Bring your earplugs

Maybe it’s a guy thing. But I, for one, would like to see the Navy’s new Expeditionary Rock Crusher in action. Look at this bad boy! The crusher/rock impactor and plant together weigh approximately 119,300 lbs., which is child’s play for a C-5 Galaxy. It fits, as you can see. And now, it’s certified to be loaded and shipped anywhere Seabees operate.

The Expeditionary Rock Crusher is loaded into a C-5 during certification testing in January at Travis Air Force Base, Calif. // Photo courtesy of Naval Facilities Expeditionary Logistics Center

Seabees can build anything, but one thing they build a lot of is roads and airstrips for the Navy and Marines. That’s where the ERC comes in.

“The Expeditionary Rock crusher bridges the gap between war debris or rubble and a useful construction project,” explains John Lemmond, First Naval Construction Division, Civil Engineer Support Equipment  readiness program manager. “The Seabees take that mineral-based pile of war debris and recycle it into usable construction products like aggregate for asphalt and concrete and other construction materials.”

Previously, the Seabees couldn’t easily deploy a rock crusher, and had to rely on local raw materials and suppliers to produce much of the stuff for their construction projects. Now, they can deploy the ERC and create their own mineral base products for concrete and asphalt that meet their high standards.

Here’s the full-on view:

The Navy's Expeditionary Rock Crusher is a mobile, triple axle, rock crusher manufactured by the Eagle Crusher Company. // Photo courtesy of Naval Facilities Expeditionary Logistics Center

The machine is essentially a militarized, field-painted version of the commercial Eagle 1200-25CC with the UM25 impactor. The Naval Construction Force — the Seabees’ parent command — owns four of them so far, according to the Naval Facilities Expeditionary Logistics Center. They haven’t yet been fielded, but Seabees will begin using them this summer, NFELC says.