The Crane: Drydock No 3 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard

[@ghost307]

VERY nice of the yard to let you climb in the crane and film parts of it.

[@fsj197811]

That vampire comment cracked me up. Thanks for sharing!

[@bull614]

The little things like that are the reason why Ryan is so fun to watch. He talks to you rather than at you. That makes a huge difference, in my opinion anyway.

[@vinceromano8245]

He is the best !!!

[@normbond8888]

Ryan my favourite part of this dry dock series is ……..ALL OF IT. Your commentary & enthusiasm has been inspiring & you have no idea just how much we all appreciate your dedication. Well done Sir, Battleship New Jersey is a very lucky old lady having you to look after her in her retirement. Great luck going forward as we look forward to seeing more about this grand old lady. Thanks from Canada 🙏🇨🇦👍

[@matthewgillies7509]

My dad (who is a newly retired museum curator himself) and I were wondering if the crane was WWII or slightly earlier. We both figured that if it was a wartime build that most of the internal systems would be diesel and electric, and likely still functional. Whereas we figured if it was original to the dock, much more of the internal workings would have been changed over time. The give away for us that it was WWII-era or thereabouts: the metalwork and windows. I'm glad to learn that it's still operating with a lot of the original systems, which is a testament to both the construction and the maintenance work.

[@randyogburn2498]

3:46 the telehandler for scale is pretty impressive. It can really provide perspective for those of us who weren't able to visit.

[@ChristopherWithers]

I really love the history of the dry dock, especially seeing what the old buildings look like. There's something so fascinating about these historic structures and imagining what life was like back when they were bustling with activity. It's like stepping back in time and getting a glimpse into the past. The architecture is just so unique and I can't help but wonder about the stories of the people who worked there and the ships that were once moored in the dock. It's a beautiful blend of history and craftsmanship that never fails to leave me in awe.

[@phillipbouchard4197]

I took several photo's of the Crane when I was there on April 6th , including one looking up at the bottom of it from the Drydock floor. I can not think of one particular item that was my favorite just the entire tour topped off by meeting and talking to Ryan. I will always have my photo's of the trip and getting to go under a 47,000.0 ton Battleship!

[@fifteenbyfive]

5:36 lol we can't have high turnover like that! Ryan'll still have to be the curator in 30 years!

[@jefesman]

The airplane in the closing scene was so perfect!!!

[@ryankelly1182]

Thanks for doing this! My great-grandfather was a diesel mechanic on the Goliath crane that used to be at Fore River in Quincy MA (where USS Salem is). I believe it was the 2nd largest in the world, and could still be. They dismantled it 10-15 years ago and shipped it to Romania, where it's still building ships to this day!

[@SteamCrane]

Sorry to hear it's been shipped away. I visited USS Salem in 2001, and spent a lot of time looking at the crane. It was a significant part of the exhibit.

[@rogerbradbury9713]

This crane reminds me of the overhead cranes on an early 50s wind tunnel site near Bedford, England. One was outside with the electrical supply on suspended wires with wiper contacts, similar to an electric tram. Part of our maintenance routine was to take it up and down the tracks a couple of times to rub off bird related "deposits". The right speed for this was essential; too fast and the wire wouldn't be properly cleaned, too slow and the crane would stall when one of the phases dropped out, leaving us stuck away from the access point. Before the days of mobile phones, that would mean a long wait before somebody noticed we were missing and much amusement from our rescuers. The speed controls for both movement and lifting were also similar to a tram; click stopped positions for resistor banks, in this case for the wound rotors of each motor. I suspect that the motors for the drydock crane are controlled in a similar fashion. One unique feature of this outside overhead crane was an old table leg. When the crane was not in use it was left jammed between the control cabin frame and the brake pedal, so that the wind would not blow the crane away from the access point. Next time we went up we didn't fancy leaping across to it, thirty feet above the ground.

[@danger3_255]

I asked about the crane on a tour. I figured you guys would eventually cover it. Thanks!

