Design and Engineering
The Southwest Regional Maintenance Center (SWRMC) required modification of a flat deck barge into a dive barge to support ongoing underwater ship husbandry repair work. PCCI provided engineering calculations and prepared drawings using AutoCAD and Solid Edge to permanently mount deck handling equipment, office and weight handling containers, and a 150KW diesel generator onto the barge deck.
Barge Refurbishment
After the initial barge overhaul was completed to repair damaged hull plating and install structural stiffing and foundation mounts for the marine crane, office and rigging conex box containers, generator, hydraulic power units, capstans and the “A” frame platform, the dive barge deck handling systems were installed by Global PCCI JV and tested in place.
Permanently Installed Equipment
PCCI’s engineering designs encompassed: Solid Edge modeling for layout of the capstans, deck winches, and the marine crane; structural analysis for placement of the “A” frame and marine crane base placement; electrical load requirements for the marine crane and ancillary equipment; dynamic calculations for the load on the “A” frame lifting arrangement, POSSE stability modeling for the fully loaded barge in various sea states; and documentation to support final certification for construction to ABS and California state standards.
First Use
In August 2014, the new SWRMC dive barge was moved alongside USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) in support of a six month long Planned Incremental Availability, which resulted in SWRMC divers accomplishing multiple high profile waterborne repairs.
