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Cargo hook
Catalog #: 2002.0026.03,
Accession #: 2002.0026
Currently on display
From the Smithsonian Collection
This hook was useful for lifting burlap bags filled with coffee, sugar, grain, or rice. |
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Physical Description |
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Artifact. This small, silver-painted metal tool measures 4-5/8” L x 3-1/2” W (handle) x 1-1/2” D. It consists of a rounded handle and a shaft that ends in a disk embedded with five short points.
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Details |
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Dates Used: |
about 1960 - about 1990
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Credit: | Gift of Herb Mills |
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History |
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Cargo hooks were the indispensable tools of longshoremen working on conventional (non-containerized) freighters. In the course of loading and discharging cargo they needed to grab, lift, and move various types and sizes of bags, boxes, and bales. The hooks extended their reach and helped them lift heavy items. Most longshoremen owned several different types of hooks and altered the handles to suit their grip.
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