The book, published in 1939 by the Humber Conservancy Board (s.p.b.s), highlights the Spurn Lightship as ‘the most modern lightship owned by the Board’ as it had been built in 1927. Today it survives and is moored in Hull Marina (see above!) and is soon to be a key element in Hull’s Maritime open-air museum.
Light ships, or light floats, were not sea-going vessels as such but were moored at key locations to act as aids to navigation. However, there was a crew, usually four men and master or mate, one room in the hold being the men’s cabin, another the master’s cabin. The crew’s shift would be for a number of days and nights on board. Whatever perils the crew faced they did not go hungry for, as Capt. Arthur Storey recorded, their basic rations were 1 and a half pounds of beef per day plus bread, flour and potatoes with occasional supplies of pea soup as an added bonus (p.43 + s.p.b.s).
‘Things that put years on you’ – yesterday went to Hull History Centre for 9-30am only to find that sometimes on a Thursday they don’t open until 10am, so decided to go and take a photo for this blog, only to find that it has been moved, so took the above photo anyway – only to find that it comes up on the blog sideways – these are some of the things that put years on you!
The Spurn Lightship was built in Goole and measured about 100 feet by 24 feet and with a draft of 10 feet. Like the Titanic the hull was divided into watertight compartments by sheet steel bulkheads, ‘She is practically unsinkable'(!). The central broad mast carried the lantern while the two wooden masts carried wireless aerials. The lantern was on a base which by a clever device remained level in the stormiest of conditions. Three types of fog signal could be produced: the foghorn, a wireless signal and a submarine signal(?).
(to be continued)