J3575 : Belfast docks from 'Samson'
taken 10 years ago, 3 km from Belfast, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland
The 268m (880ft) long Thompson Graving Dock was constructed between 1903 and 1911 to cater for the new class of White Star liners under construction in Belfast - notably the Olympic and the Titanic. When constructed it was the largest graving dock in the world. It continued to be used for ship repair purposes until 2002 and is now preserved as a tourist attraction.
Wharf at the Victoria Channel, Belfast docks.
The wharf was constructed in 1962-63 by Charles Brand & Son and has a total quayage of 212 metres. The large concrete silo, named West Twin Silo, was constructed 1962-64 for W.R Barnett and R. & H. Hall, with an extension added 1970-73. The modern metal silos to the far right are more recent additions again.
The Belfast Dry Dock, owned and operated by Harland and Wolff for ship repair purposes.
By the early 1960s it was clear that the largest dock in Belfast, the Thompson Graving Dock (see J3576 : Thompson Graving Dock), was too small for modern tankers and bulk carriers then being constructed. The Harland and Wolff Dry Dock (now known as the Belfast Dry Dock) was constructed between 1965-68 by Charles Brand and Sons to a design by Rendel, Palmer and Tritton. It is 1150 feet long by 160 feet wide and, when constructed, was one of the five largest docks in the world. The dock can accommodate ships up to 200,000gt.
Alongside the dock is Ship Repair Quay (formerly known as Outfitting Wharf). This was constructed some 7 years later in 1975 and has a total lineal quayage of 433 metres. Ships which do not need to be fully dry docked are repaired here.
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 Link and Link .
- Grid Square
- J3575, 1038 images (more nearby )
- Photographer
- Rossographer (find more nearby)
- Date Taken
- Monday, 30 December, 2013 (more nearby)
- Submitted
- Friday, 3 January, 2014
- Geographical Context
- Place (from Tags)
- Subject Location
-
Irish: J 357 758 [100m precision]
WGS84: 54:36.7303N 5:54.0130W - Camera Location
- Irish: J 354 750
- View Direction
- North-northeast (about 22 degrees)