What do a top-secret CIA mission and the Maryland bridge wreck have in common? Well, the same crane

By BEN FINLEY
Associated Press

A floating crane that’s been hauling away shattered steel from a collapsed Baltimore bridge played a much different role during the Cold War. In the early 1970s, it helped to build a specialized ship that would raise a portion of a sunken Soviet submarine. The barge’s powerful crane hoisted into the ship the heavy machinery that was vital to the high-stakes heist. The equipment included a mechanical claw and a heavy duty hydraulic system. The crane barge was called the Sun 800 back then. But it’s since been christened the Chesapeake 1000. It’s one of the largest cranes of its kind on the East Coast.