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In 1947 an enormous gantry crane with a 450-long-ton (460 t) capacity was completed at the site by the American Bridge Company. It was the largest crane in the world, and was intended to be used to remove the turrets of battleships so the guns could be quickly replaced while the old set was being refurbished on land. The Hunter's Point crane succeeded YD-171, better known as Herman the German, as the largest crane in America. In 1959, a 230-foot (70 m) tall trapezoidal tower was added to the top of the crane, bringing its total height to nearly 500 feet (150 m). This made the crane the tallest man-made structure in San Francisco until the completion of 44 Montgomery in 1967. The addition was created to facilitate Operation Skycatch, where Polaris missiles were fired and caught via a string of arresting cables, before being lowered to the ground for testing.
这台门式起重机属于圣弗朗西斯科海军造船厂,船厂位于圣弗朗西斯科东南角一个名叫Hunter's Point(猎人点)的地方,因此这台起重机就叫做猎人点起重机。
该起重机起吊能力460吨,1947年建成,当时是世界上最大的起重机。起重机主要用于移除战舰上的炮台,以便使在岸上整修过的大炮可以快速更换安装到战舰上以替换旧大炮。
猎人点起重机是YD-171起重机的继任者,YD-171起重机号称德国赫尔曼,曾是美国最大的起重机。
1959年,起重机顶部安装了70米的梯形塔,使起重机高度增加到150米,成为圣弗朗西斯科市最高的人造结构,直到1967年被其它建筑物超越。添加的梯形塔是为了用于捕天行动,此行动是试验北极星导弹,导弹发射后,在降落到试验场地前用一串绳索捕获。
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