Irish Lightship Cormorant / Lady Dixon Chapter 5

Labourer - n., one who labours, (esp.) person doing for wages work needing strength or patience rather than skill;   Oxford Dictionary

Labourer - n.,  one who prefers a little light work to fit in around his social life and/or mood swings and is incapable of initiative or diligence or loyalty;  Real Life

Well I suppose there are good ones around but they are difficult to find!  But on to other things ......

On an historical note, we have been investigating the access into the remains of the main mast, which was reportedly hollow, with a ladder inside leading up to the lamp 27ft above deck. I thought I had found a clue when I spotted a 'handle' in a photograph of the mast I had taken when I was aboard a few weeks ago. I had not noticed the handle at the time.

When asked to investigate, Simon reported that there was no handle there and even sent a photograph showing a blank area.  Later on he examined my photograph and he saw what I had seen!  Another investigation revealed that what appeared to be a handle on the mast was in fact the edging of a panel on the bulkhead behind....

So we are left with the puzzle for now and the only clue we have is an odd shaped projection on the side of the mast which must have something to do with access surely .......

Other historical features include the stub of the mizzen mast

the bow anchor 'nostrils'  ....

and the mast support points, ventilation funnels, a door (non-functional), port-holes and the side canopies - all visible in this photo...

I am now engaged in a protracted exercise in proving (or disproving) that the photograph of Lady Dixon in the role of the Belfast Pilot Station is indeed Lady Dixon / Cormorant. The only size reference I have is a 6 ft (?) man standing in the bow area with his lower limbs hidden. So I am using the proportions of Cormorant i.e. comparing the width of the superstructure (12ft) with the distance from the main mast to the front of the superstructure (29ft). The Lady Dixon photo is taken at an angle so the first task is to work out from where the photograph was taken.

Without going into too much detail, I have to find a spot where the observed ratio between the chosen distances (marked in red and green below) is the same as the actual measurements from the ship. The fourth one I tried (D) is very close.  Next I have to see whether that ratio is the same in the Lady Dixon photo (above). It's very late, I will do that tomorrow!

But I am still wondering why the light, the bow and the stern are all different from the ship down in Hoo!!
David