Happy St Patricks Day to you and Terry! I’m puzzle because I haven’t posted anything yet on this photo but I am now. First off, that is the meanest looking machine I have ever seen! My 1st time seeing one of those and probably the last. Thanks for bringing us this great photo and explaining what it does. I would have never guessed what it was and what it was for. A new thing to enrich my memory bank! Thank you!
Thank you Joanne :) This is the business end of a dredge. Its attached to a giant barge. Most of the Great South Bay on Long Island ranges from 3 to 8 feet deep. The ferries that shuttle people back and forth to Fire Island need a consistent water depth so these dredges make sure to keep the “State Channel” (the part of the bay where bigger ships travel) at consistent depth. As the boom arm is lowered the auger digs into the sand. The sand is vacuumed up and exits the side of the barge creating a shipping lane.
The Visual Chronicle 
It’s a great shot, but I too, am grateful for the explanation
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Thank you Laurie 😀
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Happy St Patricks Day to you and Terry! I’m puzzle because I haven’t posted anything yet on this photo but I am now. First off, that is the meanest looking machine I have ever seen! My 1st time seeing one of those and probably the last. Thanks for bringing us this great photo and explaining what it does. I would have never guessed what it was and what it was for. A new thing to enrich my memory bank! Thank you!
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Thanks Gale 🙂 Happy St. Patrick’s Day
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It’s a very unusual, interesting photo … but what on earth is it?!
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Thank you Joanne :) This is the business end of a dredge. Its attached to a giant barge. Most of the Great South Bay on Long Island ranges from 3 to 8 feet deep. The ferries that shuttle people back and forth to Fire Island need a consistent water depth so these dredges make sure to keep the “State Channel” (the part of the bay where bigger ships travel) at consistent depth. As the boom arm is lowered the auger digs into the sand. The sand is vacuumed up and exits the side of the barge creating a shipping lane.
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Ooooh – so that’s what those dredging things look like! I would never have guessed that it would look like a mutant orb.
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LOL
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Thanks Gale, Happy Saint Patricks Day :)
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