Crofton recently completed the salvage and recovery of sixteen, 185’ long, 250,000 lb. concrete piles in Cape Charles, Virginia. This project put the comprehensive nature of Crofton’s services on display, bringing many resources and decades of experience together to provide solutions above and below the waterline. Through intense collaboration and pre-planning, a project with the perfect storm of risk factors was completed without a hitch.

The means and methods for salvaging the piles was developed through extensive pre-planning. Several meetings between project stakeholders and two investigative dives took place to survey the location of the piles and assess feasibility. As with every job, safety would be the priority. Two significant challenges presented themselves. First, there was very little, if any access for rigging the piles as they were stacked on top of each other. Second, the piles had sustained numerous cracks when they fell overboard, which would make them vulnerable to breaks during salvage.

In selecting the dive crew for this salvage, many hours of experience underwater would be needed, particularly with excavation, along with excellent communication skills. Dive production manager, Roger Belch, shared that “with such high stakes, this was not an environment for learning”. Herman Groombridge, one of the divers on site, shared that “each pile presented a new challenge and had to be assessed individually.” About half of the piles remained whole as they were recovered and placed on the barge. Many required additional tunneling around the base or cutting to release tension so the pile wouldn’t snap once it was out of the water.

Franklin Odom, Inventory Manager, had the opportunity to observe salvage operations from the barge and jumped at the chance. Franklin spent twenty years in the Navy, with plenty of experience on the water, but shared that this was different. “It was so interesting to see the veterans and the younger guys working and problem solving together. All the elements of what we do came together in one place with people collaborating as if they work together every day. Everyone knew their role. I see these guys come and go in the shop all the time. Now I have a little perspective on what their day might have been like.”

Crofton thanks McLean contracting for their partnership and Mark Herman, who was Crofton’s superintendent on site overseeing project operations. We are especially thankful to everyone involved for their tremendous commitment to safety! 

Crofton recently travelled to Florida to begin installing power cables from Georgetown to Drayton Island and then from Drayton Island to Hog Island, all located in Lake George on the St. John’s River. Project managers worked closely with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to obtain all appropriate permits and partnered with a local shipbuilding company to mobilize Crofton’s floating cable plow rig at their facility on the St. John’s River near Palatka, FL. The crew will consist of ADCI compliant divers with surface supplied diving equipment, a rig foreman, and a certified crane operator. An unexpected addition to the crew, Cranky the alligator (named by residents of Drayton Island), joined as a sidewalk supervisor. She is very strict! The project is suspected to take about 30 days. We are grateful to the entire crew for their commitment to the success of this project!

In early April, construction broke ground on Area 6 of the Portsmouth Seawall Replacement Project. This phase of the seawall replacement is scheduled to last until July 2022. It includes 614 linear feet of seawall and 127 H-piles. So far, demolition, structural excavation, and erosion and sediment control have taken place. Sheet pile and H-pile installation is expected to begin mid-May. The section for Area 6 has a similar design as previous phases. It will of course include a new sheet pile bulkhead wall, concrete pile cap, electrical, concrete boardwalk and handrails which will mirror the already completed sections. Crofton will have several pieces of equipment on site to assist with production including the Mani 8 (a Manitowoc 4100 crane barge), material barges, the Little Sam (push boat), and a long reach excavator for rip-rap removal. Dan Klunk will serve as site superintendent and has been involved in multiple phases of production for several years. We are grateful to take part in the revitalization of a Portsmouth landmark and thank the crews and vendors for their commitment to its success!

In April, Brad Atkin and Steve Cunningham travelled to Panama City to participate in Kirby Morgan Helmet & Repair Technician Training. The three-day course covered maintenance, repair techniques, operational procedures, and new developments for the Kirby Morgan products. Brad Atkin shared that the training was “a good balance between classroom and hands-on training.” His biggest take away? “The diving industry is ever evolving, and this class was a great resource to ensure we are up to date on the latest safety and operating procedures so the equipment we rely on is working at top performance.”

Aaron Lecrone spent 13 years as a pile driver in residential marine construction before becoming a crane operator. He didn’t always have such an affinity for safety, sharing that he was “the guy wearing swim trunks, no shirt, and sandals while he was pile driving.” Nowadays, Aaron attributes his interest in safety in large part to real world experience and unfortunately witnessing a lot of accidents first-hand. Aaron shared that most safety policies are “written in blood”, established because something awful happened, but challenges the notion that it should take an accident to instigate changes. Aaron feels that “safety is an easy and conscientious thing that we can do every day”. We sat down with Aaron to learn more about his perspective on safety!

What is your biggest safety pet-peeve? General cleanliness and organization. Organization goes so far in creating a safe work environment!

What is a common hurdle to a safe work site? We get comfortable with the environment and become less observant and less aware, less effected by what we see every day.

What role does mentorship play in safety culture? Mentorship is critical and I definitely see that in the industry veterans at Crofton. They are really good about taking new people under their wing. The crane operating team at Crofton has been extremely welcoming to me since making the transition. It’s been heartwarming how they’ve accepted me as a newcomer to this part of the industry.

What is an easy way someone can create a safer work environment? Take time on the front end to take care of safety. It may feel in the moment like we are sacrificing timeline, but in the long run it will save us if we are preventing accidents.

What would you say to up and comers in this industry? Be open to the advice and guidance of your colleagues. Don’t be complacent. Slow down and pay attention.