On Friday, 29 September 2017 21:46:56 UTC-3, Alex wrote:
Tim wrote:
On Friday, September 29, 2017 at 5:57:55 AM UTC-5, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/29/2017 2:12 AM, wrote:
On Fri, 29 Sep 2017 04:15:04 -0000 (UTC), Bill
wrote:

wrote:
On Thu, 28 Sep 2017 20:03:13 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 9/28/2017 7:59 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
Saw a news report this morning that showed 9,500 containers with
relief supplies for Puerto Rico residents held up in San Juan docks
due to lack of diesel fuel for trucks to haul them to their destinations.

Another 1,500 container ships loaded with supplies are anchored off
the coast, unable to unload due to no room on the docks.

This morning President Trump authorized that the Jones Act be waived
for Puerto Rico, effective immediately.

The Jones act requires that all goods shipped between US ports be
carried by American-owned and -operated ships.

Good we have a POTUS who is staying on top of things.
I just looked and there are a few dozen ships off the coast. I didn't
check each one to see if they are at anchor but I'm thinking you meant
to say 1500 containers on ships at anchor.


Probably. I was repeating what one of the talking heads said on TV this
morning.

NBC showed a yard full of containers sitting on the hard but with no
way to get the supplies out of the port.
Maybe Trump should send in heavy lift helicopters to spread them out
across the countryside. They could load the stuff on transport
pallets, based on need and set them down right in the neighborhoods in
trouble.
I suppose fixing the roads and getting diesel in there for the trucks
is the long term answer but people are in trouble now.

Just move the container with a heavy lift helo. Then the stuff would be
weather and theft protected better. Save the palletizing for movement.
I suspect the problem is that the containers tend to be full of the
same things and these people need a variety of stuff. I am not sure a
helicopter can pick up a 40,000 pound container either.


I think one or two Russian heavy lifts can come close but nothing the US
has will do it. Largest we have is the CH-53E Super Stallion, capable
of about 14 tons.
A Sikorski skycrane could

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9f/58...6bb96c4c7d.jpg

Those cables look thin but they are probable a foot in diameter...

~~Snerk~~
Yeah... one foot in diameter cabled would be real easy to roll up when not in use.

Maybe a real army man could tell us the approx diameter of a tank cannon barrel and we could guess the thickness of the cable from there. I'd say 2" or 3" at most.