SAVING WHIRLEY CRANE CW 3204

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SAVING WHIRLEY CRANE CW 3204
WE CAN DO IT WHIRLEY CRANE RESCUE TEAM
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• In November 2005,
• Whirley Crane CW 3204 was moved to Shipyard 3
  and become an icon of
• Rosie the Riveter/
• World War II Home Front
• National Historical Park.

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WHAT IS A WHIRLEY CRANE?
A versatile crane that can rotate 360 degrees
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WHIRLEY CRANE CW 3204

• 1935 Built by Clyde Iron Works, Inc., of
  Duluth, MN for Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier Co.
• 1935 - Shipped to Washington for construction of
  the Grand Coulee Dam

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WHIRLEY CRANE CW 3204

• 1941 - Relocated to Todd California Shipbuilding
  Corp. (later Kaiser) in Richmond, California
• 1998 Retired by Levin Terminals after 63 years
  of service

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WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

• LAST SURVIVING WHIRLEY CRANE FROM RICHMOND WW II
  KAISER SHIPYARDS
• IMPORTANT PIECE OF WW II HOME FRONT HISTORY
• PART OF ROSIE THE RIVETER WW II HOME FRONT
  NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK

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• The Kaiser Company used the Whirley cranes to
  speed up production.

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• The cranes lifted the massive
• PRE-ASSEMBLED sections into place.

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• Prior to 1940, the average time to build a cargo
  ship was one year.

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• The Richmond Kaiser Shipyards hold the record for
  the fastest construction of a cargo ship during
• World War II.

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The Robert E Perry 4 days 15 hours
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• The Cranes were the most recognizable symbol of
  the Kaiser Richmond Shipyards

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Shipyard 2 under construction
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• Whirley Crane 3204 Came from
• Shipyard 1,
• and may have helped to build the
• Red Oak Victory

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RED OAK VICTORY, RICHMOND CA Rosie the Riveter WW
II Home Front National Historical Park
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CHALLENGES

• CRANE WEIGHS 200 TONS
• ONLY ONE CRANE IN CALIFORNIA LARGE ENOUGH TO LIFT
  ONTO A BARGE
• RAILS AT DESTINATION ARE 30 INCHES NARROWER THAN
  EXISTING RAILS
• NEW FOUNDATION REQUIRED UNDER ONE NEW RAIL

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NEW FOUNDATION IN HISTORIC DRYDOCK GALLERIES
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Josephine, the Hook WW II Crane Operator
A Rosie
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Another Rosie
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More Rosies
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THANKS TO

• Rosie the Riveter Trust
• National Park Service
• City of Richmond
• Dozens of businesses and private citizens who
  contributed 130,000 in cash and services to make
  it happen