28.04.2012

Cranes celebrate Titanic

Last weekend the city of Liverpool staged a massive outdoor spectacular - a ‘Sea Odyssey’ - which came to life thanks to 10 mobile cranes.

The event brought the city centre to a standstill over the weekend with thousands of visitors watching the spectacular. The giant puppets included a nine metre high ‘Little Girl’ and her dog, together with her 15 metre tall uncle walking through the streets of Liverpool to re-enact their story, based on the Titanic and marking the 100th anniversary of the shipping disaster.

The cranes were all supplied by local company John Sutch Cranes, whose employees became part of the production team, being heavily involved in planning and development from the outset, alongside Liverpool City Council, artistic group Royal De Luxe and event management company Event Design Logistics.
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One of Sutch's Spierings mobile tower cranes lifs the 15 'Uncle' puppet from the water

The cranes, which included mobile tower cranes, All Terrains and city type cranes, supported the giants as they made their journey. The cranes enabled key moments to become a reality including plucking the ‘Uncle’ from the River Mersey, hoisting the giant over the 40 metre high arch at the gateway to China Town, laying the Little Girl to rest on her deck chair with her parasol and radio and enabling her to dance to the delight of the crowds.

A team of 20 John Sutch staff were involved in the scheme lead by project manager Paul Conneely. The company donated resources, time and money to the event, having begun initial discussions with the council in 2008.
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10 mobile cranes were used to bring the project to life

John Sutch, managing director of John Sutch Cranes said: “This has been an incredible challenge for us, however it has been an unforgettable event!”

“Manoeuvring and setting up 10 cranes safely throughout a relatively small and extremely packed city centre, across three days, involved a huge amount of planning and skill. The ambitions of the theatre group and the council were enormous and it was our role to help make their vision a reality. Through a real team effort, this has been achieved and we are privileged to be part of an amazing event which over half a million people came to watch and celebrate.”