Interesting meet Herman the German
Among the largest floating cranes in the world, "Titan" was built by Hitler's Germany and claimed by the United States as war booty. Titan entered service in Panama in 1999 after having served for 50 years in Long Beach, California. The crane can be floated into the locks of the Panama Canal and is used for the heavy lifting required to maintain the doors of the locks of the canal. It can lift 350 metric tons and is one of the "strongest" cranes in the world.
The "Titan" was actually one of three built by the Germans. Of the other two, the British got one but lost it in a storm while towing it across the English channel, and the Russians got the other, but no one seems to know what ever became of it. While in Long Beach, the Titan was known as either "Herman the German", or simply the "German Crane."
From S.F.
