What's new
What's new

giant cranes

raymond j

Plastic
Joined
Jun 22, 2006
Location
queensland
somewhere back a year or so, there was a post on the huge hammer-head crane at Pearl Harbour navy base used to lift the complete gun turrets from ships.Can some-one put me on the right track please and what and where and by whom was the largest cantilever built??? Obviously it would have been in a shipyard. regards raymond j
 
raymond; try going to this site that I have from my favorites list,[ www.hcea.net ] it's Historical Construction Equipment Association. Once there you can get to other web links and maybe find what your looking for ! If not , it's a great browse anyway! Good luck!
Steve
 
After looking at that HCEA site, I'd say that only Rick Rowlands among us collects bigger things! Sheesh! If anybody complains about us lugging in lathes and milling machines, let them take a look at THAT !!!

Reminds me of a quote about collecting old tractors: Don't park all your tractors in one place, because it makes it too easy for your wife to count them!

On edit, getting back on topic: The book "Battleship Arizona: An Illustrated History" by Paul Stillwell has some facinating photos of the 1942 removal of the sunken ship's main battery turrets by a barge-mounted crane which is unlike any other crane I've ever seen. It's made up of steel latticework. This might be the crane you are speaking of.

A couple of months back, PM had a thread about a huge floating crane nicknamed "Herman the German" formerly at Long Beach Naval Shipyard and now in Panama.

John Ruth

[ 06-23-2006, 11:14 AM: Message edited by: SouthBendModel34 ]
 
Raymond,

Is this the crane to which you are referring?

Click on Photo #: NH 83993 on this page:

USN Historical Center Photos of Salvage Work on USS Arizona

The steel latticework in the background is a huge crane mounted on a barge. You can see huge sheeves on the bottom of the crane's main horizontal structure.

The darker pillar crane on the left is part of the Arizona. That's one of her boat cranes. This pillar crane was one of the items removed by the big floating crane.

This is an interesting photo because it shows how the USS Arizona transitioned from the famous pictures of her post-attack state (foremast & forward superstructure leaning into the void created by the explosion of the forward magazines) and the way we see her today, sans superstructure and three of her four main battery turrets.

Photo #: NH 97383 on this next page shows what I believe is the same floating crane in the distant background on the right, just to the left of the American Flag on the ship ahead of the Arizona. (USS West Viginna or USS Tennesse? The small crane just to the right of the flag is that vessel's seaplane crane.)

USN Historical Center Photos of the Wreck of the USS Arizona

It's an unusual crane, to say the least.

John Ruth
 
At one time it was said the largest crane the Navy had was the one in the Phila Navy Yard.

Trying to find a pic of it and all I find so far is this one...


U.S. Crane Ship Kearsarge

Test of the ship's 250-ton revolving crane, while she was undergoing conversion at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania, 30 October 1922. Kearsarge is seen here lifting a 312-ton load on the right and left main hoist with equalizer at 101-foot reach on an even keel. Jib fore and aft at an angle of 38 degrees 46 minutes.


h60251.jpg


i02939.jpg


Photo #: NH 43453

Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania

View of the Yard's Delaware River waterfront, with the hammerhead crane in center, 31 May 1923. Among the ships visible are:
USS Lamson (DD-328), in left center;
USS Sandpiper (AM-51) and USS Teal (AM-23), at right, with the crane ship Kearsarge beyond;
Destroyers Preston (DD-327), Coghlan (DD-326) and Sharkey (DD-281), partially visible at left.
USS Dobbin (AD-3) is fitting out on the opposite side of the pier, at left.

h43453.jpg


Although these are large, I believe there is or was at one time in the late 60's and 70's a larger one that looked like the one above at the yard. We could see it plain as day when crossing the Walt Whitman Bridge over the Delaware River.
 
Excellent photos, Gary.

I consulted my authoritative children's book ‘The Wonder Book of Engineering Wonders’ (published in the 1920s) which says that the Philadelphia Navy Yard hammerhead crane in your photo was the world’s largest crane at that time, and weighed 3000 tons without its load. The height to the top of the ‘observation tower’ was 250 feet, reached by an electric elevator. The maker’s name isn’t mentioned.

