Australian floating crane Titan
The floating crane Titan, being towed under the Sydney Harbour Bridge with the foremast of HMAS Sydney in 1929. The mast is to be installed at Bradleys Head.
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Australia | |
| Name: | Titan |
| Ordered: | 5 October 1916 |
| Builder: | Cowans, Sheldon & Co., Carlisle, England |
| Launched: | 5 December 1917 |
| Completed: | 3 December 1919 |
| In service: | 1919 |
| Out of service: | 1991 |
| Homeport: | Cockatoo Island Dockyard |
| Fate: | Scuttled, 29 December 1992 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Crane vessel |
| Displacement: | 2,125 tonnes (2,091 long tons; 2,342 short tons) |
| Length: | 176 ft (54 m) |
| Beam: | 79 ft 8 in (24.28 m) |
| Draught: | 13 ft (4.0 m) |
| Propulsion: | None |
| Capacity: | Lift of 150 tonnes (148 long tons; 165 short tons) |
| Armament: | None |
Titan was a floating crane that operated in Sydney Harbour from 1919 until 1991. She was fabricated in Carlisle in the United Kingdom, then sent to Cockatoo Island Dockyard in Sydney for assembly, before entering service with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
After being declared surplus to requirements, the crane became the property of Cockatoo Island Dockyard, which operated it until the dockyard's closure in 1991. Although heritage-listed, Titan was sold to a Singaporean company, and authorisation was given to tow her to Singapore in 1992. During the tow, the crane's barge inverted on 24 December, and the crane was scuttled five days later.
Titan was fabricated in the United Kingdom during World War I by Cowans, Sheldon & Company of Carlisle, then transported to Australia in parts for assembly at Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney. Ordered on 5 October 1916, construction at Cockatoo commenced on 7 March 1917. The crane was launched on 5 December 1917. However, during construction, the 40-ton lead screws for the crane's jib arm were lost when the merchant ship Afric was torpedoed. The crane could be used in a limited capability, although it was not until 1919 that replacement screws of sufficient quality were acquired.Titan was completed on 3 December 1919. On completion, the crane was handed over to the RAN.
Titan's cantilever-jib arm could reach 190 feet (58 m) above the surface at maximum extension. The crane could lift up to 150 tonnes (150 long tons; 170 short tons) at an arm radius of 90 feet (27 m), or 125 tonnes (123 long tons; 138 short tons) at 125 feet (38 m). Two 75-tonne (74-long-ton; 83-short-ton) counterweights were used to ballast the load; water ballast tanks could also be used, but this rarely occurred. The crane was supported by a lattice mast fitted to a riveted-steel pontoon barge that was 176 feet (54 m) long, 79 feet 8 inches (24.28 m) wide, and had a depth of 13 feet (4.0 m). The crane was not self-propelled, and required two or three tugboats to manoeuvre her around. Power for lifting and rotating was supplied by a coal-fired boiler supplying three steam generators (two 220 kilowatt generators and a 44 kilowatt auxiliary). The only connection between the crane arm and the lattice mast were drive shafts for the slewing (rotational) motors.Titan had a maximum displacement of 2,125 tonnes (2,091 long tons; 2,342 short tons).
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