Bethlehem Steel Shipyard Crane

Bethlehem Steel Shipyard Crane. , This crane was a fixture on Pier 3 of Bethlehem Steel's Key Highway Shipyard facility. It was one of three identical cranes used to repair war-damaged ships during World War II. The Bethlehem Steel Corporation acquired the Baltimore Dry Dock Company on Key Highway in 1921 and set it up as a repair facility to complement their ship building facility at Sparrows Point. During World War II the Key Highway yard repaired over 2,500 ships and employed 11,000 workers. The shipyard was also the first one in the country to "jumboize" an oil tanker by cutting the vessel in half and then adding a section in between, thereby increasing its capacity. The "Yards" served as the largest ship repair facility in the United States until their closing in 1982., Weight 110 tons , Height 60 feet , Lift of Boom 90 feet , Lift Capacity 15 tons , Built by Clyde Iron Works, 1942 , Model Whirley 17 DE 90, The former Key Highway Shipyard is now home to the Harborview Residential Community. This crane was donated to the Baltimore Musuem of Industry by the Harborview Limited Partnership and moved to the Museum in 1991. Accession # 1990.12.04, [Side of marker:] , The "whirley" crane located at the exit of the Baltimore Museum of Industry was once located at Pier 3 of the Bethlehem Steel Key Highway Shipyard. It was referred to as a "whirley" crane because the turret could rotate 360 degrees.