The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
From the Fantail of the USS Kawishiwi AO-146
Vern took this photo in May of 1955
| This is the birthplace of
American naval construction that once employed nearly 48,000 workers at
one time and launched some of the U.S. Navy's biggest warships, the Philadelphia
Naval Shipyard had been declining for years and threatened to become just
another excessed military site when it closed for good in 1996, ending
200 years of shipbuilding.
|
| Navy's
biggest crane is coming down
December 13, 1996 Philadelphia Business Journal  |
One of
the most visible symbols of Philadelphia's 20th-century industrial might
is about to be torn down and towed away as scrap.
The giant hammerhead crane that looms above the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard is scheduled to be demolished. U.S. Navy officials have determined that it is obsolete and unsafe. "It would take a lot of money to keep it up and running," said Jerry Dupuis, head crane engineer at the yard. Completed in 1917, the crane has not been used since the late 1970s. At one time, it was considered one of the largest -- if not the largest -- pieces of machinery of its kind in the world. The crane casts such a unique form that pilots flying into Philadelphia International Airport say they use it as a navigational landmark. |
| Designated
AJWE-18 in the Navy's crane inventory, the piece of equipment was built
by a company called McMyler.
"This is the largest single crane we have," Dupuis said. Capable of hoisting 350 long tons, it was used to lift and replace giant gun turrets on battleships. But after nearly 80 years, it has outlived is usefulness. "From a distance it probably looks OK. But if you get up close to the thing, it's just unsafe," said Lt. Cmdr. Tim Smith, resident officer in charge of construction. "We basically don't need it anymore." The crane will not be replaced. Hutchinson Construction Services was awarded a $4.1 million contract to tear down the electrically powered crane. Under the contract, the company will also renovate Pier 4, turning it from a site that supports major ship repairs to a minor berth capable of accommodating two inactive aircraft carriers. The work is scheduled to be completed by the end of 1997. "The trick is to take it down in as few number of pieces as possible," he said. With the help of a series of other cranes, the components, which include the multistory machinery house, the counterweights and a smaller bridge crane attached to the back, will be placed on a barge and towed to a scrapyard, Hutchinson said. Hutchinson, while not necessarily sentimental about the huge piece of equipment, said the familiar image is one that sticks in his mind. He grew up in South Jersey and remembers traveling to Army-Navy and Eagles football games, seeing the crane's profile on the horizon. |