(Photo: Huntington Ingalls Industries)
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A new 315-metric-ton gantry crane arrived at Newport News Shipbuilding Tuesday.
The crane will replace Newport News Shipbuilding’s 49-year-old green Goliath gantry crane at dry docks 10 and 11.
The new crane is even bigger than the 1,050 ton crane in the North Yard, commonly known as “Big Blue.” It’s also one of the tallest gantry cranes in the world.
From the Hampton vantage point, the girders read “Newport Ne,” but it’s not a mistake–the other letters are on the girders facing Norfolk.
The new crane is expected to be “in the air” by midsummer and operational next year.
It took about two weeks for the crane to get to Newport News from Poland. A second shipment is still planned.
