Aircraft carrier skidded by ALE
5 November 2015 by Daniel SearleALE has completed a skidding operation involving the 26,500t forward section of an aircraft carrier, representing the heaviest item ever to be skidded by the company.
The company was contracted by Babcock International Group, on behalf of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, to jack-up and skid two sections on each of two warships, the HMS Queen Elizabeth and the HMS Prince of Wales.
After completing the project to move the HMS Queen Elizabeth at the Rosyth Dockyard in the UK, ALE last month completed the jacking-up and skidding of the two sections of the second ship. The two sections, weighing 13,050t and 26,500t, were jacked-up from their support, then skidded 94m and 18m respectively.
A total of 35 skidshoes were used to move the lighter module, with 58 required for the heavier section.
Tim van As, project engineer at ALE, said: ""This is the first time ALE has ever attempted to skid an item of such an extreme weight.
We complied with the strict security and safety standards throughout and during the operation we overcame several challenges.
"It is fantastic to be part of what could potentially be a world first in skidding capabilities. By utilising our global network of equipment and technical expertise from the UK, Spain and the Netherlands to complete this operation, we are all proud of what has been achieved.
"These installations represent a major milestone towards the completion of our overall scope and the construction of the largest warships ever to be built for the Royal Navy."
