An Industrial Crane, Now Scotland’S Unique Attraction

July 20, 2015

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Titan Clydebank was constructed in 1907 by the Scottish engineer Adam Hunter, who was working as Chief Engineer for Arrol & Co. The dock was used for fitting out vessels, and the crane would lift engines and boilers into ships. Titan Clydebank was the world's first electrically powered cantilever crane, and the largest crane of its type, at the time of its completion. It could lift 160 tons when built and was upgraded to 203 tons in 1938. The lifting capacity of the Titan, and the location of the yard at the confluence of the River Clyde and River Cart, contributed to the success of the yard as it could build extremely large ships. During the First World War, the shipyard was almost exclusively occupied in building warships. By the end of the war it had built more destroyers than any other British shipyard.

By the end of the 1950s, however, technology had changed and shipbuilding yards in other European nations, and in Korea and Japan, capitalized on it and became highly productive. But Clydebank shipyard, just like many other British yards, continued to use outmoded working practices and largely obsolete equipment, making themselves uncompetitive and uneconomic.

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