J3575 : Cranes, Belfast

taken 2 years ago, near to Belfast, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland

This is 1 of 3 images, with title Cranes, Belfast in this square
Cranes, Belfast
Cranes, Belfast
Shipyard cranes Samson and Goliath (right) towering over Harland and Wolff in Belfast. Both cranes had been moved south and close together for the arrival of the 299m 'Eduard Toll' into the Building Dock J3675 : The 'Eduard Toll' at Belfast - look closely and you can also see that the dock on the left has been flooded (the ship didn't enter the dock until the 19th February).

In the foreground you can see the ongoing construction of the new Eastern Link Road.
The Harland and Wolff Building Dock, Belfast

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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J3575, 1038 images   (more nearby search)
Photographer
Date Taken
Monday, 7 February, 2022   (more nearby)
Submitted
Wednesday, 9 February, 2022
Geographical Context
Coastal  Roads, Road transport  City, Town centre  Construction, Development  Industry  Docks, Harbours 
Place (from Tags)
Belfast  Belfast Docks 
Primary Subject of Photo
Shipyard 
Subject Location
Irish: geotagged! J 3545 7506 [10m precision]
WGS84: 54:36.3359N 5:54.2747W
Camera Location
Irish: geotagged! J 3518 7512
View Direction
East-southeast (about 112 degrees)
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Other Tags
Harland & Wolff  Goliath Crane  Samson  Crane  Belfast  Belfast Docks  Harland and Wolff  H&W  Dry Dock  Shipyard  Belfast Harbour  Redeveloped Dockland  Cranes 

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Image Type (about): geograph 
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