The USS Somerset is an amphibious transport docked for commissioning at Penn’s Landing, near the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia, PA. Thackray Crane was brought in to help welcome the vessel and its crew to Philadelphia by providing the necessary crane lifting services to install the ship’s gangways, sometimes referred to as gangplanks. The gangways provide the bridges and walkways so crew members can easily disembark and board the ship.

Thackray’s all terrain crane was backed into a narrow location on the Penn’s Landing pier near the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia. A set of protective mats was placed on the ground to prevent damage to the intricate brick work that creates the image of a compass. Additional crane mats were located under each crane outrigger.

Working in unusually heavy fog and intermittent rain, the Thackray Crew members set up the crane and positioned other equipment so that gangways connecting between the pier and the ship could be removed from the ship and set in place.

Within minutes of the completed installation and safety check, USS Somerset members disembarked happily setting foot in historic Philadelphia.