2015

J3574 : National Cycle Network signs, Belfast (January 2015)

taken 9 years ago, near to Belfast, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland

National Cycle Network signs, Belfast (January 2015)
National Cycle Network signs, Belfast (January 2015)
National Cycle Network direction signs (route 99), on the Sydenham Road, opposite the path to Titanic Quarter station Link. The Harland & Wolff cranes “Samson” and “Goliath” are in the background. See also J3574 : Cycle lanes, Sydenham Road, Belfast (January 2015).
The Harland and Wolff Building Dock, Belfast :: J3575

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 Albert Bridge and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Roads, Road transport Place: Belfast other tags: Belfast Harbour Road Signs National Cycle Network National Cycle Route 99 Harland & Wolff Cranes Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
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J3574, 516 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Albert Bridge   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Monday, 19 January, 2015   (more nearby)
Submitted
Monday, 19 January, 2015
Subject Location
Irish: geotagged! J 353 748 [100m precision]
WGS84: 54:36.2024N 5:54.3466W
Camera Location
Irish: geotagged! J 353 748
View Direction
North-northeast (about 22 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Supplemental image
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