Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
The fate of Irish Lightships
Options
Comments
-
Not sure who Clarke Chapman is ........
Having solved the mystery of why, in the 1950s photo, Lady Dixon’s stern looked so different from that on Simon’s ship (the boat platform squared it off), I turned my attention to other mysteries. In that photo, the companionway at the bow seemed to be positioned against the starboard gunwale and faced across the boat,(Photo).....
.....whereas on Simon’s ship it is amidships and faces aft. (Do you notice how these nautical terms are now tripping off the tongue?)(Photo)
Anyway, the recently arrived plans have also solved this one. (Photo)
What we see in the 1950s photo is in fact a different structure which is shown on the plans containing a loo for the crew and a storeroom. The companionway is indeed amidships and so looking again at the 1950s photo, all becomes clear (I hope). (Photo)
Another mystery solved but yet another found. What is that projection at the bow? Does it point forward or sideways? An anchor or a boat station? Do please comment.
David0 -
Not sure who Clarke Chapman is ........
looks at the plans and you have a Clark Chapman winch on the bow, one of the few UK companies still going
love to know what engine she had0 -
Yes I see it now - on the stern, not the bow. It just says diesel driven but no name and there is no reference to it in the other paperwork.
David0 -
-
Yes I think that is the name of the winch. Who the Fug was after the make of the diesel engine I believe.
David0 -
Advertisement
-
-
Someone has suggested that the protrusion on the bow was indeed an anchor securing point and a similar protrusion can be seen on the old Albatross (Photo).
I agree, but of course the Albatross was a much later vessel and made of steel. Bolting on a protrusion would have been straightforward.
Cormorant's bow was more like that of the Gull (Photo), made of wood. So I had another look at the photos I took of Cormorant's bow and there is a substantial metal plate fixed onto the two large stanchions (Photo).
I did wonder when I took the photos what the plate was for and perhaps this is how they fixed that anchor extension onto the vessel. There is no sign of the extension now.
David0 -
Returning to the mystery of the main mast….
We did not know whether the mast extended below the lower deck, or ended on that deck. Now the plans show us that the mast goes right down to the bilges. There is an impressive supporting structure around the mast at the main deck level. The first photo is of this structure taken in Cormorant and viewed on the lower deck.
The second picture is from Gull (R.I.P.) and taken on the upper deck, where graffiti artists obviously plied their lonely, sad trade.
According to the various historical documents:-
“There were two openings in the mainmast, one below the deck and another on the level of the lantern when hoisted up. Inside the mast was a ladder which the lamplighters climbed to trim the lamps. Both openings were stiffened round the edges with wrought iron frames.”
“In this mast were two openings, one below the deck nearly on the fore side, and another on the level of the lantern when hoisted up. Inside the mast was a ladder, up which the men climbed to trim the light when it was mast-headed. The lower opening was 5 feet 3 inches high, and 1 foot 4 inches wide, and was of rectangular form…”
Well there is no evidence of any wrought iron frames anywhere on the remaining piece of mast that stretches between decks, although there are a number of ‘layers’ apparent. (Photo and diagram)
I think that when the original ‘hoist-able’ lamp was replaced by a fixed lamp with outside ladder access, the openings in the mast were welded up to improve strength.
On the plans we can see that one lamp operating procedure was to be carried out remotely and the mechanism for this includes a shaft which goes right through the mast. That steel projection which can be seen pointing towards the camera might well be the remains of a supporting bracket for the mechanism and the small circular hole just above it was the entry point for the shaft. (Mast Photos)
I have enhanced the mast in the side views to make it clearer.
I have yet to work out what this mechanism actually does. It seems to be a manual system, so it would not be anything to do with rotating the light. Perhaps it swivels the mirrors and directs and/or focuses the beam(s). Are there any experts out there?
