Giant Cantilever Crane, Nagasaki, Japan

3D Model

The crane at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shipyard in the Port of Nagasaki is a major landmark in a city with strong historical links to Scotland.

Appleby’s Ltd of Parkhead, Glasgow designed the crane, which was manufactured then erected on site in 1909 by the Motherwell Bridge Company.

This Cantilever crane is a symbol of Scottish engineering prowess, directly linking Scotland and Japan’s industrial revolution. In constant use for over 100 years, it was inscribed onto UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2015 as one of the sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution. Only 12 such cranes are believed to survive worldwide, 3 still at work.

This 3D model is created using laser scan data, which was captured as a part of the Scottish Ten Project.

Find out more about Japan’s Meiji industrial heritage.

© Historic Environment Scotland. 3D assets created jointly by HES and The Glasgow School of Art.