Also, we would love to obtain good video footage of Sea Catches in use for our promotional efforts.
^News item September 2018: Reliance Hexham Pty Ltd of NSW Australia who specialize in the design and manufacture of lifting solutions for the mining industry, has provided this YouTube video showing the release (by a Sea Catch Model TR8 at the beginning) of a test conveyance fitted with sand bags to simulate passenger weight. The total mass of the conveyance in this test is 12,000 kg, equivalent to about 10 small cars. The specially built inclined railway test track is constructed at a slope found in a mine drift, a steep underground railway, often many kilometers long connecting the surface to underground operations. The conveyance typically runs up and down the drift using a winder and wire rope. If, for any reason, the rope breaks, the “Reliance Franlane” ™ emergency braking system is activated and brings the conveyance and passengers to a stop on the inclined railway. (Video courtesy of Jeremy Cooper.)
^News item July 2017: A recent launch of a U-Boat Worx private submarine was captured on film as shown above and on a YouTube video where a Sea Catch was used to deploy the craft. (Provided courtesy of Roy de Boer with U-Boat Worx, The Netherlands.)
^News item September 2016: "On some of our jobs, we have been concerned of accidental mechanical tripping of the Sea Catch from the numerous cables and lines we have when lowering items to the seafloor. Attached is a photo of a modification we made aboard the ship to prevent this from happening. The ¼” plates (shown in black) are removable and still allow a small prybar to open the lever when rigging on deck. It worked well, and our worries are over. The plates have enough clearance so that the Sea Catch can be fully closed, but lines or cables cannot lift up on the lever." Shared by Kirk Connally and his team at L3 MariPro.
^News item September 2016: "Here is an image of a Sea Catch TR3 in action releasing our giant swing. The device has proven itself to be ideal for our intended use. The speed and smoothness of load release is definitely a highlight for our guests and adds to the thrill factor on our swing. Also, the amount of force required to release the load is ideal for some of our younger guests, meaning they get to experience the drop firsthand. We are more than satisfied with how well the Sea Catch works and will continue to use it at our operations. Thanks for making a great product", Ron Betts - owner/operator, Treetop Flyers.
^News item December 2015: Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. has delivered the Joseph Napier, the 15th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) to the U.S. Coast Guard. The 154-ft FRC was built using a proven, in service parent craft design based on the Damen Stan Patrol Boat 4708 and has a stern launch system using a Sea Catch Toggle Release to deploy the vessel's 26-ft cutter boat. The FRC has been described as an operational "game changer" by senior Coast Guard officials. The Margaret Norvell, sister ship of the Joseph Napier, is depicted above while operating in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.
^News item 12-08-15: Shown above is tip-over impact testing at the University of Houston of mock-up concrete overpacks for storage of used nuclear fuel. The project was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy's Nuclear Energy University Programs, contract no. 00128931. The Sea Catch TR11RAM was used for this test. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy and Bora Gencturk, University of Houston.)
^News item 09-16-15: Scripps physical oceanographer Jennifer MacKinnon describes a mooring deployment during ArcticMix, a research cruise that has so far found incredible evidence of turbulence mixing relatively warm waters with cold surface waters and ice in the Arctic Ocean YouTube video. A standard Sea Catch was used to release this load.
^News item 05-31-15: Deployment of moored ADCP (RDI) and SeaBird Microcat on the Scotian Shelf YouTube video. A Sea Catch TR8LM was used for this deployment.
^News item 02-24-15: This image is of the SeaBED AUV Jaguar, operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, that was used to map the underside of ice floes as part of a cruise being conducted by the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre aboard the icebreaker Aurora Australis in September and October of 2012. The Sea Catch used to deploy the AUV. (Photo by Peter Kimball, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
^News item Fall-2014: Sea Catch is celebrating 20 years of sales! McMillan Design would like to thank all customers and dealers that helped make this happen. Please visit the Gig Harbor Life article about Sea Catch to learn more about our celebrated accomplishments.
