Cargo Hook
date: label: date made
content: ca 1960
label: used date
content: ca 1960-1990
notes: label: Description
content: 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.
label: Description
content: This cargo hook, made by a Latino blacksmith named Ortega in San Pedro, CA, was the owner’s favorite for lifting various types of bulk cargo. Its handle is well worn and the forged iron hook is stamped with the name “ORTEGA.” 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.
place: label: Associated Place
content: United States: California, San Francisco
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Maritime
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content: Work
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content: America on the Move
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content: Transportation
label: Exhibition
content: America On The Move
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Herbert A. Mills
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2002.0026.05
label: accession number
content: 2002.0026
label: catalog number
content: 2002.0026.05
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Cargo Hook
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 27 cm x 11.5 cm x 9.5 cm; 10 5/8 in x 4 1/2 in x 3 3/4 in