Regarding the ‘Kearsarge’, I found an article in a 1924 copy of the magazine ‘The Engineer’ which gave a brief summary. The width of the old battleship hull had been increased from 72 ft to 92 ft by adding the bulges. The draft wasn’t mentioned, but presumably it was quite deep, which may have restricted its use. The article went on to describe a larger floating crane made by Cowans Sheldon for Mitsubishi in Japan, with a capacity of 350 UK tons (392 US tons). Surprisingly, the draft was only 10 feet. The crane was shipped to Japan as a kit of large parts, and reassembled with the assistance of a smaller floating crane. I’d like to see a photo of the screws which luffed the jib – these were 14 inches diameter, and 49 feet long!
 
Here is all I can find so far on the Philly crane...350 tons

-------------------------------------------

Navy's biggest crane is coming down
Philadelphia Business Journal - December 13, 1996by Bill YinglingBusiness Journal Staff Writer
Print this Article Email this Article Reprints RSS Feeds Most Viewed Most Emailed
One of the most visible symbols of Philadelphia's 20th-century industrial might is about to be torn down and towed away as scrap.

The giant hammerhead crane that looms above the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard is scheduled to be demolished. U.S. Navy officials have determined that it is obsolete and unsafe.







"It would take a lot of money to keep it up and running," said Jerry Dupuis, head crane engineer at the yard.

Completed in 1917, the crane has not been used since the late 1970s. At one time, it was considered one of the largest -- if not the largest -- pieces of machinery of its kind in the world. The crane casts such a unique form that pilots flying into Philadelphia International Airport say they use it as a navigational landmark.

Designated AJWE-18 in the Navy's crane inventory, the piece of equipment was built by a company called McMyler.

"This is the largest single crane we have," Dupuis said.

Capable of hoisting 350 long tons, it was used to lift and replace giant gun turrets on battleships. But after nearly 80 years, it has outlived is usefulness.

"From a distance it probably looks OK. But if you get up close to the thing, it's just unsafe," said Lt. Cmdr. Tim Smith, resident officer in charge of construction. "We basically don't need it anymore."

The crane will not be replaced.

Hutchinson Construction Services was awarded a $4.1 million contract to tear down the electrically powered crane. Under the contract, the company will also renovate Pier 4, turning it from a site that supports major ship repairs to a minor berth capable of accommodating two inactive aircraft carriers. The work is scheduled to be completed by the end of 1997.

Ed Hutchinson, executive vice president of the Cherry Hill company, said he expects the crane demolition to begin by year-end and be completed before May. Renovation of the pier will follow.

"The trick is to take it down in as few number of pieces as possible," he said.

Hutchinson said Philadelphia officials had expressed interest in preserving some parts of the crane for history. But he's not sure of the status of that effort and how it will affect his company's obligation.

With the help of a series of other cranes, the components, which include the multistory machinery house, the counterweights and a smaller bridge crane attached to the back, will be placed on a barge and towed to a scrapyard, Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson, while not necessarily sentimental about the huge piece of equipment, said the familiar image is one that sticks in his mind. He grew up in South Jersey and remembers traveling to Army-Navy and Eagles football games, seeing the crane's profile on the horizon.

In fact, Hutchinson is pleased to have the contract. "It's a nice project for us," he said.

"If it's good for Philadelphia and the Navy base, then it's good for all of us," he added. "I'm not one to stand in the way of progress."
 
I’ve just found a figure of 350 tons, as well.
The biggest pre-war hammerhead cranes in ‘The Rest of the World’ seem to have been rated at 250 tons (280 US tons), and, Raymond J, there’s a 250 ton example in Sydney. I saw a request from someone seeking info on its conservation:-
http://www.hants.gov.uk/navaldockyard/webpage.htm

Raymond will be familiar with Meccano, and may wish to build his own hammerhead crane:-
http://www.btinternet.com/~a.esplen/models/pic15.htm
(The link also shows the Sydney crane).

