FEATURED PROJECT: Bangor Mooring Camel
Bangor Mooring Camel
Project Overview
Fabricated by Thompson for the Bangor Naval Base in Silverdale, WA; this floating maintenance dock is known as a ‘mooring camel.’
Installed, the maintenance walkway is 12 feet wide x 50 feet long x 40 feet tall, and nearly 25 feet of the platform will be below the surface of the water.
The mooring camel is attached to pilings and will self-ballast with the tides. The tank float section is sealed watertight and filled with foam for buoyancy. The mooring camel was fully assembled at TMF’s shop, including installation of rubber fenders with UHMW pads.
The float section was welded watertight and passed inspection not only in the shop, but also by a dive team in the Puget Sound once it was in the water. Upon assurance that welds were sound, the mooring camel was towed to the site.
First photo below shows the mooring camel in the ‘as-fabricated’ position, turned 90-degrees from the ‘as-installed’ position. The walking surface (top deck) is shown to the far left, with cleats installed along the perimeter.
Project Highlights
- Painted, foam filled, and assembled at TMF’s shop.
- Loaded onto a barge using SPMTs (self-propelled modular transporters) and delivered by barge from the Columbia River to the Puget Sound.
- 150-ton weight, in total.
- This was a design/build project -the Contractor & Engineer worked closely with TMF team for design input.
