Patent ID: 7090434

Claim:
A method of removing an open-end caisson pipe or a piling from a multi-leg rig jacket extending above a water line, comprising the steps of: a. welding a high-pressure head to an upper end of the pipe to provide a fluid-tight seal; b. providing an opening in the head to pump water into the pipe; c. pumping water through the head into the pipe under sufficient pressure to establish a hydraulic force within the pipe to dislodge the pipe from the water bottom and urge it upward out of the water bottom; d. when the pipe extends a distance out of the water to a certain point, cutting the pipe off above the surface of the water and the head removed from the pipe; and e. welding the head to the upper end of the pipe in the water so that step c can be repeated until the remainder of the caisson is completely removed from the water.