Logbook

Logbook 2008

This "Logbook" will show you the news of this WebPages in 2008.

All older news can be reached over the below mentioned blue button on this page.

If you have any suggestions for additional subjects, please get in touch!
Click the bottle to send me an e-mail:

December 30th, 2008
Picture story of the Lightship Meeting 2008

This June a very special meeting took place, which was a first in maritime circles: The Meeting of the German Museum Lightships FEHMARNBELT, ELBE 1 and ELBE 3 from 19th to 22nd June 2008 at the Ueberseebruecke in Hamburg. We accompanied the lightship with the longest journey to the meeting and back - the lightship FEHMARNBELT from Luebeck. With a car the journey from Luebeck to Hamburg takes an hour - on the water the ship took three one day stages in each direction, plus three days in moored in Hamburg meant FEHMARNBELT was away from home for nine days. From a total of 3,500 pictures a picture story emerged, that can be found here.

December 23rd, 2008
Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas to all visitors and friends of my lightship web pages! Special thanks for everyone who has contributed to my webpages during 2008. It is so nice to know, that there are so many people still interested in lightships.

December 7th, 2008
News of the Overfalls lightship

This October the Overfalls lightship (LV 118/WAL 539) was towed from Lewes, DE, down to the Colonna Shipyard in Norfolk, VA, where she will undergo major renovations - especially to the hull. Earlier this week the ship was lifted and placed in dry dock. The process of restoring the hull has started. The lightship will stay at the wharf until April 2009. Meanwhile the most significant task for the Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation (OMMF) is the construction of a permanent berth on the Lewes canalfront for the lightship. They will not be able to bring the lightship home until that berth is completed. They are over half way to the $700,000 cost and welcome donations or ideas on fund raising.

December 6th, 2008
Did you know...

.... that there is someone in the United Stated who is specialized in custom designed cookie cutters? It is Frank Longmore of Frankencutters. So I asked Frank if he would do a lightship cutter for me - and of course he did. And here you can see what we did yesterday ;-)

September 5th, 2008
Australian lightship CLS 4 in Sydney open to the public at September 16th, 2008

The Australian lightship CLS 4 is part of the Australian National Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour in Sydney today. The museum is opening the lightship to the public at the 16th of September 2008 from 10 - 11:30 am.

Commonwealth Lightship 4, Carpentaria, was one of a series of four unmanned light ships built at Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney, in 1916-17 and originally fitted with an automatic acetylene light that switched itself on and off using a sunlight-operated valve. Carpentaria has warned mariners of hazards in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Breaksea Spit near Sandy Cape, Queensland, and in Bass Strait. Last used in 1983 it is painted in original Commonwealth Lighthouse Service colours. Join ANMM Fleet Manager Steven Adams for a talk about her history, view a short film on Australian Lighthouse Ships (The Galthering Flame) and then we will go on board for a closer look. Members only $15. Strictly limited numbers. Includes morning tea. Must be reasonably fit and agile due to the nature of the vessel.

Meet at Wharf 7 foyer.
Members Office: 02 9298 3644
Email: members@anmm.gov.au

( Reproduced from the Australian National Maritime Museum Website )

July 27th, 2008
Largest collection of Lightship-QSL-Cards

I was told, that the largest collection of Lightship-QSL-Cards is shown on my webpages. That makes me a little bit proud - so here are 8 new QSL-cards of lightships to make the collection larger.

June 16th, 2008
Lightship-Meeting in Hamburg

Next weekend an extra-special meeting is going to take place, never before seen in maritime preservation: The meeting of the German Museum Lightships FEHMARNBELT, ELBE 1 and ELBE 3 from the 19th to the 2nd of June 2008 at the Überseebrücke in Hamburg.
The complete program can be found here. I hope to meet you there.

June 6th, 2008
Lightvessel No. 18 to star in Hollywood movie

LV18 has returned to Harwich after starring in a new blockbuster film. Filming for the new Richard Curtis movie 'The Boat That Rocked' has been taking place in and around the Dorset harbour of Portland over the past 5 weeks. For more information please click here.

May 10th, 2008
What happened to "Lightship Ten"?

Today the English tug CHRISTINE towed the former Danish lightship no. X, which was used as restaurant ship "Lightship Ten" in London for the last years, through the Kiel Canal. Photos can be found here and here. If anyone of you knows more about the plans for the future of the lightship, I would be grateful for an e-mail.

April 4th, 2008
South Goodwin Lightship Tragedy 1954

On Saturday 27 November 1954, the South Goodwin Lightship LV 90 broke from her anchors in winds of over 80 mph and stranded on the Goodwin Sands off the east coast of Kent. There was only one survivor from the tragedy, Ronald Murton, who desperately hung on for eight hours awaiting rescue. Read more...

