The Real inside SpaceX's INSANE Logistics of Bringing Floating Starship Back to Starbase

The Real inside SpaceX's INSANE Logistics of Bringing Floating Starship Back to Starbase
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0:00 How lift Ship 40
2:53 Ship 40 route
5:46 Found detail
8:42 Why not destroy it?
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The Real inside SpaceX's INSANE Logistics of Bringing Floating Starship Back to Starbase
Finally, Starship 40 has been loaded onto the massive semi-submersible ship Forte, ready to head home — back to the place where it was built!
However, returning to Starbase is not easy at all.
From a distance, the operation looked surprisingly smooth. But behind the scenes, moving a massive rocket onto a semi-submersible ship was a highly precise operation.
According to MarineTraffic data, Forte first moved to the sheltered side of the island, where the water was calmer and protected from strong winds. Instead of dropping anchor, the ship used its dynamic positioning system to hold itself in place.
Meanwhile, the tugboat Norman Ranger stayed south of Forte, keeping Starship 40 under control with a tow line. The tug would not release the rocket until Forte had secured its own mooring lines.
Then the critical part began.
Forte started ballasting down, flooding its ballast tanks and lowering the deck and submerged cradle deep below the water. Interestingly, the ship went down bow-first, creating a noticeable dip at the front and a slight lean to starboard.
The Real inside SpaceX's INSANE Logistics of Bringing Floating Starship Back to Starbase
This was important because Forte's main crane was also positioned on the starboard side. Starship 40 therefore had to be carefully aligned with the submerged cradle, with its nose facing forward and its engines pointing aft.
As Forte sank deeper, crews attached mooring lines between the ship and Starship 40. These lines gradually pulled the rocket closer.
Two yellow guide posts marked the final position of the rocket. Beneath them was the submerged cradle, installed earlier during Forte's journey from Indonesia or Singapore.
At this point, the scale of the operation became obvious. Starship 40 looked surprisingly small next to Forte. Despite being enormous compared with most rockets, Starship is relatively light, allowing it to sit high in the water and use a relatively shallow cradle.
Several small workboats then helped guide the rocket into position. Norman Ranger continued holding tension on the tow line until Forte's mooring lines were firmly secured.
Only then did Norman Ranger release Starship and move away around Forte's stern.
With the tug gone, the workboats and mooring lines carefully pulled Starship 40 between the two yellow guide posts and over the submerged cradle.
Finally, a Jacob's ladder was installed near the forward fin, allowing the crew to climb onto the rocket and begin attaching straps and other securing equipment.
Once Starship 40 was firmly locked into place, Forte could safely de-ballast, rise back above the water, and prepare for the long journey home to Starbase.

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