Any idea what this (formerly) floating object is?

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, keyway.

[hpeer]

Actually I thought a bunch of CR posters were a pretty good substitute for a bunch of 12 year olds!

[bletso]

Originally Posted by keyway

Keel blocking out of a dry dock?

That would be my guess as well.

[Benz]

It is what we call around here a "Camel"
Built by the Navy in WW2, they were used as fenders between big ships when rafted, and also for floats along the top of an anti-submarine net stretched across Narragansett Bay.

Ours (and that one looks like it's the same), are made of creosote-impregnated yellow pine timbers, strapped with steel bars and rods that go all the way through. We still have a few floating around and washing up on beaches around here--scary to think about bumping one in the night.

The nonprofit I work for has removed a few. The link I copied goes to a blog post I wrote about the removal of one on our company site. Enjoy!
PS, if the link doesn't work, you may have to copy and paste, or perhaps a mod will fix it: I'm terrible bad at nerd stuff.
http://www.cleanbays.org/portfolio/camel-removal/

[CaptTom]

Both the OP and Benz show no fouling. To heck with bottom paint, I'm gonna use creosote!

[a64pilot]

Link works.
Too bad you can’t borrow a backhoe and trailer, I think I could load a “Camel” in about 10sec.
Where did the name Camel come from?

Oh, and I don’t think you can get creosote anymore, it is a marvelous preservative, it’s my understanding that without it, the US Railroad system could never have been built, not at least until it was discovered that ties can be made from concrete.

[Benz]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Link works.
Too bad you can’t borrow a backhoe and trailer, I think I could load a “Camel” in about 10sec.
Where did the name Camel come from?

Oh, and I don’t think you can get creosote anymore, it is a marvelous preservative, it’s my understanding that without it, the US Railroad system could never have been built, not at least until it was discovered that ties can be made from concrete.

Historically, it's my understanding that a Camel was a sort of barge-thingy that they would tie tight to a ship, jettison it's ballast, and it would lift the ship partways out of the water, so the copper could be cleaned and repaired. Perhaps the name morphed from there to include these ungainly blocks of wood.

The camel could have been removed by crane, if access was possible--a lot of these wash up in places where heavy equipment is difficult or impossible to position. Of course, once on the trailer, there's still the problem of where to put it. There's a few being used as sort of monuments here and there. I con't think a backhoe could have got to mine.

[jsmbythebay]

I think we have a winner with the "camel." CF community did not disappoint! Thanks all.