^News item 09-09-14: The Sea Catch TR5 shown above at left has undergone at least 10,000 cycles in the last 2 years without any maintenance and was returned to us for refurbishment. The shackle connection openings (jaw and rear hole) show the most wear and the overcenter snap had completely gone. Due to poor maintenance, all four pivot pins as well as both toggle plates needed replacement. While operating a Sea Catch in this condition is not safe, it is a testament to the durability of the device for it to function so long with so little care. The photo at right shows the same unit refurbished. It was put right back into operation again.
^News item 04-05-13: Chevron USA recently used a Sea Catch TR18RAM as an emergency disconnect on the mooring line that secured an ocean going barge to the stern of a drill ship for well test flowback. They were pleased with its function and mentioned that the Sea Catch assembly was much easier to rig than a pelican hook and weighed less than half what a pelican hook, pear shackle, chain and other shackles would weigh. The unit was delivered to Chevron by Sea Catch dealer Blue Ocean Tackle, Inc. (Photo courtesy Chevron USA)
^News item 12-13-12: Nuytco Research Ltd. of North Vancouver, Canada has devised an innovative way to remotely "pull" the safety pin on their Sea Catch TR10 as shown above. The pin is fitted with a compression spring on one end that ejects the pin as soon as the pin's R-clip is pulled away from the other end. In this way the safety pin can be pulled from the same direction as the release lever to facilitate the use of the hitch pin in semi-remote applications. The pin is tethered to the unit body to prevent its being lost upon release. McMillan Design is offering a similar Spring Safety Pin (659KB PDF) as an option. (Photos courtesy Jeff Heaton - Nuytco Research Ltd.)
^News item 11-09-10: TR18s going to Murphy Oil for rig/supply tender emergency connections are being prepared for shipment. This process includes proofload testing each unit with a pull to twice the SWL (308,472 lbs) and certifying. For this order, one unit was released at 50,000 lbs using the air cylinder mounted on the unit. Check out the YouTube video of the release.
^News item 10-08-10: Right here close to home, engineers with project contractor Advanced American Construction, recently used a Sea Catch to deploy a 2,700 foot section of outfall pipe onto the sea bed of Colvos Passage just outside of Gig Harbor. This was part of the upgrade to Gig Harbor's wastewater treatment plant. According to City Construction Inspector, George Flanigan, the drop was smooth and successful. The left photo shows Gig Harbor in the background while the right shows the harbor in the foreground. Photos by Tom Collins.
^News item 07-07-10: Congratulations! Bay College's Yo-Yo Team achieved success with their attempt at breaking the Guiness World Record for the world's largest functioning yo-yo. A Sea Catch TR5 was used to release the 1,700-lb yo-yo. Team member Mark Cocco states, "Your quick release worked perfect for us. We had one rope on the safety pin, which pulled out easily, and then another rope on the release lever. Even with the release at 100 feet up, there were no problems during any of our 5 drops!" Check out the YouTube video. Photos and video by Mark Cocco/Bay College.
^News item August 2010: Seaflex was asked to propose a buoyancy system to float three 2.5km strings of concrete-coated LNG pipelines in a bundle through a tributary in Soyo, Angola. The company was also asked to provide a quick release system which would allow for the buoyancy units to be removed from the pipeline in a safe manner, without the use of divers.
The answer was a combination of 660 Seaflex 5-ton Mono Buoyancy Units (MBUs) with a Sea Catch TR7 for each MBU. Once the pipelines were in position, the air was release from the bags allowing the pipelines to settle on the river bottom before the deflated bags were disconnected from the pipeline by pulling the Sea Catch release lanyard at the surface.
It later was found out that the main reason for requesting a diver-less buoyancy release system was the risk from local inhabitants..... pythons and crocodiles (like this one recently caught nearby)! Photos courtesy of Graham Brading.
