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.
David
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