Site Record

The first light vessel to be moored on station was LV 44 in December1869. In April 1896, the warnings to assist mariners in the vicinity comprised a light revolving at 36ft above the water and visible for 11 nautical miles, showing one red and two white faces at intervals of 20 seconds. The fog siren was sounded with two quick blasts every 2 minutes.

Event and Historical Information:
LV44 was built of teak, with a length of 32m, 7m beam and 2.28m draught. The vessel had an iron deck-house and it is believed that its iron mast, now removed, carried the first revolving lantern to be used on a British light-vessel. Since 1945, it has been used as a club-house by the Erith Yacht Club in Kent.

Sources include:
Hague, D B, 1994, Lighthouses of Wales, pg35
Historic Admiralty Chart 362, RCAHMW Digital Collections OCB 362-B2

RCAHMW. November 2010.