David0 -
And the lantern end of that mechanism looks like this .....0
-
Well I had never heard of a Diaphone before! Why didn’t they call it a foghorn, which is what it is in form and function? Anyway, the plans revealed a ‘Diaphone Turret’ on the roof of the superstructure, just in front of the lantern mast. The structure is about 10ft tall overall and 5ft diameter. (Photo)
As it is called a turret, I assume that it rotates, although I am not sure why. It would explain the ‘MOTOR DRIVEN TURNING GEAR’ label inside the turret – assuming I have interpreted the rather indistinct third word correctly.
The Diaphone can be seen (just) in the 1950s photo of the Lady Dixon on station near Carrickfergus. (Photo)
I found a photo of an up-to-date version, which has the ‘deflector’ at the business end, although the noise-generating end has a 90° bend. (Photo)
The diaphone horn was based directly on the organ stop of the same name invented by Robert Hope-Jones creator of the Wurlitzer organ. Hope-Jones' design was based on a piston which was closed only at its bottom end and which had slots, perpendicular to its axis, cut through its sides; the slotted piston moved within a similarly slotted cylinder. (Photo)
Outside of the cylinder was a reservoir of high-pressure air. Initially, high-pressure air would be admitted behind the piston, pushing it forwards. When the slots of the piston aligned with those of the cylinder, air passed into the piston, making a sound and pushing the piston backwards to its starting position, whence the cycle would repeat. A modification of Hope-Jones' design was patented by John Pell Northey, who added a secondary compressed air supply to the piston in order to power it during both its forward and reverse strokes and thus create an even more powerful sound, which carried for miles. The entire horn apparatus was driven by a compressor.
There is unfortunately nothing remaining of this wonderful sea organ, but that is probably a good thing as the temptation to try it out would be overwhelming.0 -
Advertisement
-
There were many types of foghorn, each had a distinctive sound, so as the listener would know which signal he was hearing, in the absence of seeing it's unique lamp signal.
Roches point Light had one up to about 15 years ago when it was replaced with a Horn. Easy to spot on older charts, as it was marked as "Dia" after the light pattern. Made a fantastic sound, but unwise to stand too close when it was in operation. It had a giveaway "cough" at the end of the sound.
Portland still has one, purely for historic reasons.
http://youtu.be/-74YtxSHCjU0 -
Thanks for that Goldie. I must find one!
David0 -
Pursuing the Diaphone research, I joined the Gamewell Diaphone Forum. They seem mainly interested in the more modern train/truck horns, but I did get a helpful response from Jim of California – “I would guess from the drawing of the turret that the ship probably had a Type F or F 2T Diaphone. The vertical horn whose picture you found would have been omni-directional, hence the rotating turret might have been redundant (or perhaps for the lights)”. He does own one of these monsters, but in all the years he has been an enthusiast, he has never seen one for sale. So I don’t think we are going to be able to reinstate the capability!
Having guessed that the hole in the main mast was where the shaft of the light adjusting mechanism went through, it did not take Hercule Poirot to work out that there should be a corresponding hole on the opposite side. Simon investigated and not only found the hole in the mast, but also the hole in the bulkhead next to it. (Photo)
That hole goes right through the bulkhead, but the blueprints are not clear enough to determine whether the pulley operating the wires/ropes up to the light was in between the mast and the bulkhead, or on the outside of the bulkhead. (Photo)
Nor can I determine exactly what the wires/ropes do up there at the light. (Photo)
One other mystery to be solved – directly above where the main mechanism would have been are two pulley wheels set into the roof (sorry, deck). In that position they surely must have had something to do with the light mechanism? (Photo)
Meanwhile the damn, sorry damp weather is holding up progress. The main deck needs to be sealed and insulated, but is too wet most of the time. This causes condensation and damp below, so the spray-on insulation down there cannot be applied. Realistically I think that is it for the next few months until the warm weather returns, but Simon can get on with finishing the new kitchen and installing some efficient heating upstairs at least.0 -
Simon’s poor luck with his tradesmen continues. He thought he was having the odd bit of good fortune. Searching for some slate tiles for his new kitchen floor, he found 475 going for free in London. In addition, he was anxious to get rid of several large and very heavy sheets of rusty iron (old bulkheads?), which he could not manage on his own. A London scrap merchant agreed to come to Hoo and remove the sheets as a quid pro quo for collecting the tiles and bringing them to the ship. A good deal all round – but they didn’t turn up, so Simon had to go and get the tiles! On the other hand, Simon needs only 250 of those tiles and has still got the scrap for sale, so may well end up in profit!
