The fate of Irish Lightships

DavidGD · 20-10-2014 7:32pm

The discovery of the 1908 photograph, showing Cormorant with a fixed lantern and only one other mast, has rather skewed the discussions about sails. When she was ‘upgraded’ from the 1880 specification, who knows what other alterations took place? Anyway I have been playing with computer images of Cormorant 1908 and Cormorant 1957 to make sure we are looking at the same ship. Allowing for the fact that Cormorant 1908 is heeling slightly to port and has had her lantern modernised, and Cormorant 1957 has a boat landing platform tacked on the stern, the similarities are very evident when I superimpose one on the other. Luckily the two photos were taken at roughly the same angle.

I also compared the main and mizzen mast combination over the years – although by 1997 the main mast had been chopped off at deck level. It looks highly likely that the original main mast (or most of it) was used throughout, with the access holes plated over as we found very early on in this story when we examined the base of the main mast stump.

The mizzen was probably replaced or lengthened when the ‘hoistable’ lantern on the main was replaced by a fixed lantern. In reply to a question asked, I believe that ‘ball’ on the 1908 mizzen is to inform other ships that this vessel is anchored/not under way.

One interesting technique from the 1880 specification was rust prevention for the main steel mast. Everything had to be “… thoroughly cleansed from rust, and in this state it is to be thoroughly and uniformly heated, and while hot, to be coated with boiled linseed oil, and after it has cooled and the coat hardened, it is to be painted two good coats in pure red lead paint.” Quite a task with a 70ft mast!

David

DavidGD · 29-10-2014 5:25pm

Well my right hand man in Dublin - David Ryan - is going from strength to strength! After finding those 1908 photos of Cormorant and Torch, both with a fixed lantern and one other mast, he has now discovered photos showing a 'hoistable' lantern and one other mast. The Barrels Rock vessel is Torch, but we do not know the name of the other. There are no dates attached, but they must be earlier than 1908.

As if that wasn't enough, David has also unearthed even earlier photos showing two other masts
There is not much information about these vessels, so I cannot say what their names are, but I think it is worth another 60 euros to get hi-res copies to see if they have a name anywhere on them, or at least to compare features with other photos that are identified.

David has done exceedingly well - some people have all the fun - while I slave away on Simon's boat, helping to recover and insulate the deck. More on this next time.
David

DavidGD · 01-11-2014 11:00am

Re-decking the ship proved to be slower than imagined – and harder! The computer-generated diagrams I put in earlier posts made everything look quite straightforward, but of course it wasn’t. The first task was to get a 100x100mm timber grid structure in place.
With the ship’s sides being curved and the decks sloping fore/aft and port/starboard, with odd projections here and there, everything had to be measured and placed carefully. We started on the stern and with the grid in place, proceeded to stage 2 – filling the spaces in the grid with 100mm foam panelling, each piece tailored to fit a specific space. (Photo) The foam is very easy to cut and any small gaps were filled with an expanding foam gun. The gun was a very good buy as it enables you to squirt the amount you want, when you want it, whereas the normal canisters cannot be left idle for long. That’s Chris the ‘roofer’ on the left and Simon on the right waiting for his chance to measure up the next panel.
With the insulation complete and the plywood panels screwed firmly to the grid, Chris applied a layer of bitumen with a roller (Photo). This seals the ply and provides a key for the bitumen material layer which follows. (Photo)
The bitumen layer has to be carried up onto the bulwark to ensure rain does not get underneath. As the bulwark was, in places, showing its age (136 years), the spray foam came into play again filling in some gaps before the layer went on. After 5 days hard graft, I was showing all of my 76 years, but the foam wouldn’t work on me!
All this took time and the final layer of gritted roofing felt had not been put down before I left. However, the starboard deck was also brought to the first layer stage and that might have been a much smaller area, but it was much more complicated, with light boxes and scuppers to cater for. (Photo) The scuppers are important of course so they were left clear and dressed into the bitumen layer.
The light boxes can wait until next year (by which time we should have sorted out exactly how they are going to be made watertight and walkable on) and the ply, having been cut out, was replaced and the bitumen layer was uninterrupted. (Photo) That projection in the right foreground is a filling point, marked “Calor Gas” and below is a pipe going down into the bilges where I assume there is a gas tank. Not knowing how well drained the tank is, we decided not to cut the filler valve down to deck level and Chris had to work round it!
David

DavidGD · 03-11-2014 12:47pm

A swift recap in pictures from 'Cormorant', through 'Lady Dixon' and 'Lady December', to 'The Lightship' today. Yes it is the same ship throughout - all with the stern on the right.

David

Judgement Day · 03-11-2014 10:48pm

I've forgotten, was Simon given the ship to take away? That last picture would make any sane person run a mile.

DavidGD · 04-11-2014 12:51pm

Ouch! That's a bit below the waterline. But I must admit trying to steer him away from it!!

DavidGD · 07-11-2014 1:57pm

Although I have no intention of building a lightship, I have been reading the 1880 specification with much interest. I have been struck by the multitude of materials that have been specified in great detail for all the bits and pieces (scantlings?). The document starts off by insisting…..
“All the materials used in the construction of the vessel to be of the best quality and description, it being in the power of the person or persons who may be appointed to superintend the construction of the vessel, to reject, and cause to be removed, any portion which may be considered inferior or defective”.
The word ‘best’ appears 16 more times and the word ‘good’ only twice.

Not counting any of the furniture, cupboards etc., I have counted nine different woods to be used. I will not attempt to catalogue all uses for all the woods.
Best East India Teak. This is all over the ship, top to bottom and front to back ….. sorry, topside to keel and knighthead to stern post. The topmast, rudder trunk, outer and inner skins, topside and bottom planks, bulwark stanchions, hatchway coamings, sky-light and keel, to name but a few. Only the mid-section of the keel was to be teak, the foremost and the aft lengths were to be ….
English or Irish Elm. Parts of the keel, the whole of the false keel (3 inch thick sacrificial plank), and the bilge pieces.
Rock Elm. Lower deck beams and sister keelson battens.
American Elm. Chain lockers.
English Oak. Roughtree rail (the main rail on the top of the bulwarks), rudder, bowsprit and tillers.
Dantzic Crown Deal. Upper deck.
Red Pine. Lower deck waterway and sky-light shutters.
Yellow Pine. Lower deck.
Pitch Pine. Mizzen and fore masts.

The metals specified were even more prolific and it was by no means a case of one suits all.
Staffordshire Iron. Keel plate.
Cast Iron. Hawse-pipes and bollards.
S.C.Stourbridge Iron. The wrought iron fittings on the masts.
Best Quality Bessemer Steel. Main mast.
Best Angle Iron. Frames.
Galvanised Iron. Water and oil tanks.
Gun Metal. Knees (bracing pieces), rudder pedants and gangway stanchions.
Bulb Iron. Deck beams, carlings (fore and aft deck supports) and clamp stringers.
Strong Lead. Scuppers.
Muntz Metal, Sheathing on the outside of the boat below the waterline.
Copper. Throughout the ship!
Brass. All door hinges and locks etc.

There was also concrete (to line the powder room) and cement (“The inside of the vessel, as high as the sister keelsons, to be coated with the best Portland cement”) and thick coatings of white lead between all ‘faying’ surfaces (joined surfaces).

