^^after recently watching the Discovery Channel show "Bering Sea Gold", they dropped similar posts into the sea floor to stabilize the barge while digging. In the episode I saw, they only had one post to "anchor" the barge, but I imagine the barge for this bad boy requires posts on all 4 corners.
Being so large and lifting such gargantuan loads how do they stabilize the barge? Do those corner posts drop down to add additional stability?
Pretty certain that the buoyancy of air in that flotilla is sufficient to take the crane load and pick load. The corner "spuds" look to be a slip connection - meaning the posts slide within the shaft - for holding the barge in position so it doesn't drift. A barge that size could float insane loads while barely displacing water volume.
Exactly, those posts are giant stakes they drop down into the riverbed to keep the barge from moving. Obviously water currents and, probably more treacherously in this circumstance, wind loads, could push this crane/barge combo around quite a bit.
Back in 2002 it was in more regular use ( few days after a derailment )
but by 2007 seems to have been a standby line only.
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Harry C - Urbanize Chicago- My Flickr stream HRC_OakPark
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Absolutely love that shot. 
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