J3576 : Belfast Harbour, Alexandra Dock and HMS Caroline

taken 8 years ago, 3 km from Belfast, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland

Belfast Harbour, Alexandra Dock and HMS Caroline
Belfast Harbour, Alexandra Dock and HMS Caroline
The Alexandra Graving Dock was built between 1885 and 1889 to provide additional fitting out facilities for Harland and Wolff. Princess Alexandra cut the first sod in 1885 and gave her name to the new dock.

The dock is currently occupied by HMS Caroline, a decommissioned C-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy that saw combat service in the First World War and served as an administrative centre in the Second World War. Built in Birkenhead, Caroline was launched 1914. Still retaining many of her original features, she is now on the National Historic Ships Register.

The large yellow structure is ‘Goliath’, one of the two iconic gantry cranes at the Harland and Wolff shipyard. It is almost 100 metres tall.
Belfast Harbour

Belfast Harbour is a major maritime hub, handling 67% of Northern Ireland’s seaborne trade and about 20% of the maritime trade of the entire island of Ireland LinkExternal link . It is a vital gateway for raw materials, exports and consumer goods, and is also Northern Ireland’s leading logistics and distribution hub.

The harbour's origins date back to 1613 when a Royal Charter for the incorporation of Belfast specified the need for a wharf at the confluence of the rivers Lagan and Farset in what is modern-day Belfast’s High Street. By the early 18th century Belfast had replaced Carrickfergus as the most important port in Ulster and additional accommodation was necessary. A number of privately owned wharves were subsequently constructed on reclaimed land. The Belfast Harbour Estate is now home to many well-known businesses such as George Best Belfast City Airport, Harland and Wolff, Bombardier Aerospace, Odyssey, the Northern Ireland Science Park, Titanic Quarter and Titanic Belfast. Over 700 firms employing 23,000 people are located within the estate.

Belfast is only one of two ports on the island of Ireland to handle a full range of cargoes, from freight vehicles to containers, dry, break and liquid bulk, as well as passenger services and cruise calls.

LinkExternal link Belfast Harbour website
LinkExternal link Wikipedia

Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright David Dixon and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
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J3576, 993 images   (more nearby search)
Photographer
Date Taken
Friday, 26 May, 2017   (more nearby)
Submitted
Wednesday, 26 July, 2017
Geographical Context
Coastal  Historic sites and artefacts  Industry  Docks, Harbours  Defence, Military 
Camera (from Tags)
Panasonic DMC-G7 
Subject Location
Irish: geotagged! J 355 761 [100m precision]
WGS84: 54:36.8995N 5:54.1343W
Camera Location
Irish: geotagged! J 355 762
View Direction
South-southeast (about 157 degrees)
Clickable map
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Image Type (about): geograph 
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