fittingout

I'm astonished such a structure could remain afloat without toppling over, especially when lifting !!

My grandfather was a crane driver at Belfast Harbour in 1910! He worked there all his life and is even shown on the census as such in 1911.

billh35 Wonder if your grandfather ever worked this crane? This photo was taken in 1911...

This crane remained at Belfast until the late 1970's but was mainly obselete. It seemed to be just getting moved around as space permitted but was never used. I remember being on it around about 1978/1979 at the age of 15 or 16 with my dad and the most striking feature apart from its size was the most amazing spiral staircase to get into the upper echelons of the crane....I wonder whatever happened to it? Only in recent times I have discovered the crane was made specifically to service the Olympic class liners. Of course now in 2013 when I realise its significance, I can now appreciate in its connection to the workings of the shipyard and am so glad I can say I stood on a tangible part of the history of that era, especially as my great grandfather was chief timekeeper in the yard during the 1912 period.

slapper2010 Thank you for that great comment. We're none of us all that great at appreciating historical significance at 15 or 16! And chief timekeeper? That must have been an incredibly important job in the shipyard at that time... Have replaced with a higher res image so you can see a bit more detail...

It's a fascinating picture. Thanks for sharing.

"Built by J. L. Thompson & Sons, Ltd., Sunderland, for the South American Saint Line, this motor vessel set a new standard in post-war ship design and, with her low-slung motor cruiser lines, was the shape of things to come. In 1948, the most striking and unusual feature of the ‘St Essylt’ was the raked and streamlined funnel, which today would provoke little comment. The funnel casing housed not only the engine’s exhaust system, but also radar equipment, cabin heating system, battery room and pilot’s cabin. Inside the vessel, there was accommodation for 12 passengers. The accommodation for officers and crew was a considerable improvement on contemporary British standards, and the design won the Watts Prize awarded by the Royal Institution of Naval Architects. ‘St Essylt’ was 144 metres in length, 6855 gross tons and the single acting Doxford diesel engine gave a service speed of 14.5 knots. Following a long career in which she had two changes of owners and name, ‘Yunnan’ and ‘Lucky Two’, she was broken up in 1979." - collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/67577.html

Wonderful photo and history. Thanks to Tyne and Wear Archives for sharing.

Beautiful.