David

PS: A close look at that 1908 photograph of Cormorant on station at the Kish, proves that it was indeed the Cormorant. The name is difficult to read there on the stern, but with the 67Mb hi-res scan there is no doubt that it does say ‘Cormorant’. However I cannot see names on the other photos as the vessels are more side-on and the stern is out of view. I wonder if all these lightships had their names permanently on their sterns and the name of their station in large letters on their flanks – changed when they went to a different station.

DavidGD · 13-11-2014 10:38pm

Just a short report on an historical discovery. During all the reports about the two and three mast photos, I did wonder where the foremast had been. On the foredeck, just in front of the companionway, was a wooden octagon with an 8-inch hole (Photo).
Too small for a mast and it fitted the 1943 blueprint position of an 8-inch dead-light, although the actual glass is missing. However, removal of the wood pieces revealed a rather larger hole (Photo) and an examination of the underside of the deck in this area showed a substantial structure, far too strong to support a small glass dead-light, but well able to take a mast. (Photo)
So my guess is that the mast hole was covered when the foremast was removed c1900 and the hole was opened up and used in 1943 to install a large dead-light.

DavidGD · 16-11-2014 8:35pm

What a difference a year makes – well a year and a half actually. The rear deck was then just tatty boards resting on the deck beams and not waterproof (Photo). Simon used a large tarpaulin for many months, but although this helped to keep out most of the rain, down below was still cold and damp, with heavy condensation dripping everywhere.

Now, (Photo) although by no means finished, it is weatherproof and well insulated. Large areas of dry ceiling are appearing below. The rubber tiles have yet to be laid to protect the roofing material.

The story is the same along the starboard side, where the deck was in a bit of a mess and covered with odds and sods (Photo). The appearance was not improved by the rusty state of the superstructure. The deck is now weatherproof, insulated and clear of rubbish! (Photo).

Meanwhile, David Ryan has unearthed one more photograph. This one shows Cormorant on station at Lucifer Shoals (East of Rosslare Harbour). It must have been taken around 1900 before her foremast was removed and certainly before 1908 by which time her main mast had been changed to a fixed lantern. (Photo)
David

DavidGD · 22-11-2014 3:55pm

Wasn’t it British Rail who used to say “We are getting there”. Well the lightship is making progress, but a combination of poor weather and ‘the day job’ does slow things down a bit. Poor old Simon seems to spend a great deal of time shifting building materials, bikes, plants and all sorts of ‘useful’ brick-a-brac around the deck – clearing each area in turn so that it can be worked on. The bow used to look very rough (Photo 1); then it was cleared and painted (Photo 2); my few days down there saw the framework built on the starboard side (Photo 3); and just the last week the weather-proofing went down (Photo 4) and now there is just the roofing felt and rubber tiles to be put down.
Meanwhile, on the historical research side, I am off down to London in a couple of weeks to trawl through the Trinity House records held at the London Metropolitan Archives. In January I am going to Dublin to follow up on the excellent work done by David Ryan. Hopefully the New Year will see some more interesting blasts from the past!
David

DavidGD · 29-11-2014 11:58am

After a pause to earn a living and to find a source of reasonably priced plywood and timber, the decking work is approaching the finish. Those nostrils (haws pipes), which were impressive but a bit of a mess (Photo 1), are now blended in to the new decking (Photo 2).

The final stretch of decking is timbered (Photo 3) and early next week, weather permitting, will be insulated, covered and sealed. We are still looking for a source of rubber tiles to go over the roofing felt and protect it. They will need to be interlocking, hard wearing and have some type of drainage channels on the bottom surface to allow rain to run over the roofing felt to the scuppers (Photo 4).

One small historical note – Simon sawed a piece off the end of the old mizzen mast (now hanging between the ship and the jetty) so that it would clear an upright. Looking at the newly exposed cross-section (Photo 5) reveals how well the timber (pitch pine) has survived the last 130 years – the last 15 or so being dunked in the sea on every tide!
David

DavidGD · 05-12-2014 4:44pm

The original construction and the subsequent modernisation(s) of the Cormorant were obviously shaped by the knowledge and technology of the times. In the 1880s the lanterns were constructed of brass and glass. With the oil tanks necessary to keep them alight through the night and/or bad weather, their overall weight was 2 tons 13 cwt. Having this lump over 27ft above the deck must have tested the mast and the shrouds quite severely in rough seas. In daylight it could be lowered to deck level and no doubt also in severe storms. However, when aloft, the wicks needed trimming from time to time and the masts were made hollow, incorporating a ladder to give safe, covered access to the lamp. There could be no question of lowering the lantern when in operation just to trim the wicks. (Photo 1)

Now, having hollow masts, with two fairly large access holes in them and 2 ton weights waving about up there, must have caused a bit of concern. When the Puffin was lost with all hands in a terrible storm in 1896, the inquiry decided the cause was the mast breaking below the deck, carrying away the house and tearing a large portion of the deck. “The rectangular doorway was a source of weakness ….”. (Photo 2)

This tragedy may well have caused Trinity House and the Commissioners for Irish Lights to look again at the design of masts and lanterns. Changing to acetylene may have obviated the need for frequent access. By 1908 Cormorant and her sister ship Torch had been converted to a fixed lantern. This was just as high up the mast – the mast most probably strengthened by plating over the two access doors – but because it did not have to be hauled up and down, or to carry oil tanks, it could be constructed weighing a good deal less than 2 tons. (Photo 3)

Later in life the cramped crew quarters were improved by the addition of a deckhouse and certainly this was needed when Belfast Harbour adapted her to act as a pilot station as well as a lightship. With 10 crew and 9 pilots, extra room was certainly needed. (Photo 4)

This superstructure may well have added support to the mast, but as Cormorant – or Lady Dixon as she was now christened – was safely tucked up inside Belfast Lough, she would never experience the sort of atrocious weather suffered on station at Lucifer Shoals, the Kish and other isolated moorings. (Photo 5)

Today, or rather over the next year or so, her insides will be reworked yet again. This has already started and the deckhouse is approaching completion (as you have seen in previous posts). Below deck will be a much greater challenge!

David

Del.Monte · 05-12-2014 4:50pm

Hi David - great thread! Where did painting of Cormorant on the Kish station come from?

DavidGD · 05-12-2014 9:28pm

Thanks for the kind remark. The owners of the painting are a bit wary about advertising the fact that they own such a handsome painting. All I can tell you is that the artist was a senior naval officer who died in 1895 and the painting is in Ireland.
The lightship may well be Cormorant - she did serve on that station during her service - but there is no way of telling from the painting.
David

DavidGD · 13-12-2014 5:12pm

I was not too hopeful of finding a great deal in the London Metropolitan Archives. Yes they have a collection of Trinity House documents and photos, but Trinity House was hit by a bomb during WWII and much was lost. However, the LMA do have very helpful staff and they helped me to find a few nuggets.
What I was looking for was a record of the Puffin tragedy (1896), or at least an expression of official sadness. I also wanted to find confirmation of my theory that the Court of Inquiry findings – that the sinking was most probably caused by the mast breaking – prompted both Trinity House and the Commissioners for Irish Lights to change the design of all the main masts on their lightships from having a hoistable lantern to having a fixed one. See my previous post.
I searched through a number of large, bound volumes of ‘Wardens’ Minutes’. They had been nicely bound but, after 120 years, were showing their age and were more than a little fragile (Photo 1). I went right through 1896, 1897 and 1898, but found nothing relating to the Puffin. I did see a reference to the Siren LV and new steel masts in January 1900. On a totally different subject there was a note about trials of an ‘incandescent gas burner’ in December 1897. The cost was to be £35 (about £3,500 in today’s money).
There were some photos of light vessels and I have ordered copies of two of them. One is a close-up of a lantern sitting at deck level and hopefully these will not get too delayed by the Christmas post. They are being copied from old glass slides (which I was not allowed to touch!)
There was a shot of Petrel on the Coningbeg station. It took some computer jiggery-pokery, but I can just make out her name on the stern above that white band (Photo 2).
I also trawled through ‘Inspection Books for Light Vessels’; ‘Visiting Committee Reports’; ‘Buoy Books’; and ‘Board Agendas (Pilotage)’. Nothing interesting in that lot! However I do now know how to operate an 1895 Manual Fog Signal Apparatus. I also discovered that at a Board meeting on 11th February 1941, the Rt Hon Winston L S Churchill CH MP was fined one shilling by his fellow Board Members for lighting a cigar at the meeting. Not a lot of people know that!
Towards the end of my second (and last) day, I was casting about rather desperately for lightship items, when one of the staff unearthed some other bound volumes and I struck gold.