^News item 03-31-09: In February 2009 four acoustic doppler current profiler's (ADCP) were deployed by the Center for Ocean Energy Technology (COET) at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) near Ft. Lauderdale to monitor various aspects of the Gulf Stream YouTube video. The data will be collected and analyzed in anticipation of the first test turbine to be deployed by the COET and scheduled for summer 2009. The Sea Catch quick release can be seen assisting with the deployment at the 2:10 time frame. (Courtesy of COET)
^News item 08-27-08: Trireme Vessel Management of Belgium has found a good use for the Sea Catch OLH25 Offload Hook. Several of their reefer/cargo "Island" vessels are now fitted with safety hooks to prevent inadvertent deployment of the life boat.
^News item January 2008: A Sea Catch TR10 is shown deploying the manned submersible Deep Worker 2000 as part of one of the largest subsea medicinal research expeditions in US history. The research location is miles off the island nation of the Republic of Palau in the Pacific Ocean. "We rely on Sea Catch for the safe and effective recovery of our manned submersibles. Sea Catch is proven and dependable in launching and recovering manned submersibles, in all ocean conditions. Thanks Sea Catch - for building the latching system our submersible pilots know is a safe link to return home by." ~ Chris Hartman - CEO American Aquanaut
^News item 04-30-08: The MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) platform elevator loaded with scientific equipment during a deployment off the RV Western Flyer. Photo credit: Mike Conway © 2006 MBARI.
^News item 09-25-07: One of the most unique Sea Catch applications has to be the "Human Canon" act by multi-talented, Swiss artist, David Dimitri. David has been using up to 3 Sea Catch releases in his one man circus shows since 1999. One release is fitted to the launching mechanism of his canon which he releases himself from within the canon. Another is used to release a 250-lb weighted bag that hits a teeterboard flipping him upside down and back on his feet. Watch a typical David Dimitri performance here on this YouTube video.
^News item 08-31-07: A pair of Sea Catch TR7RL units are seen here holding a horse during a rigging test as part of a rescue training session by TLAER, Inc. of Pendelton, South Carolina. Picture by Tara Spachs.
^News item 12-10-06: Haaland Diving, Inc. is preparing an ROV for deployment offshore of Santa Barbara, California using the Sea Catch TR3 for its release. The project included a pipeline survey and Level II jacket inspection for Venoco, Inc.
^News item 02-09-06: Phil Marusek with General Atomics is shown here with an impact test rig that released 80k without a problem. The rig was fitted with a Sea Catch TR11RAM unit hydraulically activated with a hand pump.
^News item 01-12-06: This oil spill boom handling and laying workboat utilizes the Sea Catch TR7LM fitted to an innovative multi-directional tow point.
^News item 08-29-05: Oceaneering is pleased with their deployment of a 72,000-lb mooring anchor using a Sea Catch TR15 with the release lever tended with a wire pendant for manual release as shown above.
^News item 07-19-05: This particular Sea Catch TR7AIR (a standard TR7 fitted with an air cylinder) has provided Dr. James Bay at Utah State University with a record number of release cycles. During a geological wave-generating project he and his team have dropped a 4,500 lb. weight well over 5,000 times. This Sea Catch was purchased by USU in April 2002 and was recently returned to McMillan Design for refurbishment. After the air cylinder was exchanged with a new one and one pivot pin was replaced, it was sent back to work.
^News item 06-28-05: Gary Borton, owner of Atlantis Diving & Salvage Company of West Sacramento, California, highly recommends the Sea Catch. He is seen here using his new TR7 on a job by Tower Bridge on the Sacramento River. Working off his 38-foot workboat, Gary is placing concrete anchors weighing 300 pounds each to set regulatory buoys.
^News item 11-11-04: Sea Catch has become a popular release mechanism at the annual Punkin Chunk competition. Shown above is the Siege Engine Team's device (www.siege-engine.com) ready to launch. With the help of a Sea Catch TR7, Eric Ludlam and his team mates captured 3rd place in the Torsion Division. Other record launches at this event occurred with the use of Sea Catch devices.
^News item 10-10-14: John McMillan holding a redundancy/dual Sea Catch release assembly sold to a Canadian X-Prize high altitude contender.