[@davelewandoski4292]

Personally I hope Ryan is still New Jersey's curator in 30 years. Imagine the knowledge he will have amassed on the Iowa Class.

[@gerrywalsh5766]

I really enjoyed you showing the dry dock pumps. My dad specced many fire trucks and he was really smitten with Waterous pumps. The biggest of theirs that I've seen were cooling pumps for power plants at 250,000 GPM. Yes, they made them bigger. The DYNO test room was my favorite section of the factory.

[@SteamCrane]

Before there were computers to tell you how much you could reduce material weight and still have a safety margin, the solution was to overbuild everything. Story of the Chief Engineer walking by a junior engineer's drawing board, looking at the design, and simply ordering "beef it up!". I started working as a Mechanical Engineer near the end of the old overbuilt era, and experienced this first hand.

[@bottomup12]

Great work curators, dry dock crews, and tug crews! Congratulations on a successful dry dock!

[@LarryHogan-tc3ux]

i enjoyed having a nice conversation with Ryan on the afternoon of the 9th last day of tours . i was waiting for my 2bd tour 1st one on april 6th 1st day . Ryan is so easy to talk to . i asked about an obscure question of how many gallons per hr of fuel would NJ s boiler burn . Ryan got his phone calculator out right away and went about doing the calculations . at 7 gal per minute per boiler and 8 boilers being able to sustain for up to 30 days at sea . the astounding amount of fuel oil NJ is able to carry makes alot of sense . thanks Ryan for your quick interest in my question . Larry Hogan .

[@garbo8962]

Ryan is best in class hard working young man. Absolute walking enclopidia on most decorated battleship the New Jersey.

[@lawrencehp1]

Great job. This entire series involving the shipyard has been great.

[@matthewmillar3804]

I think my favorite part is the dry dock floating door. But this crane is really cool too! Reminds me of those old Bucyrus draglines and steam shovels!

[@DavidSmith-cx8dg]

It's very similar to the dockyard cranes , most sadly gone , that were in use in the later part of the last century . One thing Ryan didn't mention was the massive counterweight at the rear which balances the jib . Things were built to last in Naval yards of the last century and they needed to be reliable with the number of ships dependant on heavy lifts .

[@kylecampbell1444]

Like coming back to an old friend for New Jersey. Thier history goes hand in hand.

[@AutoBrawn]

Being from Canada and only seeing a few naval vessels, usually from afar, being able to see one of the US Navy's largest battleships was absolutely amazing! I even got to see Ryan just before he was taking a group out so that was really cool as well. Maybe one day I'll come back and tour the inside of the ship!

[@thedevilsreject23]

It would be great to see that crane restored- if it’s 40’s era then it’s certainly worth preserving 🥃🍻👍🏻

[@kman-mi7su]

An 83-year-old crane still on the job! Old saying, “built to last” applies here no doubt when the ship goes back into dry dock in another 30 years I’ll be in my 80s if I’m still around. I wouldn’t be surprised if that crane is still on the job.

[@paladin50554]

Finally, the video we all wanted.

[@physetermacrocephalus2209]

He lift's things up and then puts them down 😎

[@meskes4059]

Found the operator

[@ian5.011]

As a crane mechanic I find it amazing how far cranes have come since then. You can drive a 5 axle 250T Tadano to job sites now a days, and that’s not even the largest road legal crane.

[@matthewmillar3804]

But would it have the reach (at those loads). That this one has? I've had the pleasure of dealing with large road cranes like you mention, and they are super cool!

[@Ganiscol]

@@matthewmillar3804 the largest road legal crane by Liebherr can easily exceed the tonnage at the maximum reach of this drydock crane, thats for sure. The maximum capacity right at the base of the crane is 1200 metric tons. These cranes come with accessories to increase reach both in height and distance. Be it 200t of ballast or additional anchoring for the boom extension.

[@SteamCrane]

This crane has much more height and reach, although the Tadanos are cool.

