Heavy lifting with steam

Mono Monday – Strength
 
Winter seemed to return today, the light was very poor and it drizzled.  But here for you is the only surviving steam-powered Fairbairn Crane.  This thing really is strong.
 
When the crane was made in the late 1870s the use of a curved riveted wrought iron jib was highly innovative and allowed the crane to reach further into the hold of a ship, clear of the deep gunwales alongside the quayside.  At this time none of the harbour’s 17 other cranes could lift more than 3 tons.  The new crane could lift 35 tons and was needed to help fend off increasing competition from other ports.
 
Despite its considerable strength, the crane was a short-lived success.  Within 20 years ships had increased in size to such a size that the Fairbairn’s jib could not reach far enough to remove engines and boilers for repair.  Instead by the early 1890s new hydraulic cranes started to appear which were more flexible than the Fairbairn.
 
The steam crane was required less and less often.  Its great strength meant that it remained useful for occasional heavy loads but for a whole year in the 1900's  the crane went unused. However, its great strength meant that it remained useful albeit for occasional heavy loads.
 
During World War II the crane's heavy capacity came into its own. It was used over 2,000 times in 3 years to load assault landing craft for a Landing Craft Flotilla Unit. 
 

The crane is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument, despite this it remains operational and is regularly steamed, for example for the Bristol Harbour Festival each year