The Beardmore Crane was a giant cantilever crane at the William Beardmore and Company yard.
The Beardmore Crane was a giant cantilever crane at the William Beardmore and Company yard.
The Beardmore Crane had two opposite cantilevered jibs, both equipped with moving winches, for a total length of 233 feet (71 m). [1] From the jib to the ground extended a tapering lattice, which was enclosed by a lattice tower. The jib was slewed by a mechanism on the ground, and bearings at the top of the tower and where the extension met the ground allowed it to turn. [1] [2] The winch on each arm was powered by two 52 horsepower (39 kW) electric motors for hoisting and two 14 horsepower (10 kW) motors for slewing, and a 18 horsepower (13 kW) motor for slewing. [1] The tower took eight minutes to make a full revolution. [1]
The height of the rail on which the winches ran was 154 feet (47 m), and communication with the operator was by speaking tube. [1] The total weight of the structure was over 500 tonnes (490 long tons; 550 short tons). [1] Upon completion, the shorter arm was tested to lift 200 tonnes (200 long tons; 220 short tons) at a radius of 72 feet 2 inches (22.00 m) and the longer arm could lift 50 tonnes (49 long tons; 55 short tons) at a radius of 139 feet 5 inches (42.49 m). [1]
Railway tracks running beneath the crane allowed material to be moved from the workshops. [3]
It was used for fitting out ships, installing very heavy items such as boilers, armour and guns. [1] The basin it served was the largest in the world at the time of its completion. [4]
The crane was built by Benrather Maschinenfabrik near Düsseldorf, now Demag, and is similar to a crane built for Vickers in Barrow-in-Furness. [5] The two cranes were the first modern high capacity cranes in Britain. [5] Other shipbuilders installed massive cranes soon after, such as the Titan Clydebank in 1907, although these were typically British-built and of a different design. [6]
The crane was erected in 1903 at a cost of £3,352 by German firm Kohncke. [5] The yard was short-lived, lasting from 1899-1930, but saw significant use during the First World War when it built a number of ships for the Royal Navy. [7]
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