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Big Blue Crab returns to Rockport after Hurricane Harvey destroyed it in 2017

The custom crustacean is 22 feet wide, 13 feet deep, weighs almost 6,000 pounds and is made of stainless steel.

ROCKPORT, Texas — It’s been four years since Hurricane Harvey devastated the City of Rockport, including one of their iconic staples: the Big Blue Crab.

Now, the City has something to celebrate as they've begun the installation of the brand new crab at their beach front on Wednesday. 

According to co-chair of the crab committee, Don Aboff, transporting the big guy was no easy task.

"We tried to sneak it in last night, but it drew some attention pretty quickly," Aboff said. 

The custom crustacean is 22 feet wide, 13 feet deep, weighs almost 6,000 pounds and is made of stainless steel.

"It’s Rockport strong," Aboff said. "It's literally stainless steel, and then we powder coated it. Hopefully, it will be the last one we have to put up."

Neli Spurell with Keep Rockport Beautiful said this project has been years in the making and was made possible by countless fundraising efforts and community support.

"That project is now a reality to close in that part of our lives, even though a lot of people aren’t in their places; this is what the community needed for positivity and for sign of resilience and to move on with life," Spurrell said.

It’s big .. it’s blue.. and it’s BACK IN ROCKPORT! #bigbluecrab #rockportstrong story tonight on KIII 3 News

Posted by Lexis Greene on Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Rockport residents came out to witness the astonishing new crab being installed. Many said it holds old memories and new ones to come.

For those of you wondering why this blue crab doesn’t look very blue, it's because it gets its name from its blue legs.

For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.

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