Richmondocks-152 (photo by Dale Mead)

Richmondocks-152
Originally uploaded by dfmead

On Jan 21 together with fellow photographer Dale Mead, I returned to Richmond Shipyard Number 3 (Richmond, CA) for more photos from the decks of the Whirley Crane. The crane rises about 60 feet above ground, but I decided not to climb the last set of ladders despite having climbing gear for the ascent.

I used climbing gear as a safety precaution while shooting. It let me pay attention to my shooting and not worry about stepping off the deck. The last three photos in this series are from my photo-archives of Richmond's Shipyard Number 3.

While I took shots from the deck of the crane, Dale shot a series from the ground.


For photos by Dale Mead, photo-documentarian, see http://www.flickr.com/photos/damead/sets/72157625753800053/with/5377627350/

Shipyard Number 3 and the Whirley Crane

World War II brought many changes to Richmond, CA. Agriculture and whaling were replaced with ship building. Some remnants of that time remain, such as a couple of Navy tugs, the Red Oak Victory Ship, and one last example of a Whirley Crane.

The Whirley Crane takes its name from its ability to 'whirl' the turret 360 degrees. It was used sometimes more than one at a time to lift ship parts so that welders could get access more readily. Nearly 500 ships were built in the Richmond shipyards for the war.