Continuing my examination of the blueprints, I was interested to see that on the plan view of the galley the cooker is labelled ‘Aga’, while on the elevation it is labelled ‘Agha’. (Photo)
Accepting the first as the correct one, I contacted Aga and sent them a photo of the cooker, in the faint hope that they may still have some record of their 1940s products. They were extremely helpful and identified the cooker, not as an Aga, but as a Rayburn – a No3 Rayburn in fact. Not only that, they actually sent me a photocopy of a user’s handbook for that model and indicated that some parts may still be obtainable!(Photo)
Well with his new kitchen he does not need any more cooking appliances, but the words ‘all the hot water you need’ are very welcome. Besides the traditional background heat, this could supply a few radiators below deck. Mind you, moving 1.5cwt (75Kg) of fuel along that 400ft of causeway once a week ………
Although we accept that restoration as a lightship is out of the question, we are both determined to preserve anything that remains of the old Cormorant / Lady Dixon. So the Aga/Agha stays and I have been looking at the remains of the mizzen mast with its two booms.(Photo)
The anchor points of the two booms are still there, fore and aft of the mast, but there are also a number of other anchor/securing eyes close by, the purposes of which are not apparent. I have inserted a fake mizzen mast at the point it obviously emerged. (Photo)
Note also the temporary (nick) name plate hung there by a not-to-be-identified family member!
David0 -
Continuing my research into things historical, I have been looking at the rudder – or the remains thereof. Before I received the blueprints from the National Archives, I thought that the rudder may have been operated by a cranked lever which stayed outboard and followed the ship contours at the stern. That boat platform kicks that theory into touch I think. Although the elevation blueprint has no detail to offer, it does show a vertical beam, part of the rudder, which comes straight up through the deck.(Photo)
The plan blueprint just has a circle in the deck, but it is in just the right place, so I assume it is the same beam. (Photo)
Simon recalls that, when the stern was (re)plated, a large tube projected from below and had to be ‘flattened’. He reports that, behind the large metal clad stern post on the lower deck, there is a large tube which corresponds to what was above. So I believe the arrangement was as in the diagram. (Photo)
The metal tube (in black) is now sealed at the bottom with a plug/plate (in yellow) and there is no trace of the rudder. I assume the plug is there because the tube leaked. Looking under the stern is not easy (must try out the dinghy) but I can see some sort of plate just where I would expect to find a hole for that beam. (Photo)
Looking at the stern area on the lower deck, there is a very large beam and I assume this is the stern post. It looks noticeably wider than the post outside, but that may be due to a difference in perspective. There is a large metal plate covering the beam, but I am not about to remove it to see what is behind – it might be the Medway! This area on the blueprints is designated ‘Bosun’s Store’ and written on the stern post is the legend “Certified boatswains storeis 66/60 tons’. Not sure what ‘storeis’ is meant to mean!
Now going midships, I had thought that a rubberised ‘bucket’ on the roof of the cabin was just part of the ship’s equipment.However, a request to Simon to investigate resulted in a photograph of the entrance (exit?) hole for the missing main mast. (Photo)
The bucket may well be there to compensate for some poor roof sealing, but I have not yet worked out what that little mushroom thing is/was for. As this is just above the kitchen and bathroom areas, it may be/might have been a vent for either.
David0 -
Hoping to save myself a December crossing to Belfast, I asked a friend over there if he would be prepared to do some preliminary research at the Public Records Office (Northern Ireland) – known for short as PRONI. Within a very few days he visited PRONI, but unfortunately chose the week they were in update mode and had only a skeleton staff working! However he did elicit some information about Lady Dixon and, following up these leads, I now know that PRONI does indeed have some Lady D records. The first group are the Master’s Log Books from 1943 to 1956. Each volume covers 3 or 4 years and contains 455 pages! As an example:-
Log Book of the Pilot Masters A. P. Kennedy and J. Owens, Deputy Pilot Master D. Hunt, on duty in the Lt. V. Lady Dixon, with folio entries under the headings of Date, Name of Pilots, Vessels Boarded, Tons, Time, Weather and Remarks and Watches (ie names of men on duty on each watch).
