Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom Northern Ireland Belfast Samson and Goliath

Samson and Goliath

These engineering masterpieces are a dominant feature of the Belfast skyline.

Belfast, Northern Ireland

Added By
katielou106
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Harland and Wolff Shipyard.   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
Samson as seen from Victoria Park   matthewmoore / Atlas Obscura User
  katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Harland & Wolff Shipyard   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
H&W   benji87 / Atlas Obscura User
  Rachel2017 / Atlas Obscura User
  Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
September 2024.   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Samson and Goliath Cranes.   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

These two massive gantry cranes can be found in the Harland and Wolff shipyard and are considered engineering masterpieces. They're known locally as Samson and Goliath, and were modified to meet Harland and Wolff’s special requirements. The initials are also interpreted to stand for "Hello and Welcome," and can be found throughout the city on a variety of souvenirs, from coasters to tea towels.

Goliath, the first crane to be completed, was finished in July 1969 and was largely constructed within the company. Samson was provided by Krupps and was completed in May 1974. Part of the fun of spotting these two metal giants is trying to work out which is which.

While the shipyard played a key role in the first and second world war, producing warships, Harland and Wolff will forever be synonymous with The Titanic, these cranes were not related to the famous ocean-going liner's construction. However, Samson was actually involved in a disaster of its own. In 2007, Samson knocked into a smaller crane called Henson, toppling it to the ground and narrowly avoiding injuring workers nearby.

The yard built its last ocean liner, the SS Canberra, in 1961. 

Related Tags

Industrial Construction Engineering

Know Before You Go

This site is on the route of the Hop On Off offered by the City Tours Company. Though it doesn't stop at them, there is a narration giving their backstory and you do drive underneath them.

Community Contributors

Added By

katielou106

Edited By

SEANETTA, linkogecko, Jaszmina Szendrey, Dr Alan P Newman...

  • SEANETTA
  • linkogecko
  • Jaszmina Szendrey
  • Dr Alan P Newman
  • matthewmoore
  • benji87
  • Rachel2017
  • ElizabethH05

Published

August 9, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Samson and Goliath
Belfast, Northern Ireland
United Kingdom
54.604952, -5.905334

Nearby Places

'Glass of Thrones Belfast'

Belfast, Northern Ireland

miles away

SS Nomadic

Belfast, Northern Ireland

miles away

Launch Site of the Titanic

Belfast, Northern Ireland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Belfast

Belfast

Northern Ireland

Places 23

Nearby Places

'Glass of Thrones Belfast'

Belfast, Northern Ireland

miles away

SS Nomadic

Belfast, Northern Ireland

miles away

Launch Site of the Titanic

Belfast, Northern Ireland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Belfast

Belfast

Northern Ireland

Places 23

Related Places

  • The tunnel as it looked before recent restoration. These timbers were incorrectly installed in the late 1970s by an oil and mineral company looking for silver.

    Dayton, Nevada

    Sutro Tunnel

    This colossal underground passage paved the way for large-scale drainage and access tunnels across the U.S., but it almost wasn’t built.

  • Wanlockhead Beam Engine

    Wanlockhead, Scotland

    Wanlockhead Beam Engine

    The last water-powered beam pumping engine in Britain.

  • The Katarinahissen.

    Stockholm, Sweden

    Katarina Elevator

    This gem from the industrial age helps visitors and residents alike traverse hilly Stockholm.

  • Iron rails from the Incline Plane lay discarded, slowly sinking into the earth.

    Washington, D.C.

    C&O Boat Elevator Ruins

    This forgotten boat elevator was an engineering marvel in its heyday.

  • The ‘electric dynamo’ book conveying apparatus.

    Washington, D.C.

    Library of Congress Book Conveyor Tunnel

    A fantastic array of trays and cables once whisked books over to the Capitol at 600 feet per minute.

  • The Georgetown Steam Plant.

    Seattle, Washington

    Georgetown Steam Plant

    A frozen relic of Seattle's hydroelectric boom is now a teaching facility for future engineers.

  • The memorial

    Lincoln, England

    Lincoln Tank Memorial

    The world's first military tank was designed in this English city amid the stalemate of WWI trench warfare.

  • The Piazza dei Miracoli, with the Tower in the center and the two white anchors in the lower right.

    Pisa, Italy

    Guy Rope Anchors for the Leaning Tower of Pisa

    The only visible reminders of an elaborate engineering project that kept the tower from reaching the tipping point.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.