Hunter's Point crane explained

The Hunter's Point crane is a gantry crane located at the naval shipyard in Hunters Point, San Francisco.^[1] When it was built, in 1947 to repair battleships and aircraft carriers, it was the largest crane in the world.^{[2] [3]}

It has a 450LT capacity and was completed at the site by the American Bridge Company.^[4]

When it was first built, it was used to lift 630 tons, which the San Francisco Chronicle reported at the time was the heaviest load ever lifted.^[2]

In 1959, it was used for Operation Skycatch, where dummy Polaris missiles were fired and caught via a string of arresting cables, before being lowered to the ground for testing.^[5] Previous versions of the test had the missiles flung out into the bay and retrieved from the ocean floor.^{[6] [7]}

A large trapezoidal frame was erected atop the gantry crane for the UGM-73 Poseidon missile test facility; the structural members were lifted by Marine Boss in 1967.^[8] The addition of the frame brought the total height of the crane to nearly . The crane dominates the landscape in the area, as it is easily visible from miles around.

Today, the site where the crane is located is a superfund site due to contamination by the military, and there is no public access.^{[9] [10]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard - FoundSF. www.foundsf.org.
2. Web site: A love letter to Hunters Point crane, the most underrated Bay Area landmark. Peter. Hartlaub. January 8, 2020. San Francisco Chronicle.
3. Web site: A new vision for the development of Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. John. King. December 14, 2017. San Francisco Chronicle.
4. Spanning the Navy's Mole at Hunter's Point, Calif., is the World's Largest Crane . Stimson Jr., Thomas E. . September 1947 . Popular Mechanics . 88 . 3 . 0032-4558 . 124–128; 256 . 28 December 2017.
5. Web site: L55-15.01.03 L55-15.01.03 Operation Skycatch Polaris missile dummy at testing site. NHHC.
6. Web site: Hunters Point Crane . Department of the Navy . 11 January 2017.
7. Web site: The story of the Hunters Point crane's arch — and its nuclear secret . 19 February 2023 .
8. Test facility modifications for Poseidon . Venturino, Marco F. . March–April 1967 . The Navy Civil Engineer . 8 . 2 . 18–19 . 3 January 2020.
9. Web site: Navy: Do-over of $250 million cleanup at Hunters Point necessary. Chris. Roberts. January 31, 2018. Curbed SF.
10. Web site: Shipyard radiation tests around housing were sound, scientist panel says, but questions remain. Chris. Roberts. January 23, 2020. Curbed SF.