The second group are records of wireless traffic between the Harbour Office and Lady D from 1947 to 1957. There are 80 pages. This is titled as follows:-
Wireless Messages Sent and Received Between the Pilot Light Vessel Lady Dixon and the Harbour Office. Record of messages under headings of Date, Time, No., From, To, Message and Charge. Messages usually queries as regards time of arrival, weather conditions, docking instructions.
Now I cannot see myself copying three log book volumes of 455 pages each, nor 80 pages of wireless traffic. However, I think a few pages of each, bound in a posh cover, would be nice to have. Simon has also suggested we (i.e. I) should go through the log books and make a list of every man who served aboard from 1943 to 1956. My friend in NI has offered to accommodate me if I want to do any research over there, but I don’t think he realises how long Simon’s idea would take!
Meanwhile, back to mundane matters. The whole deck is now sealed with a combination of bitumen and rust proofing. The small area of teak decking at the bow, which we hoped to preserve, was too far gone and had to be removed. (Photo) This of course exposed bolt holes etc and these needed filling before the primer went on. (Photo)
The primer, applied with a dustpan and brush type of brush, needed a dry deck and some parts were obstinately damp. They had to be dried with a blow-torch (it is not the time of year to be waiting for a run of fine days!) and this took some time. The deck is now ready for the full process I described in an earlier post and meanwhile it is at least rain proof. (Photo)
David0 -
Now come on all you naval types, solve a couple of puzzles for this landlubber.
1. We found in the Bosun’s Store (identified on the blueprints) the caption “Certified boatswains storeis 66/60 tons’. Ignoring the odd ‘storeis’, which might be something else because that area is rather corroded, the ‘66/60 tons’ is puzzling. It cannot refer to weight surely? That is a lot of stores! The maritime translation is, I gather, one ton equals 100 cu ft. But this would mean the Bosun had some 6,600 cu ft of space down there at the stern, which is half the total space! From the blueprints the floor area is about 20 sq ft and the height is about 7.5 ft – some 150 cu ft. This is outlined in the photo. So, what is the answer?
2. Printed on a bulkhead on the lower deck is the legend “BEAM END 11 (if I read it correctly). This is in the middle area of the ship (Photo), but I thought ‘beam end’ referred to the outside shell of the ship – hence the term ‘on your beam end’. Any ideas?
And to end with good news, the second picture window in the new kitchen is now installed. (Photo) It does need painting. This definitely improves the temperature in there. The plastering and finishing can soon commence – probably in the New Year – and those 250 tiles can go down.0 -
Well done Harry Gibbon, who directed me to the Merchant Shipping Act of 1894. I have extracted the relevant bits from what is a huge tome....
Deductions for ascertaining tonnage.
In measuring or re-measuring a ship for the purpose of ascertaining her register tonnage, the following deductions shall be made from the space included in the measurement of the tonnage, namely:—
(i) any space used exclusively for the accommodation of the master; and any space occupied by seamen or apprentices and appropriated to their use, which is certified under the regulations scheduled to this Act with regard thereto.
(ii) any space used exclusively for the working of the helm, the capstan, and the anchor gear, or for keeping the chart, signals, and other instruments of navigation, and boatswains stores;
There must be permanently marked in or over every such space a notice stating the purpose to which it is to be applied, and that whilst so applied it is to be deducted from the tonnage of the ship:
The 66/60 therefore refers to the allowed deduction, not the actual.0 -
A Happy New Year to all our readers!
Things have slowed down somewhat over the Christmas period – not helped by the appalling weather. The ship has travelled a great deal during these few weeks, albeit in a vertical direction. One high tide got within a few inches of the log store on the causeway (Photo).
