The lightship station established in 1846 to warn of the proximity of the Helwick Sands.

Event and Historical Information:
During the night of 1 September 1908 a strong easterly gale back to a north westerly and increased in strength to the extent that the lightship was battered by tremendous seas. About 6am on the 2 September a wave smashed the mast and the lightship's lifeboat, and broached the cabin and forecastle. The lightship began to list badly. A passing steamship, LAWRENNY CASTLE, saw the distress signals and on arriving at Swansea telegraphed to the Tenby lifeboat. The Tenby lifeboat, WILLIAM AND MARY DEVEY, set out and rowed for 2.5 hours to reach the lightship and managed to get the lifeboat alongside to take off the captain Rees, two lamplighters and four seamen. The lifeboat then proceeded to Swansea and landed all safely. The next day it was towed back to Tenby. A new light vessel was placed on station (LV91) in 1927, to be replaced by LV14 after L91 was acquired by the Swansea Maritime and Industrial Museum in 1977. LV91 is now moored in South Docks, Swansea. LV14 was built in 1953 and stayed on station until 1980. It is now preserved in Roath Basin (see NPRN 305754) at Cardiff.

Sources include:
Historic Admiralty Chart OCB 1076-B8, published 12 October 1888, RCAHMW Digital Collections
Smith, G, 1991, Shipwrecks of the Bristol Channel, pg89-90

Maritime Officer, RCAHMW, January 2011