J3574 : 'Goliath' from 'Samson', Belfast

taken 10 years ago, near to Belfast, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland

'Goliath' from 'Samson', Belfast
'Goliath' from 'Samson', Belfast
Looking across and down onto the crane 'Goliath' from the top of 'Samson'. This view shows the moveable lifting trolley (red) with the driver's cab on the protruding yellow outrigger J3575 : "Goliath", Belfast (6). Central Belfast is in the background; notable are the BT Tower and Hilton hotel in the top left J3474 : Reflections on the River Lagan, Belfast and the dome of the Victoria Square shopping centre to the top right J3474 : The Victoria Square dome, Belfast (2013).
A visit to Harland and Wolff, Belfast :: J3575

A series of pictures taken during a private group tour of Harland and Wolff in Belfast, including a trip up the huge crane 'Samson'. My grateful thanks to H&W for allowing access and a fascinating visit. Please note that there is no public access to the site - this was a pre-arranged group visit.
See 2 related videos on YouTube at LinkExternal link and LinkExternal link .

The Harland and Wolff Building Dock, Belfast :: J3575

The building dock in Belfast was constructed between 1968-1970 by George Wimpey & Company for the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. A massive 556 metres long by 93 metres wide, it was designed for the construction of massive crude oil tankers and bulkers. Although many ships were constructed here, including two supertankers of 172,174 tonnes (343,423 DWT), the yard was in decline by the early 1970s and the dock never really fulfilled its potential. The last ship to be constructed was the 'Anvil Point' in 2003 and the yard now specialising in ship repair and the emerging renewable energies sector, notably offshore wind turbines and tidal energy projects.
Towering above the dock are the two gantry cranes 'Samson' and 'Goliath'. Now landmarks on the Belfast skyline, the cranes were designed for the yard by the German firm Krupp. Goliath, completed in 1969 and mostly fabricated by the yard, stands at 96 metres and Samson, completed in 1974 and built entirely by Krupp, is taller at 106 metres. Both cranes have a span of 140m and have a safe working load of 840 tonnes each (though I believe were tested for 1,000 which caused the top girders to bend downwards by some 11 inches). They run on 800m of track which spans the length of the dock and each crane has 64 special anti-friction bearing mounted wheels.
Both the dock and the cranes are now protected scheduled monuments. See LinkExternal link for technical information .

LinkExternal link in an informative video from the BBC.

Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Rossographer and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
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J3574, 516 images   (more nearby search)
Photographer
Date Taken
Monday, 30 December, 2013   (more nearby)
Submitted
Friday, 3 January, 2014
Geographical Context
Historic sites and artefacts  City, Town centre  Industry  Docks, Harbours 
Place (from Tags)
Belfast Docks  Belfast 
Subject Location
Irish: geotagged! J 354 749 [100m precision]
WGS84: 54:36.2823N 5:54.2961W
Camera Location
Irish: geotagged! J 354 750
View Direction
Southwest (about 225 degrees)
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Other Tags
Belfast Docks  H&W  Belfast  Samson  Shipyard  Goliath Crane  Crane  Harland and Wolff  Harland & Wolff  Goliath 

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