Getting Molly the dog up onto the elevated gangplank and then down the steep slope onto the causeway, takes quite an effort. The gangplank normally slopes gently upwards from the ship. (Photo)
Once on the causeway Molly has to be ‘transported’ to dry land because the causeway is made of metal grid – sore on the paws. Still, she is quite used to the journey now! (Photo)
On the historic front, Simon has unearthed the remains of a short ladder, which we suspect was one of those used by the crew to get to the upper bunks. It is in reasonable condition, apart from missing rungs.
The condensation down below continues to be a problem (Photo). I fear it will have to remain so until the Spring brings warmer and drier weather. Then the deck can be insulated and finished. The combination of better weather and insulation should allow things to dry out below, then everything down there can be foam sprayed and shuttered, allowing the major structural work to begin.
Meanwhile I have found a wonderfully evocative and appropriate oil painting by Andrew Kennedy which depicts a cutter in full sail passing the South Goodwin Lightship, which must look a lot like Simon’s ship in her prime.
David0 -
[QUOTE=DavidGD;88328695
Meanwhile I have found a wonderfully evocative and appropriate oil painting by Andrew Kennedy which depicts a cutter in full sail passing the South Goodwin Lightship, which must look a lot like Simon’s ship in her prime.
David[/QUOTE]
Any progress, even slow, is a move in the right direction. Keep it up!
The ship in the painting is not a cutter, she looks more like a barque, the mizen being fore&aft rigged?0 -
Advertisement
-
Hi Pedro
I wouldn't know which was the mizzen or how to tell which way it is rigged, but I will take your word for it! Thanks for putting me right.
David0 -
I have just returned from spending two days with Simon aboard Cormorant / Lady Dixon / The Beast / The Lightship. I suppose the official name is ‘The Lightship’ as it is now registered with that name at National Historic Ships UK. A few days before I left home Simon reported that the kitchen ceiling was bugging him, as it had been rather badly plaster-boarded and bulged in waves down the length of the kitchen. So he took it all down again (Photo). He discovered large areas under there which had no insulating boards fitted. I wonder if that graffiti is original!
By the time I arrived all was well again and the plasterer has been booked to finish the job (Photo).
Wearing my historical research hat (one way of avoiding too much labouring!), I went over the ship with arc-lights and camera. My first investigation was the mast and the light operating mechanism I reported in an earlier post. I wanted to confirm the positioning of the shaft through the mast and sure enough it all lined up (Photo).
In addition, where that shaft emerged on the far side of the bulkhead on the left, the blueprints showed a pulley wheel with two wires going aloft through the roof / ceiling / overhead and sure enough there are two holes in exactly the expected spot (Photo).
I was rather saddened to find the remains of the mizzen mast, but at least it was being put to good use – keeping the ship away from the causeway (Photo). A neighbouring boat owner remembers it being cut down years ago because it was becoming dangerously rotten.
At least the riding lamp (is that the right terminology?) which is about 3ft in diameter, used to fit around the mizzen and be hauled up and down, is still aboard and reasonably intact. That and the other artefacts deserve a blog of their own, so watch this space.
David0 -
My two day stay aboard Lightship gave me the opportunity to record a number of ‘historical artifacts’, although dating them is not easy. The ship was built in 1878, but was extensively refurbished when Belfast Harbour bought her from the Commissioners of Irish Lights in 1943.
There were three brass double wall lights with bayonet holding bulbs and a pull-string on/off switch. The former was not invented until late in the 19th century and I doubt whether the latter appeared before WWI, so I assume they were part of the refurbishment. (Photo)
The second gem was also in brass and at first I thought it was a standard lamp, but I could see no electrical fittings and my guess now is that it was a hat/coat stand. Unfortunately it is not complete - one of the fish shaped feet; one of the elaborate top hooks; and the central pole are all missing. (Photo)
The real prize is the riding light (if that is the correct term) which is nearly three foot in diameter, with a 1ft channel in the centre. (Photos)
It splits in half to allow it to be wrapped around the mizzen mast and hoisted aloft by means of the four eyes on the top. This is an electric device and one of the bayonet bulb fittings is visible in both photos.
