Control rod blade unlatching tool

An unlatching tool for extracting a control rod from a support casting of a nuclear reactor, comprising:

• a baseplate;
• at least one guide member vertically extending below the baseplate;
• a frame attached to the baseplate;
• a rotatable cable reel shaft connected to the frame;
• a worm drive configured to rotate the cable reel shaft;
• a stepper motor configured to power the worm drive;
• a hose wrapped around the cable reel shaft, the cable reel shaft being configured to lower a distal end of the hose below the baseplate and the guide member;
• and
• a hook attached to the distal end of the hose, the hook including a vertically-oriented cylindrical sleeve with more than one foldable finger,
• the foldable fingers having a retracted position where each of the fingers is held in a vertically-oriented position within the cylindrical sleeve, and an extended position where each of the fingers is horizontally extended from the cylindrical sleeve at different axial elevations from each other.