Cargo hook with Japanese character
Object Details
- Description
- Hand-held 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, held firmly in a gloved hand, extended their reach and helped them lift heavy items. Most longshoremen owned several different types of hooks for moving different materials—from burlap sacks to wooden boxes—and altered the handles to suit their grip.
- The 12-inch-long, straight handle and small, curved blade on the end of this cargo hook was especially useful for reaching into tight spots and dragging out boxes. A Japanese character is stamped into the bottom of the handle, prompting the hook's owner to refer to it as a "Japanese hook." Donor Herb Mills used this hook during his career as a longshoreman in San Francisco. Mills was a member of Local 10 of the ILWU—the International Longshore and Warehouse Union—from 1963 to 1992.
- Credit Line
- Gift of Herb Mills
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
- date made
- ca 1960
- used date
- ca 1960-1990
- ID Number
- 2002.0026.04
- accession number
- 2002.0026
- catalog number
- 2002.0026.04
- Object Name
- Cargo Hook
- Measurements
- overall: 13 3/8 in x 2 1/2 in x 1 1/2 in; 33.9725 cm x 6.35 cm x 3.81 cm
- Associated Place
- United States: California, San Francisco
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: Maritime
- Work
- America on the Move
- Transportation
- Exhibition
- America On The Move
- Exhibition Location
- National Museum of American History
- Record ID
- nmah_1183722
