Fought a stuck umbilical bolt for 9 hours in 40 feet of murky water

Had a bolt on the diving bell umbilical flange seize up solid during a job at the Port of Long Beach. Should've been a 20 minute swap but the thing was galled so bad I burned through two impact sockets and a can of PB Blaster before it finally broke loose. Nine hours in zero visibility with a light that kept fogging on me, and my tender said I looked like a drowned rat when I surfaced. Has anyone found a trick for galling on stainless hardware down there, or do I just need to stop being cheap and spec anti seize from the start?

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the_william7d ago

Nine hours, huh? At that point the bolt won and you just kept it company.

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