Toward the end of 2020, the world's largest crane completed its biggest lift to date at a staggering amount of 575 tons, or 1,150,000 pounds! This feat took place in Bridgewater, a large historic market town in Somerset, England. Dubbed “Big Carl,” the super crane lifted three steel rings that form a cylinder around a nuclear reactor under construction at Hinkley Point. The first ring of the three accounted for this massive lift.
Big namesake
The nickname Big Carl is in honor of Carl Sarens, the father of the family whose business built the crane. It stands at 656 feet tall, which is higher than famous structures including Big Ben in London, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, and the Washington Monument in D.C. Big Carl can carry over 5,500 tons in a single lift. This is equivalent to 20 planes, 63 trains, 126 trucks, and 1,408 elephants, according to WorldSteel.org.
The crane was built in Belgium, then transported in pieces across 280 trucks to the UK in 2019. Five smaller cranes were used to reassemble it over a ten-week period.
The crane is expected to remain on-site for about four years with the support of 52 other tower cranes. Together they are constructing the first nuclear power plant in Britain in over 20 years.
Click here to read the details and see incredible photos at the Daily Mail website. Photo above courtesy of Daily Mail.
February 2, 2021
