# Heaviest object ever lifted **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 15, 2008, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heaviest-object-ever-lifted/433596 "2008-01-15T09:53:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heaviest-object-ever-lifted/433596/1 "2008-01-15T09:53:52Z")
What is the heaviest object which has ever been completely lifted off the surface of the earth through man-made technology (e.g., cranes, helicopters)? ---
**Author:** ![Crocodiles\_And\_Boulevards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Crocodiles\_And\_Boulevards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crocodiles_And_Boulevards)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heaviest-object-ever-lifted/433596/2 "2008-01-15T10:35:47Z")
[QUOTE=psychonaut] What is the heaviest object which has ever been completely lifted off the surface of the earth through man-made technology (e.g., cranes, helicopters)? [/QUOTE] I’m going to guess that one of the space shuttles must have been pretty darn heavy. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heaviest-object-ever-lifted/433596/3 "2008-01-15T10:36:33Z")
Saturn V must be up there with a weight of over 3,000,000kg. ETA: The Shuttle is “only” just over 2,000,000kg. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heaviest-object-ever-lifted/433596/4 "2008-01-15T10:56:47Z")
the West Azeri oil platform topside lift in the Caspian Sea was 16,800t which beats the space shuttle by quite a large margin. To the best of my knowledge that is the heaviest oil platform topside lift, which I would guess are some of the heaviest lifts performed. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heaviest-object-ever-lifted/433596/5 "2008-01-15T12:16:40Z")
The 900 ton Cape Hatteras lighthouse was jacked up off of its foundation and [moved](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Hatteras_Light#Relocation) 2800 feet inland. Because it never actually left the ground, this may not meet the OP’s requirements. It was raised high enough to insert beams under it. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heaviest-object-ever-lifted/433596/6 "2008-01-15T12:17:04Z")
These questions are harder to formulate than one might think. You’ve included “cranes” so clearly you are not asking about the heaviest thing to become completely unattached to the Earth. Does it have to be lifted from above? Is lifting from below OK? If so, floating dry docks lift whole ships out of the water. It’s very difficult to find figures about what the actual lifting capacity of large floating docks is, because they often give dimensions, or the dwt of the largest ship they can lift, neither of which allows direct derivation of actual weight lifted. However, [this site says that their dock](http://www.atlanticmarine.com/downloads/Atlantic%20Marine%20Alabama%20Dry%20Docks%20at%20a%20Glance%20Revision%202.pdf) has a lifting capacity of 46700 LT, which presumably they use from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heaviest-object-ever-lifted/433596/7 "2008-01-15T12:17:24Z")
A lot of steel is lifted to build those monster skyscrapers in Asia. ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heaviest-object-ever-lifted/433596/8 "2008-01-15T14:42:34Z")
[QUOTE=Crafter\_Man] A lot of steel is lifted to build those monster skyscrapers in Asia. [/QUOTE] But presumably, not all at once. This is an interesting question. I have no idea what the answer would be, but I’m guessing that “floating” doesn’t quite meet what the OP had in mind. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heaviest-object-ever-lifted/433596/9 "2008-01-15T14:46:11Z")
[QUOTE=psychonaut] What is the heaviest object which has ever been completely lifted off the surface of the earth through man-made technology (e.g., cranes, helicopters)? [/QUOTE] I think he is looking for separation from Earth. Jacking something up isn’t going to suffice. When the Space Shuttle piggybacked on a 747 for testing (and today it happens for transport, although I believe the Shuttle is lightened some for transport), were they more than a Saturn Rocket? ---
**Author:** ![Slypork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@Slypork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slypork)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heaviest-object-ever-lifted/433596/10 "2008-01-15T15:42:41Z")
I think this can be best asked when you consider “lifting” to mean picking something off of the ground. A mechanical device grabs a hold of the object and provides upward motion so that the bottom of the object is no longer in contact with the surface of the planet. Sort of like a weightlifter doing a dead lift. Objects leaving the earth under their own power do not count because they are not reciving assistance from an outside object. Dry docks do not count because the ship is still resting on a surface. Their must be clearance, even if it is only a couple inches, under the object. So, in that light, what would it be? The Saturn V was not lifted all at once but in stages. Same for the shuttle. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heaviest-object-ever-lifted/433596/11 "2008-01-15T15:53:17Z")
> [@](#): > > The Saturn V was not lifted all at once but in stages. Same for the shuttle. The Saturn V was “lifted” all at once when it took off. the same for the shuttle. I think _that’s_ what the omnes who posted these had in mind. That’s not the same as “lifting” using some mechanical device that stayed on the ground, but the OP didn’t stipulate that that had to be the case. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heaviest-object-ever-lifted/433596/12 "2008-01-15T15:55:52Z")
