911 Artifacts Rigged and Placed In National September 11 Museum
Enlarge Image The R. Baker & Son team transported the
cross from St. Peter’s Church to the museum after a ceremony attended by former
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and recovery
workers. |
September 21, 2011—This summer, prior to the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11
terrorist attacks, R. Baker & Son lowered several
large artifacts from Ground Zero in the National September 11
Memorial Museum (9/11 Memorial
Museum). The museum is scheduled to open in September
2012.
The artifact installation was a collective effort with R.Baker,
curators, conservators, and the design and construction staff of the National
September 11 Memorial & Museum.
In all, R. Baker, a rigging
contractor with offices in
In July, firefighters, family members, and friends of firefighters
who died on September 11, 2001 were joined by New York City Mayor Michael
Bloomberg and Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano as FDNY's Ladder Company 3
truck and Engine 21 were lowered into the museum by a 350-ton Liebherr LR 1350
operated by Bay Crane. “This represents a final resting place. It was like a
burial ceremony for the families,†said Paszkewicz.
Bay Crane's Liebherr LR 1350 lowers Ladder 3
into the
museum.
Enlarge Image
But preparing for that moment took a lot of planning and
engineering, explained Paszkewicz, “especially considering the condition the
fire trucks were in.†The challenge was in figuring out how to lower the
58,000-pound ladder truck vertically through a narrow opening into the museum 70
feet below ground, then return it to its horizontal position, using only one
crane. Central to the project was Bay Crane Service’s crane operator, whom
Paszkewicz says he hand-picked for the job. Bay Crane, with offices in
The solution to the rigging dilemma was a custom-designed frame
for the ladder truck dubbed the Rigging Apparatus for Fire Trucks or RAFT
device. The RAFT consists of two main 21-inch diameter beams connected by
smaller members. The frame, which measures 11’ wide x 13’ high x 40’ long,
provides a structure from which the crane could be rigged. The chassis of the
ladder truck is attached inside the frame to keep it secure through the lift. At
the low-end of the RAFT, R. Baker designed tailing axles, which were used to
pull the truck into a horizontal position with a Versa-Lift 25/35 forklift as it
was lowered into the museum. Ideal for material handling in tight quarters, the
Versa-Lift 25/35 can lift loads of 25,000 to 35,000
pounds.
Tailing axles are used to maneuver the fire
truck to a horizontal
position.
The
tailing axles serve an additional purpose. The ladder truck is located in a
temporary position while the museum’s interior is completed. When the time
comes, “the frame and tailing axles will act like a skate, to move the fire
truck to its final position,†said Paszkewicz.
Enlarge Image
A
similar process was used for the other emergency vehicle artifacts, each with
their own custom-designed RAFT. Except for removing any fuel and hydraulic
fluids for environmental purposes, the fire trucks have been preserved in the
condition they were found, and were protected by shink-wrap during the lifting
process.
Among the other artifacts R. Baker has lowered into the
museum are a taxi cab, recovered steel, elevator motors, and a portion of an
antenna from the north tower. The heaviest load weighed 65,000 pounds. In the
coming months, R. Baker will continue to lower more artifacts into the museum as
construction continues on the project.