Falmouth Navy dockyard crane collapses

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Falmouth Navy dockyard crane collapses

This topic has 10 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 14 May 2017 at 08:21 by Dave Martin.

Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)

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10 May 2017 at 11:15 #297441
Ady1
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@ady1
A major incident has been declared after a crane collapsed at Falmouth Docks in Cornwall.

Officers were called just before 09:10 BST following reports of an industrial accident.

A 200m exclusion zone has been put in place, Cliff Road is closed to the public and properties will be evacuated, police said.

There are not yet any reports of injuries, Devon and Cornwall Police said.

More on the Falmouth crane story, and other news

The Royal Navy Lookout Twitter account said there was an "enormous bang" as the crane went down.

**LINK**
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10 May 2017 at 11:15 #34900
Ady1
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@ady1
10 May 2017 at 11:35 #297445
Rainbows
Participant
@rainbows
Bet they are very glad it didn't fall on their shiny ship.
10 May 2017 at 15:05 #297474
Bob Brown 1
Participant
@bobbrown1
Just fell on a load of gas bottles.
10 May 2017 at 15:33 #297475
Neil Wyatt
Moderator
@neilwyatt
Posted by Bob Brown 1 on 10/05/2017 15:05:01:

Just fell on a load of gas bottles.

Acetylene ones…
10 May 2017 at 16:30 #297484
Speedy Builder5
Participant
@speedybuilder5
lucky it wasn't the Acetylene farm which was just the other side of the ship. That houses 50 – 60 bottles! I guess these were the portable bottles which would have been a mix of Oxygen and Acetylene bottles.
I wonder who did the last crane / lifting appliance testing?
Our daughter lives just down the road from the docks and it is always interesting to look at the ships docked at Falmouth from Cliff road which is high above the docks. Pendennis dock to the right of the picture manufactures super yachts.
BobH
10 May 2017 at 18:02 #297494
Dave Martin
Participant
@davemartin29320
Ady – there was an RFA ship alongside (Tidespring I believe), but Falmouth isn't a Naval dockyard – it's a commercial yard (A&P Appledore) which does work on Merchant and RN tonnage.

Dave
10 May 2017 at 19:16 #297503
Jeff Dayman
Participant
@jeffdayman43397
I can't see a lot of detail in the pics but it looks like it may have been a cable failure or a failure of the boom steel structure. Hope no one was hurt.

If it was a cable failure this is most unusual (at least in North America) due to rigorous frequent inspections and regular replacement for critical cables on lift equipment. JD
10 May 2017 at 20:15 #297514
Neil Wyatt
Moderator
@neilwyatt
Yesterday I noticed that the car lift my car was MOT's on had the date the cables ('ropes&#39 replaced written on one of the uprights.
10 May 2017 at 20:54 #297520
SillyOldDuffer
Moderator
@sillyoldduffer
One of the reports suggests that the crane was being dismantled. That would explain a lot!

What made me laugh was that this is one of BBC Cornwall's top 3 news stories. The others are: 'Man arrested for Driving Car into Sea' and 'Wallaby Seen Outside Pub'.

Dave
14 May 2017 at 08:21 #298054
Dave Martin
Participant
@davemartin29320
Posted by Neil Wyatt on 10/05/2017 20:15:07:

Yesterday I noticed that the car lift my car was MOT's on had the date the cables ('ropes' replaced written on one of the uprights.

Certainly lifting and mooring wires and warps on ships have specified service life / replacement schedule, especially in view of environment and difficulty in getting lubrication into wire cores. Not certain if LOLER mandates same for shore-side installations.

More info on Falmouth crane collapse now and how crane driver minimised risk to his colleagues.
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