Herman the German (crane vessel)
Titan in Panama (2011)
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name: |
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| Ordered: | c.1937 |
| Builder: | Demag A.G. |
| Completed: | 1941 |
| Acquired: | 1996 |
| In service: |
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| Homeport: | Panama Canal Zone |
| Status: | In service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Floating barge crane |
| Tonnage: | approx. 5000 |
| Length: | 204 feet (62 m) |
| Beam: | 108 feet (33 m) |
| Height: | 374 feet (114 m) above water line to top of crane |
| Draught: | 10 feet (3 m) |
| Installed power: | 3× diesel generators, 2400 KVA total |
| Propulsion: | azimuthal thrusters |
| Speed: | 5.8 knots (10.7 km/h; 6.7 mph) forward, 4.6 knots (8.5 km/h; 5.3 mph) astern |
| Crew: | 3 officers, 20 men |
Titan, better known by its former nickname Herman the German (US Navy designation YD-171), is a large floating crane currently serving in the Panama Canal Zone performing heavy lifts for lock maintenance. Prior to its move to Panama in 1996, the crane was based at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard (LBNSY) from the end of World War II until the closure of LBNSY in 1995. It was seized from the German Kriegsmarine following the end of World War II as part of war repatriations. The crane was built by Demag Cranes AG as Schwimmkran nr. 1 in 1941 for the Kriegsmarine, where it had served in the Baltic Sea tending German U-boats.
The crane was one of four sister ships, two of which are still afloat and in service.
Schwimmkran nr. 1 was built by Demag AG in Bremerhaven for the Kriegsmarine. It was captured along with a sister ship by British forces at Kiel.
"Herman the German" was seized as a war prize following the end of World War II. "Herman" was dismantled and transported across the Atlantic through the Panama Canal to Long Beach, where it subsequently served at the Long Beach NSY from 1946 (following its reassembly) to 1994 (when the shipyard was closed). YD-171 was reassembled on-site by ex-Kearsarge, a former battleship converted to a large floating crane.
Following the closure of the shipyard, the crane was sold to the Panama Canal Commission and it was transported on the semi-submersible ship Sea Swan ( IMO number: 8001000) in 1996 to the Panama Canal Zone, where it currently serves as the floating crane Titan. Titan retired Ajax and Hercules that has served the Panama Canal since construction in 1914.
Over the years, "Herman the German" performed numerous notable heavy lifts, including:
The jib is equipped with a level luffing linkage which keeps the main hook at approximately the same horizontal level through its operating radius.
Titan is a large self-propelled crane vessel with the tip of its main boom standing at 374 feet (114 m) above the typical water line and a lifting capacity of 385 short tons (349 t). In 1957, it was claimed to be the largest floating crane in operation. Its rated capacity is 350 tonnes (340 long tons; 390 short tons) at up to 114 feet (35 m) from the center of rotation; the lift capacity drops to 50 tonnes (49 long tons; 55 short tons) at 210 feet (64 m) from center, and a single rotation about its pedestal takes 10 minutes.
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Wikipedia