Harland And Wolff's Arrol Gantry

To accommodate the forthcoming Olympic-class liners, Harland and Wolff had to prepare their now-inadequate ship-building facilities at their Belfast yard, and the largest part of this preparation was the construction of two brand-new massive slipways which would use the space previously occupied by three slipways.

The builders of the world-famous Forth Rail Bridge near Edinburgh in Scotland, Sir William Arrol and Company Ltd., of Glasgow, were brought in to construct a huge brand-new gantry that had been specially designed by the shipyard's own staff.

The total area of the gantry was 840ft. by 270ft. wide, 228ft. at its tallest point, and the structure weighed over 6,000 tons. The gantry was constructed of three rows of eleven towers. The distance between the rows was 121ft., whilst the towers were spaced 80ft. apart from each other.

The gantry's equipment consisted of a central revolving crane, ten walking cranes, and six traveling frames, three over each slipway. Four lifts and numerous inclined walkways provided access to the ships and the gantry itself.

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