Hammerhead Crane At J S White Shipyard

An 80-ton giant cantilever crane, also known as a hammerhead crane, built in 1911 and constructed of cast iron, corrugated iron, and concrete. The crane comprises a square cast-iron tower of three stages with its base embedded in concrete. Above this sits a circular mechanism for manoeuvring the crane, from which extends a balanced horizontal jib that tapers towards the front. Two gabled structures of corrugated iron sit atop the jib. The machinery remains in situ, though it was not in full working order at the time of the amended description. Associated switch gear and power housing are housed in a nearby building.

The crane was ordered by the local shipbuilder J S White in 1911 and came into service in 1912 as part of a newly fitted out quay, supporting the company's expansion plans for naval warship production. Constructed by Babcock and Wilcox, this was the only giant cantilever crane that company ever built. It was one of only about 26 constructed in Britain and around 42 worldwide. The first giant cantilever crane of this type was designed for Wreath Quay in Sunderland in 1905; the first to be built was constructed on the Clyde by Sir William Arrol in 1907 and remains protected at the highest grade by Historic Scotland. The first example built in England was constructed on the Tyne in 1909, listed at Grade II* in 1989, but demolished in the 1990s.

From 1912 until the end of the First World War, the Cowes shipyard used the crane during the production of two gunboats, three submarines, and over 20 destroyers and escort ships. White's had maintained a shipbuilding tradition in Cowes since the early 19th century, having relocated from Broadstairs, continuing a local shipbuilding heritage that stretched back to 1623. At the time the crane was delivered, the shipyard employed approximately 2,000 workers, and it is estimated that in 1914 over 75 per cent of Cowes's commerce and trade depended on the shipyard. The crane continued operating during the Second World War, when the shipyard specialised in destroyer production, constructing at least 25 of these vessels. Notable examples included HMS Impulsive, which took part in action against the German ship Scharnhorst and participated in the evacuations from Dunkirk in May and June 1940, and HMS Cavalier, the last operational Royal Navy destroyer from the Second World War, now on display at Chatham Historic Dockyard. The propeller from one Cowes-built destroyer was erected on the Esplanade at East Cowes as a war memorial.

The crane is now the only surviving example of its type in England and is designated at Grade II* as an intact early example that testifies to the importance of shipbuilding on the Isle of Wight and the island's role in both World Wars.