floatingcrane

Hmm - wondering if this is the visit in February 1919, bringing soldiers back from France, WW1 ?? - trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/15825417

beachcomber australia That could work! Thanks for the location id :)

Hmm - NOT the 1919 visit because the collier ABERSEA (see note) was not 'named' before November 1927 - trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/16419057

How about October 1937?

CARGO OF HORSES. 800 Remounts for Indian Army. The British India steamer Takada, which is due at Sydney from Bombay on Monday [25/10/1937], will return to India carrying a cargo of 800 Australian horses for the Indian Army. A number of the horses were shipped from Melbourne, and others will be picked up at Newcastle, Brisbane, and Gladstone, s:;d the Takada will make the return voyage via Torres Straits. The Takada will be remembered by many returned soldiers as a troopship. When she last visited Sydney, In February, 1919, she brought back 424 Australians from the war zone. She is a sister ship of the E. and A. liner Tanda. trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/17414023

The TAKADA left Wharf 2 Woolloomooloo at 5am on Friday 29/10/1937 - trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/17402549

Previously the TAKADA visited Adelaide, and a rather sad story of a once grand ship was told in The Advertiser 15/10/1937 -

OLD BRITISH-INDIA PASSENGER SHIP AT PORT ADELAIDE Liner Takada Makes Voyage As Cargo Ship RELEGATED to the company's cargo service after about 20 years in the passenger trade between Bombay and the Far East, the old British India S.N. Co. liner Takada is making a single voyage to Australia with a cargo of linseed and general cargo from India. Yesterday as she lay at Ocean Steamers' Wharf the liner's broad passenger decks were deserted, the alleyways were quiet and empty, all of tbe cabins were locked and tbe public rooms were bare and comfortless. An old passenger certificate hanging in a frame on the wall near the dining saloon showed that in her day, when she was one of the crack ships of the company's fleet, she carried 50 first class passengers and 52 second class, with a crew of 157. The Takada is a sister ship to the steamer Tanda, one of the best-known ships on the Australian coast, which runs from Melbourne to China and Japan in the E. and A. line's passenger service. Both ships were built for the B.I.S.N. Co. by Alexander Stephen and Sons, Ltd., of Glasgow, in 1914.. The Tanda was transferred from the B.I. Company to the Eastern and Australian Steamship Co. soon after she was launched. Within a few weeks or the outbreak of the war both the Tanda and the Takada were converted to hospital ships. The Tanda was chartered by the residents of Madras and given to the Indian Government for use as a hospital ship, and the Takada was sent to Mesopotamia to bring back wounded troops to Bombay, making occasional visits to South Africa, re-patriating wounded men from that Dominion. After the war the Takada was returned to the B.I. Company and placed in the Far East service. Because of her age she was withdrawn, about 12 months ago, stripped of all the fittings in the passenger accommodation, and laid up in Bombay pending her sale. Then freights rose sharply and conditions improved to such an extent that the Takada was recommissioned at a cargo ship. The future of the ship is now uncertain, but It is understood that as soon as the B.I. Company is able to take delivery of new tonnage which it has on order in Great Britain the old liner will be sold. ... ... trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/36378757

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...

Is the enormous crane on GABO or some other vessel? It is impressive.

Ha! It was the "giant floating crane TITAN, which was brought from Cockatoo Island Dockyard." SMH 25/3/1924, p.8 - trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/16154280

More about the TITAN - Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_floating_crane_Titan Wreck (south of Port Macquarie) - www.michaelmcfadyenscuba.info/viewpage.php?page_id=212

beachcomber australia Good old TITAN strikes again! It has a perpetual presence and pops up in various photographs around Sydney. :P

[https://www.flickr.com/photos/51979177@N02] Nice research - Kate.