Ajax and Hercules Cranes

Stories from the United States' relationship with the Panama Canal, in celebration of its centenary

Sometime after the Canal construction was finished, two gigantic steam cranes arrived from Germany: Ajax and Hercules Cranes. These enormous cranes were for multi purposes; they served to transport heavy equipment and also for ships repairs. Thirty five years later, the Ajax crane’s arm was damaged, and later on it was sold to a Venezuelan firm. In 1966, Hercules crane received a new boiler, it used diesel instead of charcoal. It functioned until the end of 1999, when was set aside by the crane Titan; now it is part of the reserve fleet.

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