Vent: Cutterhead clog nearly sank my barge last shift in Mobile Bay

We were churning through a clay seam near the shipping channel when the suction dropped to zero and the ladder started shaking bad. I killed the pump and found a 4-foot timber wedged in the ring, cleared it with the jet line but it cost us 3 hours of production. Anyone else deal with random debris that completely stops you cold?

2 comments

2 Comments

robinj291mo ago

Two summers ago I would've said keep your jet line handy and move on. But after pulling a rusted anchor chain out of our cutterhead near the Causeway bridge I totally get it now. That kind of random junk changes how you look at every dig.

xena11mo ago

Wait, an anchor chain? Like a full on rusted anchor chain just tangled up in your cutterhead? I cannot even imagine the cussing that came out of your mouth when you saw that thing. I would've just sat down on the deck and cried for a solid five minutes before even trying to deal with it lol. And near the Causeway too, that water is already so nasty and shallow you don't need that extra hassle. A timber is one thing, but that's a whole other level of bad luck man.