[@meskes4059]

We had our 250 in a full build out, including the wings for about a year and a half, two years. Fully dressed, they’re big bitches.

[@ian5.011]

@@matthewmillar3804 I believe total boom length with the jib on the ones we had could reach 280 or so feet.

[@user-cw8hi9zt8n]

You’re gonna find this really funny: what I loved during my visit to the shipyard while New Jersey was dry docked, was how small the battleship actually appeared to be. What was really interesting was to note how it actually was and how relatively compact it actually was. If you compare the battleship to a aircraft carrier, especially a modern one, it is deceptively small.

[@edmartin5654]

I went to HT/DC school in the philly ship yard. And I love old ships. I got to go back, cruise along all the old ships. And as a bonus I got to take my older brother and air force veteran. Favorite? Naa that was an awesome day!!! I loved every minute!

[@user-rl5nd3ys8p]

Nice timing with the jet at 5.56. 🇦🇺👍👍👍

[@robertschultz6922]

This was the one I wanted to see, also I wanted a video about the construction of the dry dock

[@oceanmariner]

I remember seeing a video about 10 years ago of the scrapping of several shipyard cranes. I thought it was Philadelphia. They cut two legs so it fell on its' side. Other naval shipyards I've been at had tracks for cranes throughout the drydock and shop areas. The cranes I remember were from WWII or before.

[@Ducaso]

I've never really thought about it before, but 18 tons of paint had me flabbergasted for a second.

[@cruisinguy6024]

Keep in mind that’s just for hull and doesn’t include all the paint topside. It’s an enormous amount of coatings.

[@MartysRandomStuff]

That rail system explains the odd pattern to the paths they made when turning the area around drydock number one into a little park with paths and benches, bunch of overlapping curves with some of the rail still showing.

[@fredwood1490]

There was a crane, not quite that big, at the dry dock at Roosevelt Rhodes NAS, built about the same time. The dry dock was quite large too, someone said it was meant for the Queen Mary, if the Brits had to be moved to Puerto Rico, to escape a German invasion. Makes a nice story anyway. One of our Equipment Operators, (CBs), started it up and road it around the dry dock. Got Court Martialed, too. (CBs, right?!) There were keel blocks laid out for a destroyer and a second gate setting inside, said to have been used for the construction of the bay. The gate installed leaked along one side where something had been caught but the pumps kept the place dry, even after all that time. (1960s). The gates are gone now and the bay is filled with water and being used as a marina for the up scale housing development where Rosey Rhodes used to be. The crane too is long gone as is the Sea Bee Base. I think the air field is used for private jets and commercial planes from all over the Caribbean. It was all a nice place, back in 1969.

[@aserta]

The pumps were a treat. Love all things water.

[@RetiredEE]

Another nice video. Ryan has done a stellar job throughout! 👍 That old gantry crane was built to last. They didn't cut corners back then.

[@wurlycorner]

Thank you all so much for the series of videos through the dry dock project - not only documenting the ship work, but also taking the time to find out about and cover the key parts of the dry dock itself. Really interesting and of course, owing to the connection from build, as much a part of the story of New Jersey as the ship herself. If you are able to cover the caison (construction z how it floods and pumps out, how it's moved etc) that would be great.

[@rondrew2857]

The hull view and the crane were the best.

[@stealth9639]

My favorite thing was definitely the tunnel between the two aft props. Gonna miss seeing her in the drydock when I'm taking off from Philly!

[@justwordme]

Most mobile cranes come with an extension boom to get higher longer etc. I was always taught though that, that extension effectively reduced the lifting capacity by half to be out that far from the base and that extension use is where most problems occurred. It being an extension is readily visible from the video.

[@m14lvr]

Thats not an extension on this crane, its a jib. An extensions angle can't be moved on the fly a jibs can. A jib or extension will usually lift significantly less than half than what the main does. Also the crane isn't being overloaded when it picked up the turrets it just had to be rigged with more parts of line in order to gain the extra capacity. The WLL on the block has nothing to do with the capacity of boom. The capacity of the boom is dependent on stability, height and radius.

