SubCargo Crane Operations

Freight does not teleport into the CTV Atlas. In SubCargo’s Roblox alpha, dock crane work is the bridge between warehouse pallets and a paid delivery. Mis-timed lifts strand crates, crush players under swinging loads, or force last-second undocks that waste fuel rods. This guide turns the community crane tutorial into a crew checklist you can run every dock stop.

Watch the embedded Crane Tutorial Subcargo video mid-page, then drill the steps below with your engineer and pilot before the next contract.

Where crane work fits the loop

Typical alpha dock sequence:

1. Moor safely and announce “crane active.”
2. Load or unload contract cargo with the dock crane.
3. Shop Underforge / ReCore / Krakken’s only after critical freight is secure.
4. Confirm cargo in the hold before undocking for Cargo Delivery.

Skipping step 2 to buy an APS first is how crews leave paid cargo on the pier.

Crane Tutorial Subcargo

Roles during crane ops

Crane operator — owns the control seat or interact prompt; moves slowly; never swings across the airlock while divers exit.

Spotter — stands with line of sight on the load and the hold opening; calls “clear,” “hold,” or “abort.”

Pilot — keeps the sub stable at the dock; does not throttle away until the operator confirms stow complete.

Flex — watches for Larry surface spawns and keeps a welder ready if a swinging crate damages hull plating—rare but alpha physics happen.

Use Crew Roles and the Crew Checklist so crane duty is named before the first lift.

Safe lift checklist

1. Clear the landing zone — no players under the hook path.
2. Confirm cargo type — contract freight versus scrap loot; do not mix stacks if the alpha UI separates them.
3. Lift slow — sudden camera pans lose depth perception in Roblox water reflections.
4. Lower into the hold — wait for the crate to settle before releasing.
5. Count units — announce remaining crates aloud so nobody undocks early.
6. Park the crane — leave controls in a neutral state so the next crew does not inherit a swinging boom.

If the tutorial video shows a bind or camera tip your build lacks, pause and remap using Controls—alpha UI labels change.

Common wipe patterns around cranes

Friendly fire and collisions. Players standing on moving crates fall into the vein or take impact damage. Spotters should push teammates back, not stand on the load.

Fuel burn while afk shopping. Crane ops that stretch past ReCore’s free-rod window strand you mid-ocean. Keep Reactor and Fuel timers in chat.

Larry during unload. Surface worms punish crews staring at the boom. Assign one gunner to exterior watch; do not empty Krakken’s while the operator is mid-lift.

Partial loads. Leaving one contract crate on the dock fails or cuts payout. Always do a visual hold walk before the pilot calls “undock.”

Practice drills at quiet docks

New crews should spend one dock stop practicing empty lifts before accepting hard contracts:

• Operator completes three full lower-and-release cycles
• Spotter uses only three callouts: clear / hold / abort
• Pilot stays hands-off unless the sub drifts

Then run a real Getting Started delivery with the same trio of voices.

Linking crane skill to money

Clean crane work shortens dock time, which saves fuel rods and keeps Larry exposure low. Faster docks mean more contracts per session and more scrap sold from Diving and Structures. Treat crane proficiency as progression equal to gunner aim.

Alpha expectations

Crane interactables, camera collisions, and cargo physics can change between patches. If a lift that worked yesterday clips through the hold, rebuild the approach angle, report the bug through official channels, and note the build on Updates.

Related pages

• Cargo Delivery — contract flow after freight is loaded
• Controls — interact binds for dock tools
• Reactor and Fuel — do not AFK the core while craning
• Dock Shops — shop after cargo is secure
• Guides Hub — more walkthroughs