06.12.2007

Access platforms aid crane restoration

A large hammerhead crane, one of only 14 left in the world, stands at Potts Point in the Garden Island Naval Depot on Woolloomooloo bay in Sydney harbour.

With a height of 68 metres and a lifting radius of 40 metres and a lift capacity of 254 tonnes, it is the largest such crane in the southern hemisphere.
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Sydney's Hammerhead crane

Most of the surviving cranes of this type, originally designed by Sir William Arrol over 100 years ago, are in the UK, with four of them on the Clyde. See Titan crane restoration begins And The Titan goes

The Robert Bird Group was appointed to establish the structural, mechanical and electrical condition and to investigate the option and costs of fully refurbishing, demolishing or decommissioning and conserving the crane.

Fortunately it has been decided to restore the crane which was one of two cranes designed between 1937 and 1943 by the Sir William Arrol company and Sir Alexander Gibb and Partners, Glasgow. Its twin was installed at His Majesty’s Naval Base in Singapore.

The Sydney crane was erected between 1944 and 1951 The crane was specifically set up for the removal of the twin 18 inch gun barbettes from the British battleships of the period and is still the largest dockside crane in Australia.

Murphys Facilities Management Services is carrying out the conservation of the crane, and contracted Instant Access to design and provide special work platforms with overhead protection to carry out the work on the cranes jib.
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Up goes the first two Quickdecks

The company used its Quickdeck system to which it will add scaffold towers to reach specific parts of the structure as the restoration work progresses.
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Up under the massive jib

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Up and up

The first platforms were lifted into place yesterday meeting a tight schedule laid down by Murphys.
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Into Position

Around 60 giant cantilever cranes like the one on Garden Island were ever built. Of the 13 others remaining, three are in England, two in Japan, two in the USA, and five in Scotland. One at Rosyth and four on the Clyde at Clydebank, Greenock, Whiteinch and Finnieston. A fifth at Govan was dismantled earlier this year.