[@justwordme]

@@m14lvr jib or layman speak extension… different crane lifted the torrents… and yes any of the many crane designs can be built to carry any weight

[@m14lvr]

@@justwordme I understand it was a different crane that lifted the turrets. I'm not trying to prove anyone wrong or flex just giving information. That's what this channel is all about. All I'm saying is an overhaul rated at 5t has nothing to do with crane capacity. Lifting a 550t load on 350t crane is far more than 50% overload and an extension is completely different from a jib. A layman can call a motor an engine but it still isn't a engine. As I said I'm in no way trying to pick Ryan apart just giving info. Nobody knows any of this info till someone tells them. That's how we all learn.

[@johnmccrane1660]

All the vid’s were great, the info and delivery. Great job with off-site recordings.

[@roger-bp1nr]

I have enjoyed watching these videos. Especially your willingness to entertain "what if" scenarios. Makes me wonder what you would have said about outfitting the New Jersey for space travel similar to what the Japanese planned for the Yamato.

[@vburke1]

The drydock pumps were seriously cool.

[@ronaldmiller2740]

VERY COOL!! RYAN....

[@bp-ob8ic]

Thanks, Ryan, for bringing this information to us. You are spearheading an amazing effort, and it shows.

[@trryhin]

Thanks for doing a video on the crane! When we did our tour it was pretty warm, walking back we stopped under it for a break and our guide was telling us about some of the things it was used for.

[@johnanon6938]

Fav was the wood ladder inside the crane reminded me of the 1960s or 50s ones used by electricians when I was a kid. Almost wish I could have one of those heavy things, but really its the nearly identical one with brown paint drops on lowest steps that my father had that I'd be looking for.

[@cruisinguy6024]

Wow, I wasn’t expecting the interior and windows of the crane to be so filthy

[@coniow]

05:40 Ryan, you will still be there in 30 years time! May be with a Zimmer frame, possibly in a wheel chair (30 years time ? Probably a Hover Chair :-), but still making recordings about the latest finds. Probably Holograms by then though !

[@billmelater6470]

Amazing that it's still in use!

[@charlesmaurer6214]

Glad to see you restoring the deck but just thinking with the canopies you sometimes used even back at in 1941 was in common use for shade on decks would it help to keep is covered in bad weather (might require upgrading for wind) Also in off seasons perhaps a cover for the wood to help keep weathering down a UV treated plastic mat made like what might be used for desk chairs in panels that is nubbed on bottom for breathing. Would shield the wood from the hard sun and help shed water or snow in winter. Another more expensive option might be closer to what England likes to do but could be done without forever caging her like HMS Victory. Build in effect a drydock style pier for her without the closing the end and build an roof structure over her. It could be open on the sides and the roof itself could alternate between metal and plastic to shed water and snow while also offering some shade again. I think by covering the wood from full weathering would double or triple its life also the shed like roof there might even be some offsetting AC/Heating cost savings.

[@stuartwest5125]

I used to be a crane electrical tech on cranes at newport news shipbuilding, we have running cranes of the same vintage and manufacturer possibly. If you want to know about it ask the crane or yard electricians!

[@ut000bs]

I knew it. You're finally going to paint _New Jersey_ Measure 21. 😉She sure looked good coming out. That crane is amazing. My hat is off to the people who maintain and operate it.

[@JohnBare747]

It's been a great series and I enjoyed every one of the videos and I'm not even particularly interested in ships in general, even though my dad was a Navy CPO during WWII, but you made it so very interesting Ryan so I had to watch it all. My grandpa was a machinist at Mare Island Naval Shipyard 1930's through 1960''s so perhaps that was the connection. I remember him taking me to Mare Island not long after the end of WWII and remember big cranes like that. Don't specifically recall what they looked like just that they were gigantic to a 5 year old kid. They had me dressed in a little sailor suit. Give me a break! I guess at the time it was as good as my cowboy outfit, now seems a bit pretentious. So I had my Navy Yard visit a while ago. Beat the crowd.

