Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory Archive

IN THE SCHOOL OF OCEAN AND EARTH SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I AT MANOA

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SBB-25: Honolulu Harbor Marine Railway

Composite: Honolulu Harbor marine railway dry docking cradleSurvey: Honolulu Harbor marine railway dry docking cradleSurvey: Honolulu Harbor marine railway dry docking cradleSurvey: Honolulu Harbor marine railway dry docking cradleSurvey: Honolulu Harbor marine railway dry docking cradleSurvey: Honolulu Harbor marine railway dry docking cradleSurvey: Honolulu Harbor marine railway dry docking cradleSurvey: Honolulu Harbor marine railway dry docking cradleSurvey: Honolulu Harbor marine railway dry docking cradleSurvey: Honolulu Harbor marine railway dry docking cradleSurvey: Honolulu Harbor marine railway dry docking cradleSurvey: Honolulu Harbor marine railway dry docking cradleSurvey: Honolulu Harbor marine railway dry docking cradleSurvey: Honolulu Harbor marine railway dry docking cradleHistoric photo: First Crandall built 1854 used until 150sHistoric photo: First Crandell remains 1854 BostonHistoric photo: 1885 marine railwayHistoric photo: 1890 marine railwayHistoric photo: 1902 inter-island steamship dry dockHistoric photo: Marine railway Honolulu HarborHistoric photo: former site of marine railwayHistoric photo: Marine railway wireline imageSidescan: Marine railway dry docking cradleDiagram: Marine railway cradle Honolulu planDiagram: Marine railway planDiagram: Mortons patent slipArticle: Captain Macauley Mongolia PCA September 23 1908Article: HI Crandall to Honolulu NY Times March 25 1882Article: Marine railway description Daily Bull Honolulu August 14 1885Article: Marine railway removed September 14 1915


HURL Artifact No. SBB-25 *Denotes approximations and speculations
Name: Honolulu Harbor Marine Railway Lost: 14-Sep-2015
Artifact Type: Dry Docking Cradle Found: 8-Jul-2013
Nationality: Hawaiian Dive No: PV-800
Class or Make: Crandall Location: South Oahu
Model: 2000 ton Depth (m): 521m
Purpose: Servicing and Repairing Ships HURL crew: Kerby, Cremer
Serial Number: Unknown Additional Dives:
Built/Launched: March 1882 by Crandall Marine Railway Co, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Length: 344'
Width: 92'
Height: ~30'
Circumstance of Loss: Scuttled Crew Personnel/Position: Unknown
Reason of Loss: Old Age and Under-sized Crew Survivals/Fatalities: n/a
Artifact History: H.I. Crandall and his crew of 13 shipwrights, 2 divers, and 1 mechanical engineers began work on the railway sometime after March of 1882. The railway went into service on January 1, 1883. It's construction was driven by Samuel Wilder who was the Minister of the Interior at the time, but also owner of the Wilder Steamship Co. The Railway was operated by Wilder for the first 5 years under the direction of Alex Lyle who was a mechanic who help build it. The operation was later turned over to Sorenson & Lyle who ran it the duration of its existence. The railway was used virtually non-stop its entire career. 7 years after complaints began that it was under sized for service of the larger ships and was becoming a harbor hazard it was finally removed.
Artifact Condition: The railway is still largely intact although many if not all of the side supports collapsed on impact or shortly thereafter. Much of the wood still remains.
Additional Information: Only one corner of this very large site was surveyed due to mission time restraints. Crandall is still building dry docks today.

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Revised March 18, 2019 by Meagan Putts
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