March 27th, 2008
US lightship VINEYARD sunk in hurricane 1944

During the big hurricane of 1944 the US lightship VINEYARD WLV73/WAL503 sunk while on station with loss of 12 crewmen. The wreck was never salvaged. Divers recovered the fog signal bell of the lightship in 1963, which is part of the US Lightship Memorial in New Bedford (USA) today.

March 22nd, 2008
The mystery of US lightship LV111/WAL533

Between 1923 and 1926 Bath Iron Works in Main built six lightships - one of them was the US lighthship LV 111/WAL533, which was at least stationed on the PORTLAND station before it was decommissioned in 1969. Following to US reports it was sold to a private owner than and sold to be scrapped in 1984. According to new informations it was sold to Uruguay in 1969 and used at the R.O.U. BANCO INGLES station until it stranded in 1973 and was scrapped then. Does anyone of you know more details?

March 20th, 2008
Danish Motorlightship no. II in Poland

In 2006 a tug from Poland towed the Danish Motorlightship no. II away from Copenhagen. Now it was spotted in a wharf in Gdansk in Poland. A wonderful photo can be seen here.

March 19th, 2008
New button at the Collector´s items

When I was asked, why I´d bought this single button, I said: "it was shining so bright", but the real reason is - "there is a lightship on the button". So the brandnew piece in my collection is a "Persian Gulf Lightship Service Button". And I hope to get more different lightship buttons for my jacket in the future.

March 8th, 2008
US lightship WLV 196

The former US lightship WLV196 disappeared for some years after being retired until it was spotted in Alaska in 2000 where it was used as berthing for loggers. It is painted white today and bears the name MARINE BIO RESEARCHER.

March 7th, 2008
Radio live from the radio-lightship LV 8 at sea!

Radio Waddenzee will be boardcasting from their radio lightship Jenni Baynton at sea for 3 days from May 1st to 3rd 2008. For this reason the lightship (which is the former English lightvessel no. 8) will leave its berth in Harlingen harbour (Netherlands) from Tuesday 29th April until Sunday 4th May, and will be anchored approximately 8 miles offshore in the Waddensea between Harlingen and Terschelling. Special offer for all interested people: The historic lifeboat JAVAZEE will take visitors out to the Jenni Baynton on Saturday 3rd May. You´ll than have the opportunity to visit the lightship for some hours and will be brought back to Harlingen afterwards. The price for this tour is 35 euros per person. For appointments please send an e-mail - see you on board!

March 5th, 2008
Swedish lightship VINGA for sale

The former Swedish lightship no 32 is the perfect ship for a lightship hotel. It is for sale in Stockholm/Sweden now. For more information please click here.

February 23rd, 2008
Good news from Douarenez!

The former English lightvessel no. 4, which today is part of the exihibition of the Port Musée in Douarenez in France, was towed away from the musuem and is now on the slipway to be painted below the waterline.

February 22nd, 2008
Mobile Lightship Exhibition for Hire

You'd have to be quirte mad to start up such a project:
The French Artist Râmine did it and spent several years assembling a mobile lightship exhibition (in French). You can read more about Batoexpo here.

February 13th, 2008
Fascinating lightship paintings

The French artist Râmine has a very special style to create his lightship paintings, which is a mix of reality and comic, painted on old newspapers, letters or on wood and metal. Please click here to read more about him and his works.

January 15th, 2008
New lightship book

If you want to know more about the lightships of the Mid-Atlantic, join the new book of Wayne Kirklin "Lightships - Floating Lighthouses of the Mid-Atlantic", which has just been published. Wayne will generously donate 100% of all book sale profits to the Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation (OMMF).

January 13th, 2008
English Lightvessel No. 89

The former English lightvessel No. 89 Lynn Well was already broken up in 1995. Can anyone of you help me with a photo from that times, when it was a pub in Bristol?

January 12th, 2008
Rare lightvessels

Unfortunately a ctive lightships can not very often be seen by lightshipfriends. But sometimes they have to leave their stations for overhaul :-) New in the list of preserved lightships are the English lightships: Lightvessel No. 9, Lightvessel No. 10 and Lightvessel No. 19, which are still in service for Trinity House.

January 6th, 2008
LV Spurn in Sharpness

Our friends Stan and Margret used the beautiful weather for a daytrip to Sharpness and took some photos of the former HCB lightvessel No. 14.

January 2nd, 2008
Lightship tower in Liverpool

Did you know, that the lightship tower in Albert Dock in Liverpool isn't actually part of a lightvessel, but is an artwork? Click here to read more about it.

January 1st, 2008
The Ghost Lightship

Do you know, which lightship was used for Dorothy Cross "Ghost ship" in 1999? It was the former Irish Lightvessel ALBATROSS. To learn more about her project, please click here.

January 1st, 2008
A very Happy New Year 2008 to all visitors and friends of my lightship webpages! I wish you a year full of wonderful lightshiping adventures.