17 October 1897: “Irish Lights and Surveyor of Shipping. Asking that Mr Goodall be allowed to inspect the old Daunts Rock Lt Vsl “Puffin” which is expected shortly to be dry docked at Cork. Approved”.
In fact the Puffin wreck was beached, inspected there and broken up there.

19 October 1897: “Irish Lights (Lt Vsls). Forwarding copy of Report of Court of enquiry into the loss of Daunts Rock Lt Vsl “Puffin”, who attribute the disaster to the breaking of the steel mast, which tore up a large portion of the deck. In consequence of this finding of the Court, the Commissioners of Irish Lights, with a view to the prevention of similar accidents in future, propose to introduce a stronger description of mast for use on board the other Light Vessels in their Service.
The Board of Trade now request the observations of the Elder Brethren upon this proposal of the Commissioners.”

Bingo! Put another way “The Irish are putting stronger masts in their light ships, shouldn’t we be doing the same?” A very satisfying end to my labours. I now look forward to my trip to Dublin in January, where I hope to find some more nuggets.
David

DavidGD · 19-12-2014 2:48pm

Well the London Metropolitan Archives pulled out the stops and my photo, ordered on Thursday, arrived the following Monday! I had to ask permission to reproduce it here, but that did not take long. It shows a hoistable lantern close up (Photo 1 © Trinity House). The construction of the 2 ton 13 cwt monster can be seen clearly and the crew member alongside gives a good impression of the size. I assume that chain is for hauling the lantern up the mast by means of the manual (?) windlass at the bottom of the photo. Although those chains look fairly vertical, they cannot be. The windlass must be nearer to the camera than it looks so that the chains do not foul the lantern when it goes up. However, in all the photos I have of these lightships with hoistable lanterns, I can find no clear evidence of stout chains near the mast. I can see block and tackle arrangements such as on the Owers lightship (Photo 2).

I say this as a plural because there is one forward as well as the expected one aft. Perhaps it took two windlasses to hoist the monster aloft? Or perhaps these are nothing to do with the lantern – in which case where are the chains?

Incidentally, the Owers Station is off Selsey Bill and I gather that one lightship with the name Owers is now a wreck in Tel Aviv harbour. I don’t think it will be this one.

The other question refers back to discussions we had on sails. I assume that is a furled sail stretching towards the lantern and, as it looks very straight, I assume it is around a spar/ boom. There does not appear to be any rigging keeping it up. It must be hanging (sorry, wrong term) from the mizen and possibly anchored (sorry, wrong term) to the main mast or superstructure near it, but I have never seen a sail in that position in any of the old photos. There have been photos of furled sails and just one unfurled (Photo 3) – all aft of the mizen. So come on you experts, what is going on?

The renovation has picked up speed and the deck is now completely insulated and weather-proofed. The bow has never looked so good! (Photo 4).

I know some of you will be wondering what that large blue tray is doing there. Well it’s where Molly – Simon’s dog – empties her bladder in between trips ashore. The observant amongst you will notice that it is slightly tilted by those green blocks. This is to encourage the effluent down to the bottom left corner where there is a gap in the surround. Although hidden by a hanging basket (of dead flowers) the gap is positioned over the starboard haws pipe …. need I say more?
David

DavidGD · 27-12-2014 1:29pm

For the final chapter of the year I have chosen to look back to remind myself how far Simon has got with this massive project. It really ought to be on Amazing Spaces!
The many improvements Simon has made, since deciding to purchase and live aboard in August 2013 (only 16 months ago!), include the refurbishment of the 58x18ft deckhouse, turning a tiny ‘cooking space’ and a rubbish store into a terrific kitchen (Photos 1, 2 and 3). Note that Photo 3 is a combination of two photos, which accounts for the two-tone floor!
The other great step forward was the insulation and weather proofing of the whole 58 sq metre deck area, particularly the side decks which were full of holes with no cladding (Photos 4 and 5).
So a Happy New Year to all my readers. I am running this story on several web-sites and the total ‘hit count’ has just passed 47,000, running at about 800 to 900 per week, so there are people out there who are interested‼
David

DavidGD · 02-01-2015 12:02pm

A happy New Year to all my readers!
I gave some serious thought to the suggestion that I should write a book on the history of ‘Cormorant’. Just repeating these posts would not produce a coherent story (or a lot of interest!), so it would have to be properly done, flavouring the cold facts with historical detail and evidence. I even started to sketch out the first chapter, beginning in 1876/8 when ‘Cormorant’ was built by the Victoria Shipbuilding Co., West Passage, Cork. That is where I hit the first snag.
I have always accepted that statement as fact because it is quoted in many sources, but I can find no record of that shipbuilding company. I know where West Passage is and it did have a flourishing shipbuilding/repair industry in the mid-1800s. I have found the Royal Victoria Dockyards; the Passage Docks & Shipbuilding Co; the Cork Shipbuilding Co. Passage West; and others; but no mention of the Victoria Shipbuilding Co. Well I am off to Dublin in a couple of weeks, so hopefully I will be able to determine whether this is a case of someone getting the name wrong and everyone afterwards repeating the mistake (instead of doing their homework properly!).
Meanwhile Patrick (SailPix) sent me a link which shows a mailboat delivering to a lightship on the Kish Bank station. A great deal of smoke was being puffed out by the mailboat, so it is not possible to identify the lightship. That little speck in the water is probably the lightship cutter going back to mother after collecting the mail. I wonder why the mailboat crew are wearing cloche hats!
http://fatherbrowne.com/Ships%20&%20Shipping/Passengers%20and%20Crew/Htmls/PaCright28.html
David

DavidGD · 04-01-2015 12:50pm

In October I received a message from Alex Coulter, who sent me some information about the Lady Dixon when she was a Pilot Station in Belfast Lough….
.
Hi David, I read the story of the Lady Dixon with great interest. My father John Coulter worked for 23 years in charge of the Pilot cutter Rosa. She carried the Ships Pilots that piloted ships into Belfast. The Pilot Master, Pilots and deck crews lived aboard the Lady Dixon. Dad would take the Pilots down to go aboard the Lady D. The 2 Pilot Masters were David Hunt and James Owens. I went with him a number of times. When the Lady D was off for overhaul her replacement was the Sir Thomas Dixon - an old Steam Yacht. I hope you find this information helpful. I went on to go to sea and years later I was Tug mate and Skipper in the tugs Somerton and Sir Kenneth for the B H C.
Regards.
Alex Coulter.

To which I replied ….

