Fairfield Titan facts for kids
The Fairfield Titan was a huge giant cantilever crane that stood tall at the BAE Systems' Govan shipyard. It was the biggest crane of its kind on the River Clyde in Scotland until it was taken down in 2007. This powerful crane helped build many large ships.
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A Giant's Story
The Fairfield Titan was built in 1911. It was made by a company called Sir William Arrol & Co. at the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company yard. Its very first job was to help put machinery into a big ship named HMS New Zealand (1911).
The Titan crane was used for almost a century! Its last job was just six weeks before it was taken apart. It helped put together parts of a modern warship called a Type 45 destroyer.
Why the Titan Was Taken Down
Even though the crane was a very important historical building (it was "category A listed"), permission was given to remove it. This was because the crane was in the way of new building plans for the shipyard. It was carefully taken apart over three weeks and its materials were recycled.
The Titan in Music
The Fairfield Titan crane is even mentioned in a song! It features in the song Shipyard Apprentice by a Scottish traditional music group called Battlefield Band.
How the Titan Worked
The Fairfield Titan was an incredibly strong crane. When it was first built, it could lift 200-tonne (220-short-ton) (which is 200 short tons). This is like lifting about 100 cars!
Lifting Power and Motors
Around 1941, its lifting power was increased to 250 t (280 short tons). Later, it was set to lift 220 t (240 short tons). The crane had two electric motors, each with 65-brake-horsepower (48-kilowatt) of power, to do the main lifting. It also had another powerful motor (95-brake-horsepower (71-kilowatt)) for a smaller, faster hoist. This allowed it to lift loads up to 40 t (44 short tons) even at its furthest reach of 161 ft (49.1 m).