[@johngallus1735]

Ryan and Crew have done a great job with New Jersey

[@dutchman7216]

That was cool Ryan. Thanks

[@bruceyoung1343]

As a young man traveling up and down 95, and myself driving I remember a big crane that was there. It was painted red if I recall. I think it was in such bad shape no one was slowed to walk under it. Pieces would fall unannounced.

[@Stevop79400]

Absolutely love this video.

[@matthewgaffney4312]

The whole thing. It was all interesting.

[@jess2690]

I really enjoyed the videos on the drydock, its history and various functions. Thank you for covering this :)

[@christine_penn]

I really enjoyed my visit...and very glad I signed up to do it. During my visit, I walked by the crane and was able to look at some of the mechanical aspect of it, the rails, and what not. It was fascinating to me to see it and other workings of the dry dock. Of course the main attraction was the ship itself...but these were all nice bonus attractions as well.

[@rogerb3654]

Great info about the crane 🏗....love the 🧛‍♂🧛‍♀🧛‍♀🦇🦇 reference.

[@JesusChrist-uj8lg]

I’m pretty sure this crane plays La Cucaracha when moving on the tracks instead of a normal alarm noise. Ive heard it several times when nearby.

[@AlanRogers250]

Hi from Oregon.

[@camickelson]

The whole bottom!! So Love it

[@caminojohn3240]

Imagine how many changes of wire rope that crane has seen in its lifetime.

[@Omgcorpse]

Looking at bow from the cason damn. When i went on the dry tour.

[@Wilett614]

SO ...... WHO built the Crane ? How large is it ? What Powers it ? Who Operates it ? How tall is it ? Thanks !

[@mindeloman]

Imagine all the cranes in all the various yards and harbors in operation during WWII. I recall hearing Mobile Alabama was a major shipyard during the period.

[@Moredread25]

That's cool you got to go inside. I'd be interested to hear what, if any things it did during this particular yard period.

[@robertpoore7604]

Very interesting that this crane from 1940s still gets the job done. It just proves that things were built to last back then.

[@garybensman1358]

Please tell us a bit about the German dock cranes that were brought back to Sparrows Point as war prizes after the war.

[@williamackerman6574]

Most interesting, the holes in the hull used to clean the Bunker C out of the fuel tanks.

[@Kyfordman1989]

We had the same type of cranes in Pearl Harbor that you all let them down bravo pier, and into the dry dock area

[@bull614]

Hate to break it to ya Ryan, but as you pointed out, yall like vampires, so you will easily be around 30 years from now and better still be in charge 😂😂😂😂

[@russellhltn1396]

No videos about the pumps? Edit: I missed that video! Time to go watch it.

[@jimfleming3975]

The pumps & their motors.

[@carldaniel6510]

Any plaques or other markings on the crane that indicate who made it or any other specs on it?

[@lineshaftrestorations7903]

Contrary to what the uninformed might have you believe, old does not automatically mean bad. When constructed, the crane was built with current and sound technology. If properly maintained, there's no reason it can't last another 80+ years. 😊

[@WilliamMurphy-tj7il]

Not when the only turds around honestly believe there must be a app fo dat..AND they are to bloody lazy to work

[@davidty2006]

yep Puget sound is still using it's old cranes, and there was a hammerhead at a glasgow naval yard that lasted long enough to fit out a type 45. Old doesn't mean bad long as it still works as intended just needs to be maintained maybe a refit every now and then.

[@Ganiscol]

Likewise for new. Especially on this channel we get a lot of uninformed "things were made better back in the day...". Nobody talks about all the crap made back in the day, because it doesnt exists anymore. The ratio between good and crap likely hasnt change much if at all in the past 100 years.

