The Propeller Monument (Monumentul Elice) is a large bronze ship propeller displayed near the Danube waterfront in Galați, where it commemorates the city’s long shipbuilding tradition and the development of its naval industry. The monument was installed in 1973 to mark the 80th anniversary of Galați Shipyard.
The monument consists of a large four-bladed ship propeller mounted upright on a low base. It was produced under the supervision of foundry specialist Mircea Roibu, using bronze recovered during the casting of large marine propellers. The work symbolized the technical expertise developed at the shipyard, which had progressed from relying on imported components to producing major propulsion equipment locally and supplying it beyond Romania.
The anniversary date reflected an 1893 starting point for the shipyard, based on the acquisition of local repair workshops by industrialist Gheorghe Fernic. However, later research has placed the development of Fernic’s shipbuilding operation somewhat later, while ship construction in Galați itself has a much longer history.
Mircea Roibu later also created the Dandelion Fountain in front of the Trade Unions’ House of Culture.
