# Britain's Largest Crane



## Binnacle (Jul 22, 2005)

BBC Scotland
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-12634036


----------



## Nick Balls (Apr 5, 2008)

Says it all really...........built in China


----------



## George Rollinson (Jan 3, 2010)

Probably build two carriers, sit idle for fives years and be snapped up by a Chinese shipyard for a knock down price!


----------



## gordy (Apr 18, 2008)

Nick Balls said:


> Says it all really...........built in China


I hope the steel is better than the stuff used on the Squinty Bridge(Cloud)


----------



## Billieboy (May 18, 2009)

George Rollinson said:


> Probably build two carriers, sit idle for fives years and be snapped up by a Chinese shipyard for a knock down price!


More than likely, it's too small for offshore work. 1K SWL is almost a jumbo derrick these days.


----------



## Winebuff (Jan 11, 2010)

The story read "Britain's biggest crane", in truth I suspect it should read "one of China's smaller cranes"


----------



## Don Matheson (Mar 13, 2007)

Is it only me or can anyone else remember when such things would be built in Britain? 

Don


----------



## Pat Kennedy (Apr 14, 2007)

Scotland was once a centre of UK crane building with famous names like Sir William Arroll & co, Butters, and Anderson Grice, all long gone.
Butters Monotower travelling quayside cranes were in the forefront of crane design in the 1970s, and Butters cranes were a feature in almost every shipyard in the UK.
I think that Stothert and Pitt of Bath are the only surviving UK makers of large quayside cranes in the UK. They also manufacture some of the largest cranes on rigs. 
Pat


----------



## Don Matheson (Mar 13, 2007)

Pat it used to amaze me that almost every port we went into around the world had cranes built in Glasgow.
Even found one in Balikpapan Indonesia which at the time of me seeing it was around 90 years old. Built some very good cranes and I agree Stothert and Pitt were excellent offshore cranes.

Don


----------



## Billieboy (May 18, 2009)

Stothert and Pitt, electric 5ton dockside cranes in Cardiff and Barry, there were also a few three tonners, but the best cranes on the Roath dock were Hydraulic(water driven) three tonners built in 1893/5. Had loads of fun making "Walking pipe snugs(flanges)", for these and the movable coal tips on the Queens dock; when I was an apprentice.


----------



## Pat Kennedy (Apr 14, 2007)

Billieboy said:


> Stothert and Pitt, electric 5ton dockside cranes in Cardiff and Barry, there were also a few three tonners, but the best cranes on the Roath dock were Hydraulic(water driven) three tonners built in 1893/5. Had loads of fun making "Walking pipe snugs(flanges)", for these and the movable coal tips on the Queens dock; when I was an apprentice.


Billieboy, 
Stothert and Pitt 5 ton, level luffing, quayside cranes were the finest cranes I ever had the pleasure of driving. they were quiet and extremely smooth and fast in operation. Once you got the hang of controlling the swing, you could put the hook on a sixpence.
Around about 1970, they started producing the portal type 10 tonners with tubular strut jibs rather than angle iron. These were a little harder to control as they had a different luffing system. Luffing out with ten ton on the hook could be very hairy as the load took charge if you weren't careful.
I saw hydraulic cranes in use in Birkenhead when I was a boy, but they had gone when I was actually working on the docks.
The most enjoyable cranes were however, the steam locomotive cranes in Cammel Lairds. great fun chugging around the yard , jumping out to switch points and acting like it was the Flying Scotsman!
Regards, 
Pat(Thumb)


----------



## Malky Glaister (Nov 2, 2008)

Doxfords had a few crane tank engines Pat, lovely locos, I think a couple are preserved
Malky


----------



## Volunteer (Oct 8, 2008)

When Babcock&Wilcox (where my Dad worked) built some of the biggest cranes in its time, as a son of Renfrew it makes me weep to see this being built anywhere else - especially as Babcock will be using it!