Simon intends to restore this and have it suspended above his dining table. Not for him an ordinary chandelier! However, the restoration of the dining room comes first! (Photo)
David0 -
I did not return from my visit to the ship empty handed. Simon gave me some homework to do. About 9 inches of the base of both ventilation funnels had rusted away in spite of being galvanised and some rust holes remained even on the main part of the funnel. (Photo)
The rusty part was cut away and two tubes manufactured out of 1mm galvanised sheet. The little blue car you can just see in the photo is my Austin 7 and the chap who sold me the sheet turned out to be an old car enthusiast. He was so enamoured of the car that he cut the two bits I needed out of a new sheet, rolled them into the tube shape required and charged me only £20. The deal is that, if and when I sell the car, I have to give him first refusal! The new tubes were welded onto the cleaned-up main parts and all bare metal and weld given a coat of zinc-rich primer. (Photo)
Everything will be given two coats of ‘High Build Vinyl’ in a biscuit colour to match the original colour – less some of the fading. We do not want the dreaded rust to take hold again. Simon wants the interiors to be pillar-box red. I will leave that to him.
Meanwhile, back on the historical front, the original cabin door does in fact open (we thought it was sealed) and has its own little artefact – a porthole. (Photos).
Ignore the modern coat hooks; I am sure we can find more appropriate ones! And we shall have to find a wing nut for the porthole as well.
Finally there is one surviving ‘Deck Light’ which is not the switch on/off type, but thick glass blocks set into a brass holder. (Photo)
This allowed natural light to get through to the lower deck. It is only about 9 inches long, so not much light would be getting through! The maker’s name is HAYWARD and the other inscription is PATENT. Simon is installing his own 3 ft long versions as you will have seen in an earlier post.
David0 -
Having failed to find a copy anywhere of "Light Vessels of the United Kingdom and Ireland", I did find the author Philip Simons. He very kindly photocopied two Cormorant-related pages from his copy of the book and this included a photograph we have not seen before - the ship moored where she is now, in Whitton Marina, Hoo in 1997 - taken by the then owner Terry Middleton. The mizzen is still in place and at the top are two objects which look very much like the riding light I featured in my 14 Jan post. (Photo)
The other photo from Philip was one I featured some time ago when she was moored in Sittingbourne in 1991 and was in much better condition. That was taken by J.M.Anderiesse, although she was owned at that time by Charles Reece. (Photo)
I would love to find Charles, Terry, or JMA to see if they have any other photos or information!
David0 -
I have identified a fresh water tank under the deck of the lower deck – or in English, under the floor of the lower level! (Photo) There are/ were 16 of these containing a total of 30 tons of water. Considering that I stuck my hand (holding my camera) through a hole in the deck, this is not a bad photo!
Another structural photo taken on my trip was of the bow hawspipes (that’s better nauticalese) alongside the companionway. (Photo)
There are a lot of pretty sizeable nuts to be found around the vessel, some are a very pretty colour! (Photo)
Now it is puzzle corner. There are several objects fixed around the superstructure that I can only describe as ‘double horns’. Are they ventilation, lighting, tannoy or what? (Photo).
And there is a 2ft ‘post’ fixed right at the edge of the stern, with a cap on top. Ventilation?
No prizes for the right answers, but it would be nice to know!
David0 -
I made a mistake when talking about the water tanks. The plans indicate that there are 4 tanks aft and 4 forward and the caption says 'port & starboard', so 16 tanks altogether. The aft caption says '8 tons total' and the forward caption says '7 tons total'. (Photo) I added together two lots of each, making 30 tons. It should be 15 tons.
To check this I avoided taking 'tons' literally because it should be 1 ton equals 100 cu ft. This gives a total of 1,500 cu ft and as the side elevation of the tanks is 108 sq ft, the width (which cannot be seen on the blueprints) must be just under 14 ft, i.e. 7 ft per tank, which makes sense given the width of the ship at this point being about 16 ft.