Hi Alex,
Many thanks for that historical snippet. I have a copy of the Lady Dixon Log Book for September 1956 and it shows J Owens as the Pilot Master at that time. It also shows the names of the Pilots on board each day, which ships they boarded and what the weather was like!
I also have a copy of the BHC Board minutes from 26 Jan 1960, which record that the Lady Dixon was to be dry-docked, to be replaced on station by the Commissioners' tender Sir Thomas Dixon.
Your memory is obviously working well!
Best wishes
David

He came back straight away …..

David, the post brought back many happy memories. I knew a number of the Pilots in question as I was a Berthing Master in Belfast after my time in the tugs of the B H C.
Regards,
Alex C R666116.

I then lost track of these messages (sorry Alex), but having found them again I have included them here – they are the first direct link with Simon’s vessel during her working life.

DavidGD · 09-01-2015 7:07pm

My mention of a possible book on the history of Cormorant produced a deafening silence, so have abandoned that idea! Maybe if I get snowed in this Winter I will produce one copy – for Simon.
My trip to Dublin is rapidly approaching and David Ryan is being a great help over there. We have much to do in a short time!
That will be looking at material from 1878 to 1943. Meanwhile I have found confirmation that the ship was indeed moored near Sittingbourne in the 1990s. Charles Reece owned her at that time; she was painted red (Photo 1); and was reported to be at Gas Road, Milton Creek. Looking on Google Earth, I easily found Milton Creek. Gas Road meanders around a bit, but I did see a sort of jetty in the right area. I then spotted Google’s historical facility, which offers aerial shots of locations taken from other sources. Obviously the coverage is limited to what’s on offer, both in area and time. In this case it was Kent County Council in 1990 and there was Lady Dixon (née Cormorant) lying alongside that very jetty (Photo 2). A small discovery perhaps, but a very satisfying one.
David

DavidGD · 10-01-2015 5:47pm

Colin J wrote in .....

"Sorry, David, but perhaps I should have shouted louder and earlier. If you are still willing to go ahead, then I would certainly want a copy. Reading the blog is essential reading, but whenever I meet up with you, there are always extra snippets that would do well in the book. Colin"

Well we are now fast approaching 50,000 'hits' in total and getting over 900 per week. If only a third of the regulars expressed similar interest ........:)
David
www.cormorantlightship.blogspot.co.uk

DavidGD · 18-01-2015 6:10pm

I have found a great deal of interesting material in the library of the Belfast Harbour Commissioners, the National Archives in Kew and the London Metropolitan Archives. I was hoping that the Commissioners for Irish Lights would also yield something useful. David Ryan has unearthed good photos from the CIL collection in the National Library of Ireland and I hope to find more when I visit this week. However it seems that the CIL Board Minutes and other possibly interesting material is out of reach. Apparently it is not kept in the CIL HQ, but has been stored elsewhere and is not accessible to the public. Also, although the Minutes should be easy to navigate, other documents are not catalogued and would take considerable effort to work through. A heavily over-worked private researcher does have access, but charges 30 euros per hour – definitely outside my budget!
So, back on the ship, Simon would really like to get on and finish off the salon. As hanging very special wallpaper is what he does for a living, it should not be too difficult, were it not for the laws of physics. The structure of the deckhouse includes metal triangular fillets joining vertical beams to roof beams (not sure what they are called but I think in wooden ships they were called ‘knees’). The walls and the roof are now well insulated, but these fillets, or part of them, protrude through by about 16 x 17 x 20 inches (Photo 1).

Now they are of course bolted/welded to the metal sheeting which forms the roof and side walls, so they are nearly as cold as the outside. Those of you who paid attention in class will know that when warm, moist air comes into contact with a cold surface, condensation often forms – depending on the Dew Point (I paid attention). It certainly does on these fillets, especially now winter is upon us. Simon does not want water running down his expensive wallpaper, so I am experimenting with ways of preventing this – either by avoiding the fillets getting cold (extremely difficult), or by preventing the moist air reaching the cold metal.

My first idea is to glue an insulating material to the fillets and I am trying rubber at the moment. I bought some 2mm sheet (white) and stuck some to an odd piece of metal, leaving a bare strip which I submerged in ice water (Photo 2). Now the worst case scenario is when the room has been cold for a while and whatever heat the fillets have absorbed from the room has been lost by conduction to the outside. When Simon then lights the stove and the room heats up, the warm air (which holds more moisture than cold) will precipitate condensation on any surface colder than the Dew Point.

So I left my apparatus in my workshop (ambient 2°C these days!) for an hour or two and then brought it into the kitchen (ambient 17°C). After an hour I measured the temperature at various points on the metal and the rubber with a laser thermometer, to see whether the rubber surface stays warmer than the metal and avoids condensation. (Photo 3 – ignore the ice which had all but melted by this time. This is Photo 2 with temperatures added). To make sure the emissivity of the white rubber was not too different from that of the dull metal, I stuck small pieces of black tape to the rubber. Impressed?
There was condensation on the exposed metal below the rubber and this had obviously precipitated before the exposed metal rose above the 0.5°C at which it emerged from the workshop. Doing the test again without the cold start produced no condensation on the metal. There was no condensation on the rubber strips in either case. Q.E.D.

We must now do an on-site test and I am sending Simon a suitable rubber piece. Of course the answer might be to keep the ship interior heated at all times in cold weather, or to run a large dehumidifier constantly, but until the lower deck space is insulated and some form of heating available down there (or Simon wins the Lottery), such extravagance is not an option.

If anyone out there has had this problem and found a solution, we will be glad to hear from you.
David

DavidGD · 24-01-2015 8:02pm

Well my trip to Dublin did not start well. As the weather had been so cold, I decided to start up the Morris Minor well in advance. Well that was the plan, but it did not start – nomatter what I tried. I will not go into detail as this is not an old car blog. Suffice to say I left it a bit late before calling a taxi. £75 later I arrived at Liverpool Airport with 10 minutes or so to spare, but had not reckoned on security (shoes off, trouser belt off, coat off, shaving foam examined and bagged, cough mixture examined and confiscated etc etc) plus 3 miles of retail area to get through (I exaggerate only slightly). I was about 2 minutes too late. My pre-booked return fare was £58, but I had to pay a further £110 to transfer to the next flight. Now is that an administrative fee or a fine? And I forfeited my pre-booked airport parking fee and I left my gloves in the taxi and I had another 6 hours to kill! So far, so bad. Anyway, My Dublin friend David Ryan met me at the airport, in spite of the late hour and things began to go right.

The next morning we were ensconced in the Manuscripts Department of the National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, poring through photo albums donated by the Commissioners for Irish Lights. What a treasure trove! There were over 40 photographs of lightships. It seems that the Commissioners, as part of their duties, would tour around Ireland visiting lighthouses and lightships to make sure all was in order. They did this in reasonable style aboard the good ship Princess Alexandria (Photo 1), although occasionally the transfer by cutter to a lightship or a lighthouse must have been exciting in rough seas! (Photo 2)

Well I now have a collection of photographs of Irish lightships dating from the 1890s, when they all seem to have the hoistable lanterns; through the early 1900s, when some were hoistable and some fixed. Most of the ‘collection, were acquired during my Dublin trip and many of them are courtesy of the very eminent photographer who accompanied the Commissioners on their inspection tour, taking photographs with his Kodak Panoramic Camera and his No3 Folding Pocket Kodak. He was Sir Robert Ball, the Astronomer Royal of Ireland. I have to say that he took a very large number of ‘seascapes’ – acres of sea with nothing to see (except sea!).
The Commissioners obviously took their task seriously and I found a lovely record of who was on the 1905 tour (Photo 3).