----------



## Pat Kennedy (Apr 14, 2007)

The four steam cranes in Cammell Lairds were built by a company called Rodley from Leeds. There was a comprehensive railway system in the yard, and the cranes doubled as locomotives, hauling flatbed wagons to and from the steel stockyard. 
Another well known crane manufacturers were Priestmann in Hull. They manufactured many of the grab cranes that were installed on the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board's fleet of dredgers.
Some of the cantilever cranes in Lairds had previously been in Admiralty Dockyards around the country, and were dismantled and re-assembled in Lairds during WW1 to aid warship construction. Fantastic cranes, they were still in everday use right up until the 1980s.
Regards, 
Pat(Thumb)


----------



## NoR (Mar 24, 2008)

Maybe they should have built the aircraft carriers in China as well! Would save us a load of £s and no need to buy the crane.


----------



## Pat Kennedy (Apr 14, 2007)

Some years ago I came across this photo of a model being constructed, of one of the 100 ton Butters monotower cranes in Cammell Lairds.
The model builder is, I believe, the owner of a Birkenhead engineering company, Seiners.
Looking at the photo, it appears to be an absolutely perfect model of the crane. Lairds had 2x100 ton, 2x60ton, 1x50 ton, and 2x15 ton Butters cranes in the yard. Of these only the 50 ton and 1x15 ton survive, both at No 5 drydock. 
Regards, 
Pat


----------



## Satanic Mechanic (Feb 23, 2009)

Now now folks its all to easy to carried away in nostalgia but heavy industry has moved on as it always has done and is helping to build up the economy in the other parts of the world and in time it will move again. 
The reason we saw British/Scottish built cranes all over the world is exactly the same reason as we now see Chinese and Korean built ones - at the time we were the ones building them.

We can take considerable pride in the fact that we more or less invented the modern industry.


----------



## Malky Glaister (Nov 2, 2008)

Pat, the crane makers you mention were SMITHS of Rodley, Leeds. Rodley being a place. The site is now a housing estate backing onto the Leeds Liverpool canal.

In Carlisle another maker was Cowans Sheldon, the site is a shopping outlet area and across the road (London Road) is a fine pub, The Crane Makers Arms.

regards malky


----------



## Pat Kennedy (Apr 14, 2007)

Malky Glaister said:


> Pat, the crane makers you mention were SMITHS of Rodley, Leeds. Rodley being a place. The site is now a housing estate backing onto the Leeds Liverpool canal.
> 
> In Carlisle another maker was Cowans Sheldon, the site is a shopping outlet area and across the road (London Road) is a fine pub, The Crane Makers Arms.
> 
> regards malky


Malky, 
You're right, the 'Rodley' stuck in my memory while the 'Smith' slipped into the mist.
Cowans Sheldon cranes i have seen, but cant remember where. 
Best regards, 
Pat(Thumb)


----------



## shambles (May 8, 2010)

Billieboy said:


> Stothert and Pitt, electric 5ton dockside cranes in Cardiff and Barry, there were also a few three tonners, but the best cranes on the Roath dock were Hydraulic(water driven) three tonners built in 1893/5. Had loads of fun making "Walking pipe snugs(flanges)", for these and the movable coal tips on the Queens dock; when I was an apprentice.


There were still Stothert & Pitt hydraulic cranes on the river berths in Calcutta in the early 70s.


----------



## Malky Glaister (Nov 2, 2008)

Pat, Cowans Sheldon made a lot of rail mounted cranes and there are still plenty about. They made turntables also which are few and far between these days.

Stohert and Pitt . I have some pics (illegal) of the Calcutta cranes some place from 1970

regards Malky


----------



## Hillview (Jun 16, 2006)

Volunteer said:


> When Babcock&Wilcox (where my Dad worked) built some of the biggest cranes in its time, as a son of Renfrew it makes me weep to see this being built anywhere else - especially as Babcock will be using it!


I served my apprenticeship there and helped build our own Goliath crane
2,000 tons for Hinckley Point power station and Wylfa power station.
We`ve lost our heavy engineering and it will not recover.