While I am at it, I can report that the rusty, truncated ventilation funnels are now restored and looking very smart (if I say so myself!). (Photos)
Painting inside these funnels was rather tricky and my hair, which has been silver for a few years, now has small patches of grey, biscuit and red. My wife refuses to cut these out, so I have to wear a cap in public – which I should have worn while painting! (No photo)
David0 -
Delving into the stern recess and taking away some rotting wood, the rudder tube was exposed. The uneven top is the result of hammering it down so that the new aft deck plating could be installed. I have included a ‘key’ so that the various bits can be identified. (Photos)
Some more history. Lego Legere put me on to a bit of European legislation from 1966, designed to curb the activities of pirate radio stations. Lady Dixon was destined to be ‘Great Britain OK’ (probably ‘OK Radio’ for short) and is specifically mentioned, along with more famous stations like Radio Caroline etc. The document is in French – I hope my translation is accurate …..
“The Suppression of the broadcasts by stations outside national territories. - National legislation and European Agreement. 1966
Great Britain OK has a radius of action covering the French and British coasts. It emits a wavelength already in use by stations in Stockholm, Spain and the Soviet Union. The station is installed on a vessel, the 'Lady Dixon', off the coast in the mouth of the River Thames”.
Of course Lady Dixon never made it out to her intended position as Customs & Excise seized all the radio equipment before she could be moved there. Spoil sports!
Amongst the documentation from the National Archives was a 1944 minute confirming that Cormorant had been registered as Lady Dixon (Photo).
The word ship is not used. There was a discussion going on about whether a vessel ‘not used in navigation’ could be called a ship. According to the Merchant Shipping Act of 1894, Cormorant was a lighthouse!
This was eventually fudged by allowing Lady Dixon to be registered as a ship so long as this did not imply that the matter was resolved. (Photo)
Other discussions concerned the use of the Pilots’ toilets by officers of the crew, and whether Belfast surveyors could claim special allowances if travelling to Dublin could be classified as ‘going abroad’.
Plus ça change.
David0 -
Well the progress may be slow, but it is progress. The kitchen was a cramped area in the middle of the superstructure (Photo) and although still needing some finishing touches, the new kitchen looks very smart indeed. (Photo).
Access to the lower regions has also been very much improved from the steep companionway at the bow (Photo).
He now has a very elegant spiral staircase amidships. (Photos). Again, finishing touches still needed but considering Simon bought the staircase (in a dismantled state) while he was still negotiating to purchase the ship, he made a good decision. The companionway will be retained as an emergency exit.
Now, what's next?
David0 -
Advertisement
-
I have found another possibly interesting document in the National Archives. The trouble is that search results have but a very brief description of content. My latest find is dated 1912 and states :-
“Board of Trade Harbour Department: Correspondence and Papers. Lights.
Sanction for expenditure by the Commissioners of Irish Lights for the provision of portable fire extinguishers at each lighthouse and lightship under their jurisdiction.”
The document is 29 pages long, costs £29 to copy and may contain only a mention of Cormorant as one of the many lightships and lighthouses to receive a portable fire extinguisher. However, the last two batches have been absolute gems, so I am taking a risk and ordering this one. I suppose the best way to proceed in an ideal world would be to go to the National Archives and examine what is on offer, but Kew is over 200 miles away. I think that will be all paper-wise until I can get over to the Public Record Office in Belfast to have a look at the Masters’ Logs and Crew Lists for Cormorant. At least I know what I am going to see.
I am on the trail of a contemporary Diaphone fog-horn, but unfortunately, even if I get it, the working parts are missing. If anyone knows where I might find some ……….
Two other small artefacts are still in situ – the side door in the superstructure has a brass handle matching the little porthole I mentioned in an earlier post and the bow companionway door has a quaint little handle which must date from at least the 1943 refurbishment. (Photos)
Meanwhile Simon is painting the kitchen a very nice shade of grey. He was about to reinstate the skylight (Photos) but a sheet of toughened glass turned out to be not so tough!
I know he’s my son, but I have to say he has been very resilient in the face of some pretty low blows from Fate!
David0
Advertisement