On an earlier tour, again headed by Sir William Watson, Mr W Douglass was one of the inspectors presumably in his capacity as Chief Engineer of CIL (Photo 4).

He was the engineer who produced the 1880 specification for the steel lantern masts – like the one which was judged to have collapsed and sunk the Puffin with all hands in 1896 (Photo 5).

All these photographs are © Commissioners for Irish Lights and courtesy of The National Library of Ireland.

Next time I will be showing you some more of the fascinating photos we found.
David

Del.Monte · 24-01-2015 11:26pm

There's definitely a book in your own adventures as well as the lightship restoration! Love the details of the inspection and the luxury of the Princess Alexandria - I'm sure they dined well on it. Served up on lots of nice CIL crested crockery no doubt.

Looking forward to seeing more of the lightship pics and be nice to the Morris Minor.

DavidGD · 30-01-2015 11:08am

Yes I did feel like lashing the Moggie as per John Cleese, but with an axe, not a tree branch! But back to the story .....

Following the adventures of the Commissioners as they inspected the lighthouses and lightships around the Irish coast has been fascinating. Life aboard the Alexandria was probably quite comfortable, but getting ashore on a rocky lighthouse promontory would have been tricky – some were accessed via a jib and rope hoist, with just one foot in a loop as support - and boarding lightships in choppy seas would have been just as exciting (Photo 811 – Guillemot 1905).
Approaching lighthouses and lightships, which by their very nature were situated in dangerous waters, obviously required caution in a large vessel like the Alexandria. Hence the presence at the bow of a ‘Leadsman’ singing “Quarter less seven” and other strange incantations (Photo 812).
Once aboard they took their inspection duties seriously, even when age and physique might cause problems! (Photo 813 – aboard Shamrock 1906). This is the first photo I have seen showing the anchor chain (one of them) draped half way along the ship from the bows to what must be a port leading to a chain locker. The chain is wrapped around a winch on the way.
Now I have not one but two photographs showing this arrangement. I did wonder what the man on the left was examining (looks like a flower pot!) and I was puzzled by that tall black cylinder behind him (Photo 814).
My first guess was a gas cylinder as I found a photo of the Commissioners ashore at a gas storage depot and there is a similar cylinder on the left of that scene (Photo 815). I estimated the capacity of the lightship cylinder to be about 45 cu ft and that is not enough to keep the lantern going all night for a few weeks between resupplies. Also the connection between it and the lantern which moves 30ft up the mast would be complicated? But look back to Post 149 and the photo of Torch on the Barrels station reveals all. The cylinder is part of the early fog-horn apparatus. Emerging from the top of the cylinder (out of shot in Photo 814 but clearly visible on Torch) is a very much elongated version of an old fashioned ear-trumpet.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Simon is cutting a hole in the stump of the lantern mast to see whether there is/was a ladder inside for access to the lofted lantern in days gone by. I will report next time.
David

All these photographs are © Commissioners for Irish Lights and courtesy of The National Library of Ireland.

Freedive Ireland · 30-01-2015 4:49pm

Hi David,
Enjoying the updates, just wondering as I may have missed but have you been out to the maritime museum in Dun Laoghaire apart from being a nice place they have an archive area with Lloyds registers and naval chronicles etc. It's still being curated and the work is being done by volunteers but may be worth a look. They have a revolving reflector from an old lighthouse that's worth going to see on its own.
http://www.mariner.ie/?gclid=CMP7idWHvMMCFYGD2wodADkAOw

DavidGD · 30-01-2015 6:13pm

Hi Freedive. Yes my helper in Dublin lives very near to the museum and we visited it last Wednesday. Without his help I might have got lost asking my way to "Dun Logaire" instead of "Dun Leary". We had a very helpful lady volunteer show us around and there were two large lightship models there. The Lloyds Registers do not include Irish lightships.
David

DavidGD · 07-02-2015 11:53pm

The preservation of Cormorant / Lady Dixon is progressing slowly but surely. Simon has at last purchased the protective tiles needed to cover the newly insulated and waterproofed deck. The rubber tiles have come from a playground and are one metre square. He needs about 60 of them, but the deal is for 120, so there will be plenty of spares! They weigh about 2.4tons in total and will be delivered early this week. At around 45lbs per tile, Simon will have to make many trips along the catwalk with his trolley!

He has decided not to use the tiles on the stern deck. Some time ago he bought a load of discarded hardwood decking and, after cleaning it up, intends to turn it back into ‘decking’ (Photo 820).
To make proper use of his new log-burning stove, Simon has had some radiators installed. Some are temporary, but all provide welcome warmth. The first to be installed was a small one to absorb the heat of the water from the back boiler, even if all others were turned off (a ‘safety’ radiator) and it had to be situated above the level of that boiler (Photo 821).

Eventually it will be boxed in. The little bathroom needed some heat and warming towels would be a bonus, so in went a smart towel rail (Photo 822).
Then Simon found a very smart radiator which fitted in beautifully at the top of the spiral staircase (Photo 823).

A bit more history….
I came across a very nice old (1870) book ‘Lighthouses and Lightships’ by W.H. Davenport Adams. I am sure he will not mind me quoting bits from his book as they give a great feel of life aboard the early lightships …….
“The form of the lightship varies according to its locality: in Ireland the hull is more elongated than in England; but in all cases the object to be attained is the same – resistance to the force of the winds and waves. It is desired that in the most violent tides, in the midst of the angriest billows, and in situations the most exposed to the influence of the currents, it shall drag as little as possible upon its anchor. That it may at all times and in all conditions preserve the same maritime position, it is securely moored. Like a galley-slave, riveted to an iron chain, it can move neither to the right nor to the left.
Let us now say a few words in reference to the resolute crews who man these vessels. The crew of an English lightship consists of a master, a mate, and nine men. Three out of the nine are intrusted with the service of the lamps; the six others, who always include among them a good carpenter, attend to the order and cleanliness of the vessel. It must be remembered, however, that the nine men are never all on board together; one-third are always enjoying an interval of rest on shore. Experience has proved that a perpetual sojourn on board a ship of this kind is too much for the moral and physical forces of human nature. The crushing monotony of the same scenes, the eternal spectacle of foam-crested waters rolling wherever the eye is turned, the ceaseless noise of the winds, the everlasting murmur of the ocean – swelling at times into so terrible a roar that it renders inaudible the human voice – could not fail to exercise a depressing influence on the mind. But even allowing for the occasional vacation spent upon land, the life is so uniform and unexciting that it is wonderful any man can be found to endure it; and the crews of our lightships may assuredly be ranked among the curiosities of civilization”.

He has a lovely turn of phrase doesn’t he?
David

DavidGD · 13-02-2015 9:31pm

Well the tiles arrived ‘safely’ – they were a day late and the truck was not carrying the fork-lift that Simon had booked and paid for! Anyway, the pallets were duly dumped on the water’s edge, all 2 ½ tons of them (Photo 831) and the truck driver went away cursing and blinding.

Simon loaded up his trolley for the first of many trips and soon found that the tiles were too wide for the walk-way (Photo 832). So it became the first of many, many trips!

Of course he could not resist breaking off in the midst of all this toil in order to try a few out on the deck. Now back in December, when the roofing felt had just been applied, the deck looked very smart, (Photo 833) but was of course a bit vulnerable to accidental damage.