Oh no! I’ve just read Gary’s post, and see that the crane’s going to be scrapped! Rick Rowland’s going to be even busier. The article mentions McMyler, and now I look at the credit on the ‘Wonder Book’ photo, it does indeed say McMyler Interstate, which, I took to be the photo agency, but no, it’s these people, and yes, Rick, they were based in Ohio:-
http://www.bedfordohiohistory.org/build/mcmyler.php
 
My brother works at the former Philly Navy Yard and that crane is long gone. By the late 1990's, PNY was in the midst of shut down and was no longer doing major ship overhauls.

The Delaware River used to be lined with the major shipbuilders of the US. NY Shipbuilding in Camden and Cramps is South Philly on the site of the present Philly Airport.

It made sense for the crane to be located there but by the end of the 90's it probably lied right under or right near the flight path for landing at Philly airport.
 
I forgot to add for Peter S from N.Z. As regards your previous post on steam shovels, The pearl handled lever presented to H.M. King G. is the steam throttle replica handle, and those machines built with short dipper arms are called "luffing shovels" they have limited crowd function and are a little harder to operate than a crowd shovel.In 1914? the Hauraki Drainage Board imported a 90 ton steam dragline from Ruston, it can be found in a book, "Taming the Waihou" It was very similar to the ones that went to India but travelled on quad tandem crawler tracks whereas the India ones hadquad tandem rail wheels.It was often called upon to mount its own barge for transport up and down the river.I believe it was re-exported to India
at the completion of the Hauraki Plains job.regards raymond.
 
Would any of you who kow about the Philadelphia Navy yard--or about other aspects of Philadelphia marine engineering history--know about a fairly large Philadelphia private firm by the name of Northern Metals, or Northern Salvage? Further up river from the Navy yard, it was owned by distant relatives of mine--it was my father's sister's husband's first wife's family who had it. I know just a few years ago you could still see the sign as you travelled on 95. The relatives were always bringing me home odd artifacts from ship wrecking.

A family story, perhaps apocryphal, had it that the firm was big enough so that the Navy yard occasionally rented some near unique item from them. (If I think about this I don't really believe it.)

My uncle, married into that family, as a twenty something year old, because of his shipyard connections, got himself a fine Navy job at Pearl Harbor for most of the war. My father, an engineer, and a college classmate of this man, began the war working as engineer at Cramp's, then worked as a civilian at the Navy yard, then finished at York Refrigeration.

I had no idea that Cramp's was on the airport site, that is a shock to me. I always imagined it--for some reason--up the river from there. I have a photo of Cramp's from about 1900, published in a child's book of interesting things in the world. Cramp's, of course, was famous as a Quaker business that made warships.

I still find it intersting to fly in to Philadelphia over the Navy yard, which i first visited in the mid-1950's. I first flew out of that airport about 1959 or -60 or so.

Info about Northern Metals?

Northernsinger
 
Northern Singer,

You are correct, I understood Cramp's to be located at the airport site, quick Google has shown I was confusing the Hog Island shipbuilding with Cramps.

Hog Island is what the Philly airport is now located on.

I have always heard that there were still pilings from the slipways visible from the airport but never new.

I always enjoyed the landing at Philly as it came in over the Navy Yard.

A local canoe club has the auxuliary steering wheel of the USS Maine 2. It was built in the late 1800's by a shop located down near Penns landing. Really is a study in workmanship.

Don't forget that sandwiched right between the Navy yard and the present airport is Fort Mifflin. An interesting piece of military history.

Rick
 
Those are some interesting pictures. On the second page of photos there are pics of what appears to be a typical mill building with an overhead crane. Then I realized that the "building" was actually the equipment house located way up in the air on the crane! Wow! What a machine!
 
It is interesting to see that the contractor was paid 4.1 Million bucks to remove the Philly crane- how does it compare in size and weight to the Cleveland Hulets, which many folks think 2 Million is a ripoff to take down?
 








 
Back
Top