found these pics,park station and birkenhead docks dated 1930

Nice pictures.

Is that Mammoth (floating crane) near the centre if the 2nd pic?

The Mammoth always used to moor up there.

Didn't we take the Mammoth from the Germans for war reparations? Assuming if we did then it must have been the first war if that is a thirties photo and it is true?

"Mersey Mammoth" was only built in 1986 by Ravestein in Holland.

The one in the picture looks more like the "London Mammoth"

Always been the Mammoth to me and that is going back to when I was a kid and they used it to put the new walkways on New Brighton ferry.

I was a bit confused over it, I remember seeing the Mammoth along time before 1986, I didn't realise they had sneaked another one in.

I'll pop into the Williamson Art Gallery sometime and ask, pretty sure they used to display a model of it as well as the massive floating dock.

In the 50s there where at the very least 5 floating cranes on the river all owned by the MERSEY DOCK BOARD AND HARBOUR BOARD. The names that i knew of where the MAMMOTH, HERCULES, SAMSON, TITAN, BIRKETT. they where all known by the singuler name. the MAMMOTH been the larger {biggest lifting capacity} of them all. Some where there is a we site of the dock board arcives that shows them all at various times at work. The MAMMOTH was on the river at least as early as 1921, there is a photo of her lifting a section of the landing stage that was been repaired at New Brighton Pier

The Mammoth was originally built for the Russians, the sale never went ahead due to revolution in 1917. MDHB bought it instead around 1920.

My father (who worked for the MD&HB) told me that at one time the Mammoth had been uprated to a higher tonnage, either by the Americans or using their money through "Lease Lend"

For what it's worth!

My dad used to get very angry when talking about the Thetis. He reckoned that Mammoth was in dock and could have easily been used to put a line around the stern and either pull her up or at least drag her to shallower water.

As we all know, the admiralty wouldn't allow anything with very tragic consequences.

http://malcolmlowryatthe19thhole.blogspot.com/2009/08/smells-of-birkenhead-and-liverpool.html


pics found here also other good birkenhead pics.

Excellent photos John

Dearest Helles,

Did you forget about our pint tonight?

Take care, mate

Oooh PM.

Also the MD&HB divers had a Cox's bolt gun that could have fired a hollow bolt through the hull & connected an air line to it, but as you say the Admiralty would not allow any outside assistance.