These tile proved to be exactly the right size, without trimming, to lie along the side decks and with a power wash will look really good (Photo 834).

And Simon has started on the bow area (the easy bits) and that looks pretty good too (Photo 835). Wait till he gets to fitting the mats around the hawspipes and the like!

David

DavidGD · 19-02-2015 4:12pm

“The visitor of a lightship cannot fail to be struck with its admirable condition, and with the fine appearance of its crew (Photo 841). Sun-tanned and weather-beaten, they are models of sailors: frank, self-reliant, unassuming, obedient, nimble, vigorous, and resolute. (Photo 842 – Repairs aboard Osprey in 1905)
They seem well-contented with their lot, and if they complain at all, it is of the quantity and quality of their provisions.
The ration of bread (seven pounds a week) is not quite sufficient for hearty men, and I confess, from my own experience, that the sharp air to which they are exposed is well adapted to whet ones appetite.
When they are at sea, their food is supplied; when on shore, they receive instead one shilling and three-pence a day. Their wages are fifty-five shillings per month; the master receives £80 per annum.
Two men at a time are charged with the care of the lamps, the third being on shore; one of these two performs for a month the functions of a cook. Formerly, if we may believe public rumour, the lightship crews, isolated by continental tempests which rendered the sea impracticable, have been reduced to the extremest necessities, have even perished of hunger.
To prevent the recurrence of such calamities, a steamboat or a good stout sailing-vessel regularly visits the lightship once a month. In the worst weather the communication is never interrupted for a longer period than six weeks, and the stock of provisions is always sufficient to last the crew for even a longer time”.
‘Lighthouses and Lightships’ by W.H. Davenport Adams.

Some of the ships in the CIL/NLI photographs are equipped with fog horns, but some still have the fog bell on the foredeck (Photo 843). By 1905 some were also equipped with an underwater or submarine bell as sound carries further underwater than in air. An example can be seen hanging over the side on a chain.

I suppose many warning devices were invented and tried, including a submarine ‘horn’ (Photo 844) and a weird American device which looks as though it uses the hull as a sounding board (Photo 845). The effect on the ship’s crew must have been rather startling!

All these photographs are © Commissioners for Irish Lights and courtesy of The National Library of Ireland.

David

DavidGD · 27-02-2015 5:41pm

Having laid tiles along the side decks without trimming, Simon decided they would look better and lie better trimmed to size, which they certainly do (Photo 851).

That was hard work but reasonably straightforward. Then he got down to the tricky bits where the mats had to be cut to fit around various fitting and fixtures (Photo 852).

He reported “I am rather enjoying the challenge now. It's like really thick, awkward wallpaper...”, which of course he should be good at! He progressed to the Hawspipes I mentioned in the last post (Photo 853).

By this time his industrial-type gloves were looking a bit worse for wear! (Photo 854).

Finally, in order to protect his newly finished decks from the twice-daily back-and-forth of the gangway wheels and to protect the gunwale beneath the gangway (at high tide the gangway actually rocks on the gunwale), Simon had a steel ‘runway’ fabricated and it is now in place (Photo 855).
David

DavidGD · 06-03-2015 12:35pm

I have for some time been urging Simon to cut a hole in the stump of the lantern mast. I was of course eager to see whether there was a ladder inside, which would probably indicate that what is left of it is as old as the ship itself. Simon has at last cut a (small) viewing hole in the mast (Photo 861).
His photography is not the best, but the hole is small and the mast is only 2ft in diameter.
In spite of such constricted circumstances, he did capture the evidence I was looking for – rungs of an internal ladder (Photo 862).
This ladder is made up of individual rungs bolted to the mast and not a complete ladder as in the mast of LV Guillemot – a more modern vessel and in good shape (Photo 863).
The Guillemot mast has an access hatch (Photo 864). I do not call it a door because it is obviously securely bolted in place and not much used (emergencies only?). It is very similar to the bolted hatch on Cormorant’s mast, but in better condition!
Now the Cormorant mast measured 2ft in diameter, which must have made climbing inside it a fairly claustrophobic experience. I have a fairly slim build at 175lb, (Photo 866) so a burly sailor would have found it quite a squeeze!
David

pedroeibar1 · 07-03-2015 9:23am

DavidGD wrote: »

..............Now the Cormorant mast measured 2ft in diameter, which must have made climbing inside it a fairly claustrophobic experience. I have a fairly slim build at 175lb, (Photo 866) so a burly sailor would have found it quite a squeeze!.....

David, That needs to be looked at from the perspective of the era. Vast records exist from WW1, so many studies have been done on size, weight, etc., of the average "Tommy". Average height was about 5 foot 5 inches and weight was about 8 stone or 112 pounds. The Army dropped its minimum height requirement from 5'3" to 5' and there even were Bantam battalions.
I'd guess Trinity Hse / CIL staff would have been a bit bigger, so still tight-ish and definitely claustrophobic though!:)

DavidGD · 08-03-2015 11:25am

The Soviet tank forces in the 1950s and 1960s were rumoured to comb the ranks of recruits for gunners who were less than 5ft tall and preferably with a right arm shorter than the left, so cramped and awkward was the T54 tank! Perhaps the lightships only accepted skinny lamp-lighters. Or perhaps as you say they were all skinny!! : )

DavidGD · 13-03-2015 3:41pm

My remarks in the last report about burly seamen struggling to squeeze into the 2ft diameter mast of Cormorant, produced a number of comments from various sources through various channels. The consensus seems to be that people were noticeably smaller a century ago. The evidence quoted by ‘Pedro’ certainly points to there being little problem for the average Victorian sailor.

Looking through my collection of lightship photographs, I can find only three which have two auxiliary masts – one forward and one mizzen. The ill-fated Puffin (Photo 871) is one.

Cormorant, seen here on the Lucifer Shoals station, another (Photo 872).

The third photo (Phot 873) is of an unidentified lightship on the Blackwater station.

Now the first thing to hit me, when I put these two photos next to each other, is how similar they are. Yes the names on the side are different; one has two ball markers on the lantern mast; and those little ‘huts’ near the stern seem to have the doors in different places. But doors apart, these two are identical as far as I can judge. So are both these vessels Cormorant? I think so.

And talking of photos, I am aiming to take a few myself. I have bought myself a drone, a little one (body length 34cms), but it does have a camera (Photo 874) and I can hardly wait to make another trip down to the Medway to take some aerial shots of Simon’s ship. For the first time I will be able to get the whole ship in one photo.

There are plenty of other things to photograph down there, including the unfortunate Ena which sadly has again fail to rise with the incoming tide (Photo 875).
David

DavidGD · 20-03-2015 6:34pm

Rather a dearth of items this time. I am waiting for a hi-res scan of Guillemot on the Daunt station, which I hope will show the Commissioners’ inspectors actually inside the lowered lantern in 1905. It’s one David Ryan and I found during my visit to Dublin in January, but the National Library folk are having difficulty finding it again – probably due to my poor note-taking. But they are doing their best.
I did read somewhere that the day-markers on the lantern or mizzen masts were unique to lightship stations, but unless I am missing something, this is not so. There are differences for sure (Photo 881), Barrels has a very appropriately shaped marker, but many go for a simple ball – or are they simple? The photographs from that era are not all that clear, but I suppose there may be noticeable differences (they would have to be noticeable from a distance) that I cannot discern in the photos. This is a pity as it would be an aid to identification – not of the actual vessel perhaps, but of the station being served, which is a step along the way. For instance, ignoring the vessels with a single ball marker, we could probably be confident that the lightship supporting the Dublin Bay regatta is from Arklow station. (Photo 882)
Similarly, the left hand vessel in Kingston Harbour in 1907, (Photo 883) was from Blackwater station; the middle one is anybody’s guess); and the one on the right is from Coningbeg station (actually I cheat – there is only one ball but the name is visible on the side!).
Come on all you nautical types, were the single round balls different?
Thanks to NLI, CIL and the Dublin Maritime Museum for the photos.

