LIGHTSHIP CORMORANT / LADY DIXON Chapter 36

How embarrassing! Lego Legere very kindly commented on Chapters 28 and 31 with very useful leads about deck lights and pirate radio stations. I have not been checking to see if any comments are left (well I am rather new to this blogging lark) and the system did not alert me to the comments until this week – nearly 8 weeks after the first one!  Sorry Lego.

I followed up both leads and found the Chapter 31 reference was an article in Dutch!   Hans Knot set out a history of UK pirate radio stations – ‘zeezenders’. If my translating machine is correct, the Voice of Slough was going to be the first. On 10th October 1961 in The Times reported the arrival of a British offshore radio. The newspaper reported that the 42-year-old journalist, John Thompson from Slough, was planning to set up his own radio station. Thompson told the journalist that he had available a 70-ton motor boat with a length of 65 feet, previously used as a fishing boat. The planned anchorage would be in the vicinity of the light ship The Nore , about three miles off the coast at Southend.  The broadcasts would have a power of 1 kW on a frequency of 980 kHz. The launch date was set for 1 December 1961. There were several delays and eventually the main financier, the Canadian Arnold Swanson, abandoned the project and committed to a similar project, that he would call GBOK (Great Britain OK). He bought a former 91 feet long and 570 tons Irish light ship - . the Lady Dixon (recognise that name?). As well as being a radio station, the Lady Dixon would also function as a light ship. A logo was designed (Photo) but troubles lay ahead.

The other lead from Lego was a newspaper archive site www.newspapers.com and there I turned up an article from the Hobbs Daily News (Hobbs is in New Mexico), dated 29 March 1962. (Photo) The same story also ran in the Kansas City Star.

Basically the story was about Lady Dixon having a sticky time with mud and officialdom. Swanson maintained that he still hoped to be broadcasting by the end of the month. However, even though two tugs managed to free the ship from the mud’s embrace, the UK Government and the BBC were unhappy over GBOK.  Swanson’s application for a ship-to-shore radio telephone license was refused and eventually all the radio equipment was seized. The venture collapsed. She might have been a contender to be the first pirate radio ship in the UK, but never made it.

David

LIGHTSHIP CORMORANT / LADY DIXON - Chapter 35

More gems from the National Archives. On the 4^th of  October 1910 the Irish Lights Office (ILO) asked the Board of Trade (BoT) to agree to the purchase of 16 fire extinguishers for use on their light vessels, at a total cost of £54 (£4,500 in today’s money). Presumably therefore there were 16 light vessels being operated by the ILO in 1910. The letter, signed by Mr H. Cook, the ILO Secretary, was couched in charming, Victorian language (Photo).

Three officials at the BoT agreed to sanction this expenditure, but one awkward chap in F Dept stuck his oar in saying that the Trinity House lightships (about 60 of them) did not have these extinguishers and that, “ …having investigated the specifications for the Irish lightships, I see that it provides for water tanks and various pumps (including fire engine pump and hose) for flooding and washing. Should we not ask what provision is made at present and why it is considered inadequate?”

So, on 10 October, the BoT asked the ILO for details of existing provision and reasons why that provision was considered inadequate. On 4 November the ILO’s Mr Cook replied “I am directed to state, for the information of the Board of Trade, that the wood light vessels are fitted with portable 3” fire pumps of Messrs Stone’s manufacture, with hose long enough to reach any part of the vessel. In the steel, wood-sheathed and iron ships, in addition to the portable 3” fire pumps, there is in each vessel a 6” Stone’s pump of the Downton type with sea cock connection and hose, fire buckets also are borne in each vessel”.

Unfortunately Mr Cook did not elaborate on the second part of the BoT’s query (reasons why this provision was inadequate) and merely stated that the Commissioners considered that it would be advisable to supplement these appliances with a suitable patent Fire Extinguisher.

The BoT then sought ‘professional’ advice by asking a Capt Monro for his opinion. The good Captain thought the proposal ‘quite reasonable’, but then hedged his bets. (Photo).

