South Arklow Lightship - Sinking in 1917 - help needed!

Del.Monte

I'm in the process of commissioning a painting of the sinking of the lightship "Guillemot" while in use on the South Arklow station in 1917. I have all the information I need, including suitable photographs of the German submarine involved but I'm confused over the identity of the lightship. I have only two photographs of South Arklow lightships - below - but which of them is the "Guillemot"? Any experts out there? Thanks in advance.

Mefistofelino

I know nothing about lightships (other than being fascinated by the thread here by a poster who was helping his son restore one as a houseboat). However...

According to Wiki, the Guillemot was built by Allsup & Sons in Preston in 1894, along with a sister ship the Shearwater. These are photos taken in c1894 at the shipyards of a lightship believed to be one or the other. Assuming Allsups didn't build identically dimensioned ships but with different configurations, it seems as if your photo is of the Guillemot which was sunk.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rpsmithbarney/16940945479/in/photostream/




The painting looks like the replacement Guillemot (1923) which was a museum for several years in Kilmore Quay, before being scrapped in 2012

Del.Monte

This snippet from "The Beam", magazine of the Commissioners of Irish Lights, has me thinking that the painting correctly shows the lightship that was sunk.

Mefistofelino

Perhaps they're both correct? The photo could be of the Guillemot as originally commissioned, with a hoisted lantern. The painting then shows the reconfigured version with the fixed latern. (The report from the Beam doesn't mention when it was changed.)

This shows the "Puffin" that sank at the Daunt Rock - it has the lantern lowered, similar to the Guillemot photo.

Tabnabs

Be worth a talk to the folks in https://www.irishlights.ie/ as it was their ship. They have a modest museum of their own too, so there must be someone acting as a curator?