David

pedroeibar1 · 21-03-2015 12:36am

Here is one I've posted before - the "new" Kish Light being towed out to station, with two CIL vessels in the background. I think the gaffers in your 882.jpg might be Dublin Bay 21's.

DavidGD · 27-03-2015 6:01pm

Thanks for that Pedro.
Those very helpful people in the National Library of Ireland finally managed to interpret my clues and find the photograph I was after – Guillemot on Daunt station in 1905 (Photo 991).

As the elegantly scripted caption indicates, the visiting Commissioners from CIL are actually in the lantern, doing their inspection. This gives the clearest impression I have yet seen of the size of the lantern and the internal lamps (Photo 992).

There are two figures on the left and one on the right. The reflectors of the lamps have obviously been highly polished – as I am certain they always were and not just for the inspection visit. Taken along with the view I published back in January, of a portly Commissioner climbing into the lantern (Photo 993), I now have a much better feeling for the scale of that 2-ton monster. Hauling it up the mast (by muscle power in the early days) must have been quite a feat – even without the Commissioners in there!

Back to the boat and Simon. He is getting serious with the stern deck. The wall-papering business is going through a busy phase, so decking is not high priority. Still he has had time to start cutting and fitting (Photo 994), but not screwing down, sanding or varnishing!
The old photos are © CIL and courtesy NLI.
David

DavidGD · 04-04-2015 9:22pm

In a few weeks Simon will have owned the ship for two years. Doesn’t time fly when you are enjoying yourself? After his first night aboard (29 June 2013) he reported “Awesome, spent last night on board and yesterday and today clearing the decks for the welder. So peaceful down here, I love it! BBQ last night and fed the swans the scraps, woke up to blue skies and the clang of lines on masts not sirens and traffic”. (Photo 901)
One of the (many) jobs that will have to be tackled when he does have more time is painting the hull. He recently spotted the owner of a neighbouring boat taking advantage of the tide being out to paint his hull (Photo 902). A facial mud-pack is one thing, but everything below the waist is a bit much I think! Simon is determined to find a better way!
This story is running on my Blog and three appropriate web-sites, including this one. A total of around 900 people view the posts each week and the overall figure has now passed 60,000. Those of you who have followed from the start (or gone back to the beginning and caught up) will know that there have been highs, lows and plateaus (plateaux?), both in the renovation and the historical research. Patience has certainly been a virtue in both areas! At the moment both areas are in a plateau phase – Simon being inundated with wall-papering projects (he is happy about that of course) and I am searching for new avenues to explore, including those ‘inaccessible’ CIL records lurking somewhere in Dublin.
In 1878 the Cormorant cost £7,500 which in today’s money amounts to over £600,000 calculated on purchasing power. That is roughly the cost of two Rolls-Royce Phantom cars! I still have not yet discovered anything about the Victoria Shipbuilding Co., West Passage, Cork. Every source I have found identifies this company as the builder of Cormorant in 1878, but I cannot trace it. There was a great deal of shipbuilding around West Passage and there certainly was a Victoria Dock (later the Royal Victoria Dock), built by H&W Brown (Photo 903), but the only company I can find operating here in the 1860/70 period was the Passage Docks Shipbuilding Company. However, according to the Heritage Boat Association, the yard(s) weathered a general slump in ship-building in the 1870/80 period and changed hands a couple of times, so the name may well have changed as well. I do believe Cormorant was built in the Victoria Dockyard, but by whom? Maybe someone over in Cork can find out the answer for me…..
David

DavidGD · 12-04-2015 10:10pm

Being one of ‘the older generation’, I was brought up to appreciate that, when things are tight, you must concentrate on the essentials. I obviously did not spend enough time instilling such philosophies in my sons – certainly not Simon. His trouble is that he cannot resist a bargain and probably gets that from his mother. You know the saying “A woman will spend £1 on something she does not need worth £2, while a man will spend £2 on something he needs worth £1”. Anyway, Simon’s recent acquisitions illustrate a peculiar sense of what the essentials of his ship restoration are at this point in time.

THE KENNEL
He does have a dog – Molly – and a suitably sized kennel on deck is probably a ‘nice to have’, but suitably sized it is not and essential it certainly isn’t. It does have one redeeming feature – it was free!

THE PIANO
Yes it is one of those items that every lightship should have, although I think he should have waited until he has somewhere to put it. Downstairs, sorry below deck, will not be habitable for another year or so, even if he has worked out a way of getting the piano down the spiral staircase, as well as how to transport it along the walkway. He has no musical ability either!

I rest my case.
David

DavidGD · 17-04-2015 1:03pm

Speaking of pianos …… it has been gently suggested that perhaps the wardroom might be a good home for the piano Simon has acquired. However the Captain is normally excluded from the wardroom, except by invitation. (In the Army we called them anterooms and it would be a foolhardy officer who told the CO that he was not welcome!) Even if the protocol could be ignored, there is the problem of practicality. The piano must weigh over 300lb and is not the handiest shape. Readers may remember the difficulties with the deck tiling (Photo 911). Getting the piano along that walkway would be quite a feat, even for the most experienced (and physically strong) removers. Then there is the gangway. Again readers may remember its size and inclination (Photo 912).
Twice a day it is horizontal but with a large step down onto the deck; at high tide that step is impossibly large; so low tide probably offers the best conditions – downhill slope and a small step. The temptation will be to remove and discard the heavy iron frame which houses the strings and make some sort of cupboard of the instrument!
Molly the dog seems to have taken to her new quarters without any persuasion or inducement (Photo 913). Its position at the foot of the gangway makes it ideal for a guard post, although Molly’s qualifications in this area are not proven. Not a good spot to be if pianos come tumbling down the gangway!
What has all this got to do with the history or the renovation of the lightship? Not a lot. Progress has not been made on either front I regret to admit. I have heard nothing about the Victoria Shipbuilding Company, West Passage, so either I do not have any readers in the Cork area, or the Company never existed – which I suspect is the truth. Where are the Irish historians when you need them?
David

zagmund · 17-04-2015 1:27pm

DavidGD wrote: »

I have heard nothing about the Victoria Shipbuilding Company, West Passage, so either I do not have any readers in the Cork area, or the Company never existed – which I suspect is the truth. Where are the Irish historians when you need them?
David

Can you provide more detail to the original reference to the Victoria Shipbuilding Company? There *might* be something in the context of the document that gives further pointers.

z

DavidGD · 17-04-2015 3:09pm

Hi Zag
Most references merely state that Cormorant was built by the Victoria Shipbuilding Company, Passge West. Some add dimensions and construction details (teak cladding over iron frame). Many are so similar that one suspects they all used the same original (erroneous?) information.