^News item 08-06-04: A Sea Catch TR10 was the release of choice by trebuchet designer, Ron Toms www.trebuchet.com for his mammoth 40-ft tall T-Wrecks trebuchet featured on Discovery Channel in the first of a new series entitled, In the Name of Science. Ron is shown holding the TR10 which was put to the task of dropping a 9-ton counterweight to successfully hurl a flaming piano 500 feet. For more photos and information visit www.T-Wrecks.com.
^News item 10-13-03: Sea Catch TR8s have begun replacing the aging releases shown in the deployment of US Army causeway ramps. The Sea Catches will be manually activated. The US Army anticipates the use of the Sea Catch in other applications as well.
^News item 07-24-03: Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. has begun ordering Sea Catch TR7 units to be used in the stern launch and recovery of RIBs on USCG 110-Foot Island Class Coastal Patrol Boats such as the USCGC Cuttyhunk of Port Angeles, WA shown above. Nearly 50 of these vessels will be retrofitted with stern launching systems as part of the US Coast Guard's $17 billion Deepwater Program.
^News item 05-12-03: A squib-fired Sea Catch TR7SQ is rigged above in a stunt by FX Stunt Team, S.A. for a Fear Factor television production. The device functioned flawlessly and repeatedly to the delight of the FX crew and production staff.
^News item 03-31-03: The Sea Catch TR8 is shown at work for the Swedish Sea Rescue Society's rescue vessel GAD RAUSING for rescue and towing operations in the Baltic Sea.
^News item 3-10-03: (left photo) Sea Catch was again utilized as part of the ground support equipment release for Boeing's Delta IV rocket today that successfully delivered a Defense Satellite Communications System Spacecraft, DSCS III A3 for the U.S. Air Force to a geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 37B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
^News item 11-20-02: (right photo) Sea Catch made its debut in the aerospace industry today as part of the ground support equipment release for the spectacular and successful first launch for Boeing Delta IV from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The rocket delivered the commercial telecommunications satellite W5 for Eutelsat S.A. to orbit approximately 37 minutes after liftoff. The Delta team is pleased with the Sea Catch performance and anticipates use of the product in forthcoming Delta IV launches.
^News item 09-17-02: Sonsub's seabed jumper assembly is shown in the fab yard with two Sea Catch TR7s (at arrows) supporting items in the project. Suspended from one is a flow meter and the other is at the end of a chain coming down from the counter weight to the clamp on the jumper. The project is to be installed at record depths.
^News item 06-11-02: The record-breaking TR7S Skiff Release shown is owned by Gregg Lovrovich, a salmon purse seiner from Gig Harbor. Aboard his vessel, the Sea Fury, Gregg has activated this device well over 400 cycles per fishing season resulting in thousands of releases. This unit has operated flawlessly despite its grueling marine environment, a testament to the function and durability of the Sea Catch product.
^News item 11-22-01: The Sea Catch TR7 being tested for the Swedish Navy's rescue and tow operations. The hitch pin (shown in its safety position preventing inadvertent release) is attached to the release lanyard such that its removal can be implemented remotely via the release lanyard. Once this safety measure is removed, the Sea Catch is ready for the next pull on the lanyard which activates the release lever and releases the load.
^News item 02-14-01: The Sea Catch TR5 is used in the launching of a Deep Ocean Engineering ROV.
^News item 05-03-01: Two new pilot station boats for the San Francisco Bar Pilots, the San Francisco (shown above) and the California each use a Sea Catch TR5 in the launch and recovery of a 16' Ocean Tech RIB rescue boat. The two pilot boats are designed and built by MARCO Shipyard Seattle.
^News item 09-20-00: Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. has ordered 24 Sea Catch TR5s to be used in the stern launch and recovery system of an aluminum hulled inboard diesel powered RIB on forthcoming USCG 87-Foot Coastal Patrol Boats (WPB) (see YouTube video). The fully-crewed RIB can be launched in sea state 4. This order has come about in part to increased demand for the Sea Catch by crewmembers aboard WPB 87's already in service such as the USCGC Osprey (WPB 87307) shown above.
^News item 11-20-99: John McMillan presents his Sea Catch products for the first time at Seattle's Fish Expo.