I’m sure Donald Trump’s ego rides up and down with him in elevators all day. That’s certainly gotta count for something. ---
**Author:** ![Spiny\_Norman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Spiny\_Norman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiny_Norman)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heaviest-object-ever-lifted/433596/13 "2008-01-15T15:57:33Z")
Going with the “crane” requirement: The box girder bridge parts of the Great Belt and Oresund bridges were partially constructed by prefabricating segments on shore, then transporting them to their designated spots by a combined transport barge/ marine crane called “Svanen” (The Swan). [PDF describing Svanen](http://www.gustomsc.com/download/GustoMSC%2000.109%20-%20Svanen%20crane,%208,700-t.pdf) It had a capacity of 6,500 metric tons, but has since been upgraded(!) to a capacity of 8,700 metric tons to undertake a Canadian project - the Northumberland Strait bridge - with a main span weighing in at close to 8,000 tons. The Apollo and Shuttle figures sound like they include fuel and oxidizer, which accounts for a huge part of their take-off weight. They’re probably not lifted when tanked. (I wouldn’t.) ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heaviest-object-ever-lifted/433596/14 "2008-01-15T15:58:20Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] I’m sure Donald Trump’s ego rides up and down with him in elevators all day. That’s certainly gotta count for something. [/QUOTE] Yes, and with his hair piggybacking on it like the Space Shuttle on a 747. ---
**Author:** ![Slypork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@Slypork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slypork)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heaviest-object-ever-lifted/433596/15 "2008-01-15T16:31:09Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] The Saturn V was “lifted” all at once when it took off. the same for the shuttle. I think _that’s_ what the omnes who posted these had in mind. That’s not the same as “lifting” using some mechanical device that stayed on the ground, but the OP didn’t stipulate that that had to be the case. [/QUOTE] The OP said > [@](#): > > hat is the heaviest object which has ever been completely lifted off the surface of the earth through man-made technology (e.g., cranes, helicopters)? . In my mind that means something else lifting the object, not that it was capable of getting airborne on it’s own. The semantical arguments in the SDMB is what keeps lawyers in business. Jeez. If you ask a 5 year old what lifting an object means he will tell you that it means to pick something up. He will never consider rockets or planes as being lifted. For our next thread let’s discuss Bill Clinton’s famous statement, “It depends on what the meaning of the words ‘is’ is.” ---
**Author:** ![Spiny\_Norman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Spiny\_Norman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiny_Norman)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heaviest-object-ever-lifted/433596/16 "2008-01-15T16:32:46Z")
[QUOTE=Spiny Norman] The Apollo and Shuttle figures sound like they include fuel and oxidizer, which accounts for a huge part of their take-off weight. They’re probably not lifted when tanked. (I wouldn’t.) [/QUOTE] I see \*\*CalMeacham’\*\*s clarification - please ignore what I wrote re. spacecraft. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heaviest-object-ever-lifted/433596/17 "2008-01-15T16:38:26Z")
> [@](#): > > The OP said > > > [@](#): > > > > : > > hat is the heaviest object which has ever been completely lifted off the surface of the earth through man-made technology (e.g., cranes, helicopters)? > > . In my mind that means something else lifting the object, not that it was capable of getting airborne on it’s own. If rockets aren’t _man-made technology_, what is? Mind, I don’t _know_ what the people who posted the shuttle and the Saturn V had in mind – I’m not them – but it’s pretty clear to me that thar’s _why_ they said them. And obviously they weren’t feeling that the OP barred things thast got airborne on their own. You interpret as you see fit. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heaviest-object-ever-lifted/433596/18 "2008-01-15T16:52:42Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] If rockets aren’t _man-made technology_, what is? Mind, I don’t _know_ what the people who posted the shuttle and the Saturn V had in mind – I’m not them – but it’s pretty clear to me that thar’s _why_ they said them. And obviously they weren’t feeling that the OP barred things thast got airborne on their own. You interpret as you see fit. [/QUOTE] FWIW, the Saturn V was the first thing I thought of when I read the OP. By a literal interpretation of the OP, whatever the Saturn V weighed when it was one inch off the ground should qualify. If the lift generated by a helicopter is allowed, why wouldn’t the lift generated by a rocket? ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heaviest-object-ever-lifted/433596/19 "2008-01-15T16:53:17Z")
“3…2…1…we have _lift-off_!” You mean NASA got it wrong?! :rolleyes: A rocket is lifted by a man made object. It leaves the ground. It just so happens that the device used to lift it is contained in the object itself and adds to the weight of the object (lifting itself and the load). If that’s “cheating”, oh well. It’s still a valid answer. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heaviest-object-ever-lifted/433596/20 "2008-01-15T18:57:21Z")
Moving right along …- [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heaviest-object-ever-lifted/433596.md?page=2)