Earlier Logbooks:

2007

2006

2005

4th Quarter 2004

3rd Quarter 2004

2nd Quarter 2004

1st Quarter 2004

December 30th, 2008	Picture story of the Lightship Meeting 2008 This June a very special meeting took place, which was a first in maritime circles: The Meeting of the German Museum Lightships FEHMARNBELT, ELBE 1 and ELBE 3 from 19th to 22nd June 2008 at the Ueberseebruecke in Hamburg. We accompanied the lightship with the longest journey to the meeting and back - the lightship FEHMARNBELT from Luebeck. With a car the journey from Luebeck to Hamburg takes an hour - on the water the ship took three one day stages in each direction, plus three days in moored in Hamburg meant FEHMARNBELT was away from home for nine days. From a total of 3,500 pictures a picture story emerged, that can be found here.
December 23rd, 2008	Christmas 2008 Merry Christmas to all visitors and friends of my lightship web pages! Special thanks for everyone who has contributed to my webpages during 2008. It is so nice to know, that there are so many people still interested in lightships.
December 7th, 2008	News of the Overfalls lightship This October the Overfalls lightship (LV 118/WAL 539) was towed from Lewes, DE, down to the Colonna Shipyard in Norfolk, VA, where she will undergo major renovations - especially to the hull. Earlier this week the ship was lifted and placed in dry dock. The process of restoring the hull has started. The lightship will stay at the wharf until April 2009. Meanwhile the most significant task for the Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation (OMMF) is the construction of a permanent berth on the Lewes canalfront for the lightship. They will not be able to bring the lightship home until that berth is completed. They are over half way to the $700,000 cost and welcome donations or ideas on fund raising.
December 6th, 2008	Did you know... .... that there is someone in the United Stated who is specialized in custom designed cookie cutters? It is Frank Longmore of Frankencutters. So I asked Frank if he would do a lightship cutter for me - and of course he did. And here you can see what we did yesterday ;-)
September 5th, 2008	Australian lightship CLS 4 in Sydney open to the public at September 16th, 2008 The Australian lightship CLS 4 is part of the Australian National Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour in Sydney today. The museum is opening the lightship to the public at the 16th of September 2008 from 10 - 11:30 am. Commonwealth Lightship 4, Carpentaria, was one of a series of four unmanned light ships built at Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney, in 1916-17 and originally fitted with an automatic acetylene light that switched itself on and off using a sunlight-operated valve. Carpentaria has warned mariners of hazards in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Breaksea Spit near Sandy Cape, Queensland, and in Bass Strait. Last used in 1983 it is painted in original Commonwealth Lighthouse Service colours. Join ANMM Fleet Manager Steven Adams for a talk about her history, view a short film on Australian Lighthouse Ships (The Galthering Flame) and then we will go on board for a closer look. Members only $15. Strictly limited numbers. Includes morning tea. Must be reasonably fit and agile due to the nature of the vessel. Meet at Wharf 7 foyer. Members Office: 02 9298 3644 Email: members@anmm.gov.au ( Reproduced from the Australian National Maritime Museum Website )
July 27th, 2008	Largest collection of Lightship-QSL-Cards I was told, that the largest collection of Lightship-QSL-Cards is shown on my webpages. That makes me a little bit proud - so here are 8 new QSL-cards of lightships to make the collection larger.
June 16th, 2008	Lightship-Meeting in Hamburg Next weekend an extra-special meeting is going to take place, never before seen in maritime preservation: The meeting of the German Museum Lightships FEHMARNBELT, ELBE 1 and ELBE 3 from the 19th to the 2nd of June 2008 at the Überseebrücke in Hamburg. The complete program can be found here. I hope to meet you there.
June 6th, 2008	Lightvessel No. 18 to star in Hollywood movie LV18 has returned to Harwich after starring in a new blockbuster film. Filming for the new Richard Curtis movie 'The Boat That Rocked' has been taking place in and around the Dorset harbour of Portland over the past 5 weeks. For more information please click here.
May 10th, 2008	What happened to "Lightship Ten"? Today the English tug CHRISTINE towed the former Danish lightship no. X, which was used as restaurant ship "Lightship Ten" in London for the last years, through the Kiel Canal. Photos can be found here and here. If anyone of you knows more about the plans for the future of the lightship, I would be grateful for an e-mail.
April 4th, 2008	South Goodwin Lightship Tragedy 1954 On Saturday 27 November 1954, the South Goodwin Lightship LV 90 broke from her anchors in winds of over 80 mph and stranded on the Goodwin Sands off the east coast of Kent. There was only one survivor from the tragedy, Ronald Murton, who desperately hung on for eight hours awaiting rescue. Read more...
