Crime & Safety
Near-Collapse Forces Evacuation at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
A crane issue near Building 178 forced an emergency evacuation.

By Jason Claffey
Part of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was evacuated Wednesday morning after a crane became unstable and nearly collapsed.
The crane was operated by Rose Steel, a contractor for the shipyard, officials said. It was located next to Building 178, which was evacuated.
"Through immediate attention, the contractor crane was secured and is in a safe condition," shipyard officials said in a statement Wednesday. "There was no crane collapse and there were no injuries to personnel or damage to any structures. Personnel have returned back to their workspaces."
In March 2012, Environmental Chemical Corp. of Marlborough, Mass. was awarded a $38 million contract for repairs to Building 178, shipyard officials said.
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