Samson and Goliath

Belfast has a proud ship-building history and was, of course, the birthplace of Titanic. These two cranes were erected in the late 60s and early 70s to fulfil particular orders for ships. I remember as a child on my way to school seeing the yellow pillar of Goliath rising slowly above the rooftops of the narrow streets that surround the Harland and Wolff shipyard. Eventually that pillar was crowned with the horizontal arm and a few years later Goliath was joined by its twin crane Samson. Together they form one of the iconic images of Belfast and a testament to its ship-building heritage.