William Hart Dry Dock Gate

In 1960 the fabrication of an all welded dock gate for the Port of Launceston Authority’s new William Hart dry dock was carried out in Glasgow Engineering's fabrication shops. This was a hinged type gate weighing 21 tons that was constructed in the work up on legs as it only just fitted in the works shop and was the only way to walk through the shop. Every morning everyone would be required to walk under the gate to the time clock to clock on for the start of the day. On completion, the structure was lowered down to the floor using ratchet Trewhella jacks and rolled out of the work shop on oxy-acetylene bottles, as no over- head cranes with the capacity to lift such a weight were available. Two large fork lift trucks hired from the Tasmanian Government Railways lifted the structure over the company’s driveway gate posts and transported it to site. It was then lifted and lowered into position using two cranes hired from Arthur Hayward