Hoonah: Online Crane Exam Prep Near Icy Strait Point

Building on cannery ground

The Hoonah Packing Company built a modern salmon plant at Cannery Point in 1912, and by 1917 it was among the biggest in Alaska. Salmon production stopped in 1953, after which the fleet used the buildings for maintenance and storage. Huna Totem, the village corporation, began converting the site in 2001. The restored cannery now holds a museum, shops, restaurants and a display of a 1930s canning line.

The buildings have already served the town in a crisis. When fire swept Hoonah in 1944, residents took shelter in the cannery. Decades later, the 866-foot Celebrity ship Mercury, with about 1,800 passengers aboard, opened the cruise era here in May 2004.

Renovation of old waterfront timber buildings is delicate crane work. Loads are often set over or beside structures whose real capacity is uncertain, and the rigging has to protect historic materials. Knowing how to calculate sling tension at different angles and when to use spreader bars is directly useful here.

Pier and gondola construction

In partnership with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Huna Totem added a second berth called Wilderness Landing, sized for the line's Breakaway Plus class, and the first ship tied up there in August 2021. A transporter gondola links the historic cannery to the new pier through the trees and can move more than 5,600 visitors an hour, which let the pier area stay free of buses. A second gondola climbs about 1,600 feet up Hoonah Mountain toward the ZipRider launch.

Gondola towers, haul rope and cabin installation, and pier pile driving are specialized lifts, and on steep forested ground the setup and access planning can take longer than the pick itself. Even when outside specialists run the main crane, local laborers do much of the rigging and signaling.

Financing for the expansion came partly through the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, which lists the second pier and both gondolas as completed. Finished projects still need ongoing maintenance lifts, from replacing gondola components to repairing fenders and floats.

Sorting out jurisdiction

Land-side construction at Icy Strait Point and in town is generally covered by AKOSH under the federal crane and derrick standard. Lifts from vessels and cargo handling at a marine terminal generally belong to federal OSHA under maritime rules. Neither path involves a state crane license, but contractors on both sides routinely ask to see accredited certification.

From Hoonah to the exam

Juneau is the closest larger town, reached by small plane or state ferry. Written exams may be available through online proctoring, and the certifying body arranges practical tests on real equipment. Work through the course first so a single trip can cover what you need.

Group travel can save money for a crew. If several people from the same employer are preparing together, it is worth comparing notes on the certifying body's event calendar so that written and practical testing can be lined up in one visit.