By the late 1950's it became evident that the Chicago facility was no longer adequate for Vulcan's expanding business, both in terms of volume and size of equipment. After a great deal of deliberation, the decision was taken to relocate the business to Chattanooga, Tennessee. In late 1960 the Chattanooga plant was opened, expanding Vulcan's production capabilities. The plant was located in Chattanooga to put the company near a source of skilled labour (albeit one with a penchant to organise trade unions; Vulcan's bargaining unit started in 1962) and near a source of both iron and steel castings, mainly the Ross-Meehan foundry. By the end of the 1960's the requirements for the large offshore hammers had outstripped both the plant's ability to assemble the units indoors and Ross Meehan's ability to pour large enough castings, starting a long trend of outsourcing. Nevertheless the Chattanooga facility remained a well organised and neat production facility until it was sold in 1999. |
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| The Chattanooga plant as it looked in November 1968. The high portion on the left was the main assembly area; the offices were at the right.
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| A view down the main aisle of the Chattanooga facility in 1968. The boring mills and larger lathes were to the left of the aisle; the smaller machines and the stockroom were on the right. The photo is taken from the assembly area; the shipping area is at the far end.
A Vulcan 340, standing in the assembly area, ready for shipment in 1973 to McDermott Offshore in Amelia, Louisiana. It is interesting that the last offshore hammer Vulcan Iron Works produced was a 340 for the Venezuelan organisation PDVSA in 2000.
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A Vulcan 030 secured for rail shipment. Rail shipment was common in the 1960's and 1970's, but the railroads' concentration towards containerised and bulk freight from the 1980's onward made the shipment of hammers impractical. The hammer had to be well secured to the car; rail car handling can be rough.
An 020 hammer on the truck, getting its final inspection before shipment in 1977. This particular hammer is for the French concern ETPM; its final destination was the United Arab Emirates. As rail shipment became less viable and trucks were able (and allowed) to carry larger loads, truck transport--either of entire hammers or of parts--became the norm, although with the weight getting a hammer through the permitting process was sometimes an ordeal.
Click here for a photo of a hammer being assembled at the plant. |
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| A Vulcan 560 ram being machined by the Giddings and Lewis "floor" horizonal boring mill in 1993 (probably for Hyundai.) Boring mill capacity was the most important machining capability of the Chattanooga facility, as it was the hardest to procure elsewhere. Strolling down the aisle at the left is John Gourley, Vulcan's last plant manager for the 2909 Riverside Drive facility. He combined an affable nature with a superb command over manufacturing processes and costs to be the best plant manager Vulcan ever had at the Chattanooga facility.
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