[11] While en-route to Puerto Rico in the mid-1980s, the derrick barge was caught in a hurricane and the original boom was lost; it was replaced with a boom measuring 256 ft (78 m) long (heel to jib) and the main fall block was upgraded to a 35-ton unit,[7] which increased the lifting capacity to 1,000 short tons (910 t) and the vessel was renamed Penn 1000.

[12]: 111–112 In 1989, the United States Navy acquired a preferred mortgage on the floating crane as a performance guarantee for a contract to build five oil tankers, which had been awarded in 1984.

The Navy released Penn Ship from its obligations in 1992,[13][14] and it was renamed to its current name, Chesapeake 1000, after the acquisition was completed by Donjon Marine in 1993.

[17] In 1975, Sun 800 was used to recover the 79 ft (24 m) tugboat Saratoga from the Delaware River,[18] which had sunk after being rammed by the ship it was towing.

[21] Under Donjon, which was based in Hillside, Pennsylvania, it removed a derelict steel trestle railroad bridge to Petty Island in 1991.