About
It is an unlikely symbol of Trieste's port that this historic floating crane has become.
At the start of the twentieth century, Trieste's port was expanding and a new crane was needed for constructing bigger, heavier ships. So, between 1911 and 1914 during Austrian rule, construction began on the crane-vessel Ursus. After WWI, Trieste became part of Italy but the crane remained an empty shell until 1925-1931 when it was completed to its towering 246 feet (75 meters) height when extended upwards.
