A giant claw has arrived from Galveston, Texas, to aid in the cleanup of the Key Bridge collapse.

The 1,000-metric-ton hydraulic wreck grab, also known as “Gus” by crew members, is attached to the Chesapeake 1000 crane that is capable of lifting 1,000 tons of the debris left after the Dali cargo ship crashed into the bridge March 26.

Once the ship wreckage is removed, the grabber will focus on moving parts of the bridge to widen the channel and increase the opportunity for commerce. The crane will be outfitted with a GPS transponder to calculate where to “fix and grab” pieces of the debris that remain on the seabed.

“I think it’s helpful to remind the community that this piece of equipment is yet another tool in the toolbox from the United Command and is part of a multifaceted effort, multi-agency effort, to restore commerce to the Port of Baltimore,” Chief Warrant Officer Rick Baynor said.

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The grabber is the largest in the United States. Although it calls Texas home, the grabber travels far and wide for large-scale incidents. In 2019, the grabber was used after the capsizing of the MV Golden Ray — a 660-foot roll-on/roll-off cargo ship that carried automobiles — in St. Simons Sound in Georgia. It was declared a total loss and cut into eight pieces that were sent to salvage.

The grabber cleared the rest of the debris from the seabed floor to allow ships to pass. The grabber’s hydraulic mechanism allows it to move and dispose of larger pieces, unlike a fully mechanical counterpart, which is the reason it is now residing in Baltimore.

(Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)
The 1000 metric ton hydraulic wreck grab, also known as “Gus” by crew members, is attached to the Chesapeake 1000 crane that is capable of lifting 1,000 tons of the debris.
The 1000 metric ton hydraulic wreck grab, also known as “Gus” by crew members, is attached to the Chesapeake 1000 crane that is capable of lifting 1,000 tons of the debris. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)
The 1000 metric ton hydraulic wreck grab, also known as “Gus” by crew members, is attached to the Chesapeake 1000 crane that is capable of lifting 1,000 tons of the debris.
The 1000-metric ton hydraulic wreck grab, also known as “Gus” by crew members, is attached to the Chesapeake 1000 crane that is capable of lifting 1,000 tons of the debris. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)
Hydraulic lines are shown attached to the wreck grab. The hydraulics allow the grab to pick up larger pieces of debris more efficiently than a mechanical grab. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)
The Dali is seen from the pier on which the Chesapeake 1000 crane and the hydraulic wreck grabber sit on April 28, 2024.
The Dali is seen from the pier on which the Chesapeake 1000 crane and the hydraulic wreck grabber sit. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)
Nicknamed “Chessy” and “Gus” by its crewmembers, the two mammoth pieces of salvage equipment are touted as “the largest floating barge on the eastern coast” and “the largest hydraulic grabber in the United States” respectively. Chessy arrived in Baltimore on March 29 to start wreckage cleanup, and salvors attached Gus on April 27 at Sparrows Point, beginning their partnership. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Public Affairs Specialist Dylan Burnell)
Each with a gargantuan two-million-pound lift capacity, the Chesapeake 1000 and the HSWC500-1000 hydraulic claw are lending a big hand to Unified Command’s mission of removing what remains of the estimated 50,000 tons of Francis Scott Key Bridge wreckage.
Each with a gargantuan two-million-pound lift capacity, the Chesapeake 1000 and the HSWC500-1000 hydraulic claw are lending a big hand to Unified Command’s mission of removing what remains of the estimated 50,000 tons of Francis Scott Key Bridge wreckage. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Public Affairs Specialist Dylan Burnell)

Kaitlin Newman

Kaitlin.Newman@thebaltimorebanner.com

Kaitlin Newman

Kaitlin Newman is a photojournalist specializing in multimedia coverage. Her main areas of focus are politics, conflict, feature and breaking news. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a Master’s Degree in Professional Writing from Towson University, which is where she is also the professor of photojournalism.

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