----------



## terry morrow (Jan 7, 2011)

*uk cranes*

Stothert & Pitt are fine crane builders,i worked on the first container
Crane to be erected on the river tees in 1967, great engineers, why
Have we lost so much home grown expertise to overseas companies


----------



## Pat Kennedy (Apr 14, 2007)

Well thankfully Stothert and Pitt are still in business, and build some of the largest offshore cranes.


----------



## Billieboy (May 18, 2009)

terry morrow said:


> Stothert & Pitt are fine crane builders,i worked on the first container
> Crane to be erected on the river tees in 1967, great engineers, why
> Have we lost so much home grown expertise to overseas companies


Probably due to the lackadaisical attitude of the British companies, with regard to investment and high pressure marketing. Ably assisted by the general, "do it tomorrow, maybe", attitude of the UK shop worker.

Of course, I could be wrong.


----------



## Pat Kennedy (Apr 14, 2007)

Billieboy said:


> Probably due to the lackadaisical attitude of the British companies, with regard to investment and high pressure marketing. Ably assisted by the general, "do it tomorrow, maybe", attitude of the UK shop worker.
> 
> Of course, I could be wrong.


I believe that many British companies take a short term view on investment, driven by shareholders who want 'jam today' and if they dont get it, they will invest somewhere else.
However, the main reason why so much manufacturing industry is gone from the UK is the Thatcher government's determination that service industries were good, and manufacturing industries were bad. Thus, Britain was de-industrialised.
Pat


----------



## Satanic Mechanic (Feb 23, 2009)

Heavy Industries time in the UK (and indeed the 'Western World' )was over - it had run its course and no matter how much had been invested would never have competed with the industry out East. 

I have to be honest here and say they are welcome to it - they are building their economies up on the back of it same as we did and in time it will move on again - it is already leaving Japan.


----------



## jmcg (Apr 20, 2008)

(Didn't S&P make the winches on some Blue Funnel vessels?

J(Gleam)(Gleam)


----------



## jmcg (Apr 20, 2008)

Not correct SM

Here on site we have German, Spanish, Italian and French engineered products in the shape of gas turbines, generators, gearboxes, columns, vessels, p/ps, motors, reactors etc. The overhead cranes are German made, built and erected. Almost all mobile cranes in the UK are of German, Japanese, French or Italian manufacture. Coles - the last great manufacturer of mobiles in the UK (Sunderland)is now part of the Grove (US) empire.

Very little British made materials. Some time ago the MC sent to China for a few lengths of 25 mm stud iron. A UK supplier was never considered. All part of the Big Three Golden Circle players in the EU.

BW

J(Gleam)(Gleam)


----------



## Satanic Mechanic (Feb 23, 2009)

jmcg said:


> Not correct SM
> 
> Here on site we have German, Spanish, Italian and French engineered products in the shape of gas turbines, generators, gearboxes, columns, vessels, p/ps, motors, reactors etc. The overhead cranes are German made, built and erected. Almost all mobile cranes in the UK are of German, Japanese, French or Italian manufacture. Coles - the last great manufacturer of mobiles in the UK (Sunderland)is now part of the Grove (US) empire.
> 
> ...



Erm - *HEAVY* engineering

By the way we are still world leaders in many forms of specialised medium and light engineering but the big heavy stuff is long gone and I think is more missed in nostalgia than reality. Same is happening in Japan and Korea - its all off to China next and I am sure it will go somewhere after that. After all now you have educated the next generation and in this modern world of wonder - who the hell wants a filthy big lump of industry in their town never mind working in it.

Take HHI - 25,000 plus workers about the same in contractors and on a site covering at least 10 square kilometers - where on earth would we put that. Plus another 3 yards of near the same size!!!! - and guess what hardly an apprentice in sight - the Koreans don't care , the yards have done their job.


----------



## vicbitter57 (Sep 21, 2007)

Hi Guys,
Another Babbys boy here, worked on a few Babcock cranes in my time in the UK (now in Oz), sad to see all the skills and expertise gone. Gees if there is a major natural disaster in China the world will stop!!. Anyway best wishes to all especially the Babcock blokes, Regards VB (ex Tipton apprentice)


----------

