When a U.S. Navy maintenance center needed a purpose-built dive barge to support underwater ship husbandry operations, PCCI delivered end-to-end engineering design and conversion support — taking a bare deck barge from concept to certified, fully operational dive platform.

PCCI’s multidisciplinary engineering team developed the complete design package for the barge transformation, including:

• Solid Edge 3D modeling for layout of capstans, deck winches, and marine crane
• Structural analysis for “A” frame and marine crane foundation placement
• Electrical load engineering for the marine crane and ancillary systems
• Dynamic load calculations for the “A” frame lifting arrangement
• POSSE stability modeling across multiple sea states for the fully loaded barge
• ABS and California state certification documentation for final construction approval

Following hull plating repairs and installation of structural stiffening, foundation mounts, office and rigging containers, a 150KW diesel generator, hydraulic power units, capstans, and the “A” frame platform — the Global PCCI joint venture team installed and tested all deck handling systems in place.

The completed dive barge was deployed alongside USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), where Navy divers executed multiple high-profile underwater repairs over a six-month mission — keeping one of the Navy’s premier nuclear aircraft carriers operational and ready.