March 27th, 2008	US lightship VINEYARD sunk in hurricane 1944 During the big hurricane of 1944 the US lightship VINEYARD WLV73/WAL503 sunk while on station with loss of 12 crewmen. The wreck was never salvaged. Divers recovered the fog signal bell of the lightship in 1963, which is part of the US Lightship Memorial in New Bedford (USA) today.
March 22nd, 2008	The mystery of US lightship LV111/WAL533 Between 1923 and 1926 Bath Iron Works in Main built six lightships - one of them was the US lighthship LV 111/WAL533, which was at least stationed on the PORTLAND station before it was decommissioned in 1969. Following to US reports it was sold to a private owner than and sold to be scrapped in 1984. According to new informations it was sold to Uruguay in 1969 and used at the R.O.U. BANCO INGLES station until it stranded in 1973 and was scrapped then. Does anyone of you know more details?
March 20th, 2008	Danish Motorlightship no. II in Poland In 2006 a tug from Poland towed the Danish Motorlightship no. II away from Copenhagen. Now it was spotted in a wharf in Gdansk in Poland. A wonderful photo can be seen here.
March 19th, 2008	New button at the Collector´s items When I was asked, why I´d bought this single button, I said: "it was shining so bright", but the real reason is - "there is a lightship on the button". So the brandnew piece in my collection is a "Persian Gulf Lightship Service Button". And I hope to get more different lightship buttons for my jacket in the future.
March 8th, 2008	US lightship WLV 196 The former US lightship WLV196 disappeared for some years after being retired until it was spotted in Alaska in 2000 where it was used as berthing for loggers. It is painted white today and bears the name MARINE BIO RESEARCHER.
March 7th, 2008	Radio live from the radio-lightship LV 8 at sea! Radio Waddenzee will be boardcasting from their radio lightship Jenni Baynton at sea for 3 days from May 1st to 3rd 2008. For this reason the lightship (which is the former English lightvessel no. 8) will leave its berth in Harlingen harbour (Netherlands) from Tuesday 29th April until Sunday 4th May, and will be anchored approximately 8 miles offshore in the Waddensea between Harlingen and Terschelling. Special offer for all interested people: The historic lifeboat JAVAZEE will take visitors out to the Jenni Baynton on Saturday 3rd May. You´ll than have the opportunity to visit the lightship for some hours and will be brought back to Harlingen afterwards. The price for this tour is 35 euros per person. For appointments please send an e-mail - see you on board!
March 5th, 2008	Swedish lightship VINGA for sale The former Swedish lightship no 32 is the perfect ship for a lightship hotel. It is for sale in Stockholm/Sweden now. For more information please click here.
February 23rd, 2008	Good news from Douarenez! The former English lightvessel no. 4, which today is part of the exihibition of the Port Musée in Douarenez in France, was towed away from the musuem and is now on the slipway to be painted below the waterline.
February 22nd, 2008	Mobile Lightship Exhibition for Hire You'd have to be quirte mad to start up such a project: The French Artist Râmine did it and spent several years assembling a mobile lightship exhibition (in French). You can read more about Batoexpo here.
February 13th, 2008	Fascinating lightship paintings The French artist Râmine has a very special style to create his lightship paintings, which is a mix of reality and comic, painted on old newspapers, letters or on wood and metal. Please click here to read more about him and his works.
January 15th, 2008	New lightship book If you want to know more about the lightships of the Mid-Atlantic, join the new book of Wayne Kirklin "Lightships - Floating Lighthouses of the Mid-Atlantic", which has just been published. Wayne will generously donate 100% of all book sale profits to the Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation (OMMF).
January 13th, 2008	English Lightvessel No. 89 The former English lightvessel No. 89 Lynn Well was already broken up in 1995. Can anyone of you help me with a photo from that times, when it was a pub in Bristol?
January 12th, 2008	Rare lightvessels Unfortunately a ctive lightships can not very often be seen by lightshipfriends. But sometimes they have to leave their stations for overhaul :-) New in the list of preserved lightships are the English lightships: Lightvessel No. 9, Lightvessel No. 10 and Lightvessel No. 19, which are still in service for Trinity House.
January 6th, 2008	LV Spurn in Sharpness Our friends Stan and Margret used the beautiful weather for a daytrip to Sharpness and took some photos of the former HCB lightvessel No. 14.
January 2nd, 2008	Lightship tower in Liverpool Did you know, that the lightship tower in Albert Dock in Liverpool isn't actually part of a lightvessel, but is an artwork? Click here to read more about it.
January 1st, 2008	The Ghost Lightship Do you know, which lightship was used for Dorothy Cross "Ghost ship" in 1999? It was the former Irish Lightvessel ALBATROSS. To learn more about her project, please click here.
January 1st, 2008	A very Happy New Year 2008 to all visitors and friends of my lightship webpages! I wish you a year full of wonderful lightshiping adventures.