The killjoy from F Dept then stuck in another oar saying there was no record of any fire on board a light vessel and recommended asking Trinity House for their opinion.

On 23 November Trinity House reported on the observations of the Elder Brethren (sic),  saying that the provision on their light vessels was ‘regarded as sufficient for the purpose’ and went on to say that their appliances were practically the same as those on the Irish light vessels. Mr F Dept leapt in gleefully, saying that Trinity House had four times as many lightships as the ILO.  I think he went rather over the top by suggesting that extra fire extinguishers were not needed as the Irish lightships were stationed near the coast and were provided with life boats‼ (Photo)

 And so on 1 December 1910 the BoT informed the ILO the expenditure was not sanctioned.  There it rested until two years later when the ILO had another go. On 7 August 1912 the new Secretary of the ILO, Mr J Philps, wrote “I am directed by the Commissioners of Irish Lights to state that they are convinced of the importance of furnishing lighthouses and lightships with efficient fire appliances…..”.  Notice that lighthouses have crept in alongside lightships and the requested expenditure shot up to £278 (£19,000 today). 

The Elder Brethren at Trinity House were again consulted and replied listing the provision of Chemical Fire Extinguishers at their 70 lighthouses – the list shows the name of the lighthouse; the number of extinguishers at each; and the location of each extinguisher (in the lamp room, the tower base, the dwelling or ‘other’). No lightships were listed and TH recommended that the ILO should state their reasons if they wanted provision on their lightships. However their letter concluded with the words “… should they consider further safeguards necessary on board their lightships, a portable Chemical Fire Extinguisher would perhaps best meet their needs”.

There seemed to be a softening of the BoT approach and the expenditure on the Irish lighthouses was approved, but F Dept was still muttering in the background against the lightships. On 5 October the ILO was again invited to state why they thought current provision was inadequate. On 8 October the ILO responded, but without any justification apart from saying they considered the supply of these fire extinguishers ‘absolutely necessary’. The reaction in the BoT was negative all the way up the food chain until the memos reached a Mr Robertson on 25 October. Swimming against the tide (Tide? What tide?) he merely opinoned that the request should be grants (Photo)

He must have been fairly senior as there was no more dissent, not even from F Dept, and the ILO were given sanction to spend the extra £40 :10s on 28 October 1912.  Pity they did not go straight to Mr Robertson in October 1910.

David

LIGHTSHIP CORMORANT / LADY DIXON - Chapter 34

It’s time for the last big job in the kitchen – the floor. Not a straight forward job either – the previous owner did not make a terribly good job of the basic floor covering and there is the complication of a trap door next to the spiral staircase which has to open if any large objects are to be sent down or brought up. So instead of the usual tile-laying technique – start at a straight wall and work across – Simon has to start on the trap door and go both ways so that the trap door (when closed!) is as inconspicuous as possible (Photo). The trap door incidentally is the old bathroom door, which was not a good fit and needed to be replaced. Waste not, want not!

The other bit of the deck which needs attention is the spiral staircase hole. (Photo)  

This was rectangular and encompassed what is now the above-mentioned trapdoor. It has been reshaped to accommodate the staircase and the edges need some trim. The car enthusiast I mentioned in my post of 18 January, is being very helpful again and is producing strips of 0.9mm galvanised steel to cover the edges all the way round.

Meanwhile, outside, the large vessel that was moored at the end of the catwalk has been taken elsewhere and so Simon has an uninterrupted view over the bow of the Medway Estuary. (Photo)

 Hopefully the two vessels moored ‘temporarily’ alongside Simon, will now be moved and he will then also have a lovely view from his kitchen window as he does the dishes! Perhaps that double rainbow is a presage of better things to come?

David

LIGHTSHIP CORMORANT / LADY DIXON - Chapter 33

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 ... (Photo)

...and the bow companionway door has a quaint little handle which must date from at least the 1943 refurbishment. (Photo)

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!

David

LIGHTSHIP CORMORANT / LADY DIXON - Chapter 32

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?
David