The Heritage Boat Association go into detail about the 'Passage Dock Company', as follows:-
"By the 1860s the Docks were running at their peak, with over 250 ships discharging freight there in one year. It weathered a general slump in ship-building ten years later and changed hands a couple of times. The yard kept busy with boat building and repairs on various types of vessels big and small, commercial and recreational from all over the world. The Cormorant light-ship was built here in 1878 with an iron frame overlaid with teak (known today as Lady December and moored in Kent) and in 1882 the yard’s first of many Iron vessels, the Dingadee, was built for the Australian Steam Navigation Company".

I have seen references to 'The Passage Docks Shipbuilding Company'.

Another source reports that William Brown started building a dock at Passage. In 1849, the Browns were given official permission to name their concern the Royal Victoria Dockyard. The dry dock itself was called the Victoria Dry Dock.
In 1872, the Royal Victoria Dockyard was purchased by a syndicate who formed the Cork Harbour Docks and Warehouse Company. The initial years of this company were highly successful and the dockyard staff exceeded 700 workers.
Although the company concentrated on repair work, a number of small vessels were built in the early 1870s. Towards the end 1870s, a shipping depression affected Passage and work became scarce. To keep the yard going, the company purchased a number of old or damaged timber ships with a view to their conditioning and resale. This did not work out as, just at this time, timber ships had become virtually valueless on the open market. The Docks Company lost money in successive years and in 1881, the property was purchased by Sir John Arnott for £31,500. By this time Cormorant had been built and was in service.

It would seem from this that Cormorant was built in the Royal Victoria Dockyard by the Cork Harbour Docks and Warehouse Company.

Just to confuse things, there is a report of 'Cormorant' being built by the Cork Shipbuilding Company, Passage West in 1853, but this Cormorant was an iron screw steamer of 743 tons. And how about the Queenstown Dry Docks, Shipbuilding and Engineering Company who were apparently based at the Royal Victoria Dockyard?

David

bladebrew · 18-04-2015 10:49pm

Hi David,

I live fairly near to Passage West, I am not sure how much help I can be to you though! There is still a dock there today but it is very small, there are also a few apartment blocks built on what I think may have been dock/shipbuilding areas back in the 1800s,
There is a small museum down in Cobh but as the Titanic picked up passengers here it is basically only covering the Titanic and Lusitania,
As you may know already Cobh was called Queenstown, there is still a ship repair yard here just outside Cobh in an area called Rushbrooke, this may have been where the Queenstown name came into it, it is across from Monkstown which is the next town from Passage West.

DavidGD · 19-04-2015 11:43am

Thanks for that Bladebrew. I wonder if local authority archives might have some information, particularly in Cork itself.
Using an 1897 map, I have marked the docks that existed then on today's Google version. Across the road from your Health Centre (Dock St in those days, but Beach Rd now) was the 350ft main dry dock. Although not named on the old map, I believe this to be the Victoria Dock as it is the right size and it has a caisson. The later Albert Dock had a sliding gate, but there is no sign of this on the 1897 map and the two smaller docks to the north of the Victoria are not named, they are too small and they too have a caisson gate. So where is/was the Albert Dock? And the question still remains - was there a Victoria Shipbuilding Company in Passge West?
David

bladebrew · 19-04-2015 11:17pm

Ah right I thought the dockyard area was a lot bigger back in the 1800s, the part marked as mud slip I assumed that was an old dry dock just because of the shape,
I was thinking of museums as a source of more information but as you mention the Council may have more records, I'm not sure where to begin now but I will try look into it more next week!

DavidGD · 20-04-2015 9:51am

Good on yer blue - as they say down in Aussieland.
The principle question is whether there was a Victoria Shipbuilding Company in the 1870s, but an interesting sideline would be where was the Albert Dock?
David

DavidGD · 24-04-2015 7:45am

Using an 1897 map, I have marked the docks that existed then, on today's Google version. (Photo 931) Across the road from the Health Centre on Beach Road (Dock St in those days) was the 350ft main dry dock. Although not named on the old map, I believe this to be the Victoria Dock as it is the right size and it has a caisson. The later Albert Dock had a sliding gate, but there is no sign of this dock on the 1897 map and the two smaller docks to the north of the Victoria are not named, they are too small and they too have a caisson gate. So where is/was the Albert Dock? And the question still remains - was there a Victoria Shipbuilding Company in Passage West?
Simon was told that Cormorant is one of only three surviving ‘composite’ ships (ships with teak cladding on iron frames). He knew one of these is the Cutty Sark, but did not know the third. According to National Historic Ships UK, the three are Cutty Sark, The City of Adelaide (another clipper) and HMS Gannet (a sloop). Cutty Sark is permanently ‘docked’ at Greenwich; Adelaide has recently gone to Australia to be restored; and Gannet has been restored and is in Chatham. In truth these three have actually been described as ‘the only three surviving ocean-going composite ships’ and so Cormorant would not be included – although she did spend most of her working life out on the ‘ocean’ (well the Irish Sea anyway). Regular readers may remember my discovery of a Trinity House document which queried whether Cormorant, not being used in navigation, could rightly be registered as a ship. Invoking the Merchant Shipping Act of 1894 would classify Cormorant as a lighthouse, not as a ship. If so, she has to be the only composite lighthouse in existence!
I was wrong to say that Simon has not had time to do any work on the ship. He has started on the crumbling stern gunwale. The English oak has succumbed to age (and misuse?) in several places and has been patched (in several places) with concrete. So Simon has continued this cheap and cheerful method – erecting temporary shuttering on the outside of the hull and pouring concrete into the gaps (Photo 932). Unlike his predecessors, he has had the foresight to insert bolts into the concrete in order to fix whatever rails or seating he decides to install later (Photo 933)
What spurred him on to do such repairs I can only guess, but the sight of yet another vessel sunk at her moorings may have had something to do with it. You will remember the sad photo of Ena lying under a high tide recently. Well another one has done the same – right next to Simon’s boat (Photo 934). A sad sight and nobody seems to be doing anything about it. I don’t know what the problem is, or where, but she looks a nice little craft, when you can see her! (Photo 935) What a sad sight and nobody seems to care.
David

bladebrew · 24-04-2015 3:34pm

I can see how you can hit a brick wall with research on the ship!
I think you may be correct that Victoria shipbuilding company was a mistake as the docks were called Victoria dock,
This website has good information,
http://www.passagewestmonkstown.ie/royal-victoria-dockyard.asp

There are Archives in Cork, I am not sure where to begin looking for information though! They list most of their collections online as far as I can see,
http://www.corkarchives.ie

The Albert dock is mentioned as the "Albert twin dock" in this book, which appears to make sense as it seems to be 2 docks right beside each other above the larger Victoria dock, i know the size is off but it also mentions on the Passage west website that the Albert dock was extended into the river in 1919,
http://www.corkpastandpresent.ie/history/corkitstradecommerce/corkpresent/Pages_158_188.pdf
At the bottom of page 166, it mentions Queen Victoria opened the docks in 1832 but every other reference to this refers to her first visit in 1849

DavidGD · 24-04-2015 7:30pm

You are doing well Bladebrew!
I have visited the Passage West/Monkstown website, but did not read far enough (I lost interest at the turn of the century). Now I have revisited thanks to your prompting, I see that the Albert Dock was indeed extended, but only to 98m (320ft) and that was in 1919. However, the prize item was the statement that the Albert Dock was filled in in 1983. No wonder there is no trace on the Google view. I wonder when the Victoria Dock and those other two were filled.
Anyway, the Cork Archives are new to me. I don't find their website very helpful (I will try again tomorrow), but I will get in touch with the Archivist and see if he/she can guide us to the right collection(s).
David

The fate of Irish Lightships

Comments