boat is placed ready for the Demag AC100 (Which passed through that arch)

Please register to see all images

The Terex Demag lifts the boat for the last stage

Please register to see all images

The Sea Stallion in its final resting place - for now.

One assumes that the whole process will have to be repeated next summer when the Sea Stallion sails back to Denmark.