[@galenamall2061]

the sleek lines

[@richkloempken8473]

Did anyone notice the ‘Bic’ lighter laying next to the crane operator’s chair? Forensic analysis would say that the current crane operator is a smoker. :) Surprised that the crane was not a No smoking area, but other than the seat cushion and roll of paper towels, everything else is steel or glass 😊

[@x1heavy]

Getting a invite out of a Yankee can be somewhat difficult. =)

[@DirkFedermann]

I repeat my question from a couple of weeks (month?) ago, now that the yard period is over: What would you have done differently or added to the work list, when you could've had a couple of weeks or even a month more in the dry dock?

[@camickelson]

That's a BIG crane

[@PatrickLipsinic]

The tracks for that crane goes on both sides of that dry dock. What about the right next to it that lead to the pier next to it? You can see them on Google maps satellite view.

[@SteamCrane]

Shipyards had a network of crane tracks so that cranes could be moved between docks. They also had sidings where a crane could be moved off the main line for maintenance or to let another crane pass by.

[@PatrickLipsinic]

@SteamCrane yeah I was just curious cuz he made the comment about the tracks that went to the other docks. Google Maps you can see where most of them have been paved over but then there was the one that leads out to that Pier right next to that dry dock that seems to be still visible. It's awesome to see these still functioning today built back in the 40s.

[@grantpratt299]

I have a question on an off topic, The SS United Staes is looking for a new pier to be docked at. Is there a pier where she would fit Near the New Jersey to make a maritine park?

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

there is not

[@grantpratt299]

@@BattleshipNewJersey thas for letting me know

[@camickelson]

550 tons? WOW!!

[@tomyorke3412]

The claaaaaaaw

[@johnferrier2803]

The most interesting thing was the sheer size of the props,their functional design and seeing the piece missing from one of the blades. It’s somehow sad that they’ll never turn again under power from the massive forever dormant engines. Her 16” guns will forever be silent😢

[@dogmandan79]

Classic example of purpose built machinery that keeps working and shouldn’t be tampered with or replaced.

[@jaybird7463]

When you gonna paint the hull?

[@jgjgroff9]

Where gun sound intro

[@blackbuttecruizr]

Bremerton still has her hammerhead crane, although it is no longer in use.

[@janjocham7720]

There's talk about a war with China would be a sea battle. Which of the four iowa class battleships could be activated to be sent into harms way.

[@keithv708]

The crane

[@kenmcdougal97]

This goes to show you that old school workmanship is the best

[@peterhineinlegen4672]

I don't know if they still have it, but there was a floating crane in San Diego that was captured from the Germans.

[@SteamCrane]

@@peterhineinlegen4672 Herman The German?

[@chiefsilverback]

Surely you can only make that statement if a crane built today isn’t operating in 80 years time?

[@Ganiscol]

I bet, if the museum got a Dollar for every uninformed comment of this type, they'd be very pleased with the extra cash on hand. 😂

[@keab42]

Does that 18 tons of paint include the containers or is that just the paint itself?

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

Just the paint

[@keab42]

@@BattleshipNewJersey 😲

[@justwordme]

Two questions… what happened to the hammerhead crane. Does the shipyard have a crane strong enough to lift the gun turrets…? I’m also curious why is the crane not a gantry like crane that has wheels on both sides of the dock to lift even heavier things?

[@m14lvr]

The league island crane was torn down in 1996. Gantry cranes are inefficient since they don't have adjustable height and can't swing. It's not possible to take an object off one ship to install on another without extra infrastructure with a gantry. When the league island crane was built it was the highest capacity in the world. Nowadays mobile cranes that can do 500t are everywhere and 1000t lattice booms are very common. There's just no reason to have a crane like that anymore. It takes up valuable room on the dock and it's cheaper and easier just to rent a mobile or crawler.

[@davidvavra9113]

Bremerton is very close to demolishing their historical hammerhead crane. Damned shame.