Logbook

Logbook 2009

This "Logbook" will show you the news of this WebPages in 2009.

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 29th, 2009
The winners of the Lighship Advent Calendar 2009

For this year the Lightship Advent Calendar remains closed. Thank you very much to all who played. Here are the winners and their prizes!

December 23rd, 2009
Christmas 2009

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.

November 27th, 2009
A logo for the Lightship-Advent-Calendar

I am very happy today, because the Lightship-Advent-Calendar has got it´s own logo - drawn by the artist Râmine from Brest.

His style is a mixture of comic and his own ideas. He paints with acrylic colour on old newspapers, letters and sea maps, however, also on wood or metal and not only lightships, but also lighthouses and other maritime things. If you would like to see more of him, please visit his website www.ramine.com.

November 24th, 2009
Lightship Advent Calendar

From next Tuesday (01.12.2009), you will find a virtual Lightship Advent Calendar on my web pages. 24 lightship questions are waiting to be answered up to the 24.12.2009. Test your knowledge about lightships and have fun - at the end nice prizes can be won of course. I look forward to many players and many correct solutions : -)

November 21st, 2009
New QSL-cards

I am very proud to have 5 new QSL-cards of lightships in my collection. Please click here to see them.

November 5th, 2009
Nantucket Lightship LV 112 sold

LV 112 Nantucket is the largest lightship ever built in die United States. After plans failed to establish a museum on the Staten Island waterfront, Jerry Roberts, a board member of the National Lighthouse Museum, and Robert Mannino Jr., head of the United States Lightship Museum, signed transfer papers for the lightship on October 20th, 2009. The group will move the lightship to Boston, where it will be restored.

November 1st, 2009
Former English lightvessel opens as restaurant in Rotterdam

The former Trinity House lightvessel no. 11 will be reopened as restaurant TINTO in the Wijnhaven of Rotterdam today. Unfortunately we are not able to be there, but if someone of you will visit the new restaurant, I would be grateful for some photos.

July 31st, 2009
English Lightvessel LV 21 for sale

Trinity House offers LV21 for sale. It is currently moored at Trinity House Depot in Swansea. And if one of you will be the winning bidder, I would be grateful for an e-mail.

July 3rd, 2009
Another 2 special cancellations with lightships

For the occasion of the 25th birthday of the lightship assiciation "Feuerschiff für Lübeck e.V." a special cancellation with the lantern of the German lightship FEHMARNBELT will be issued on the 22nd of August 2009.

For the occasion of the 100th birthday of the German museumlightship ELBE 3 (Bürgermeister Abendroth) a special cancellation will be issued on the 12th of September 2009.

June 22nd, 209
Brandnew coin with a lightship

On 27 May 2009 Danmarks Nationalbank issued a new 20-krone coin with lightship XVII on its backside. The coin is of aluminium bronze and has a diameter of 27 mm, a weight of 9.3 g and a thickness of 2,35 mm. In addition to the 1.2 million ordinary circulation coins a very limited number of only 1,500 collectors coins have been minted in the very fine proof quality. A picture of the coin can be found here.

May 31st, 2009
Repairs completed!

Today the Overfalls lightship returned back home to Lewes in Delaware after six months of repairs at Colonna's Shipyard in Norfolk today. The new slip is not yet completed, but nevertheless the Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation has decided to bring the lightship back home and open her for the summer season. A wonderful idea to collect more money for the new slip.

May 6th, 2009
Collection of lightships in a bottle for sale

If you are interested in lightships in a bottle, than you should have a look at this very rare collection of English lightship modells in old whisky bottles. In my opinion it is a dream, which is for sale now.

April 22nd, 2009
More collector´s items

Today a new stamp with a lightship was added to my collector´s items page.

April 20th, 2009
LV11 will be towed to the wharf

For over 10 years the former English lightvessel no. 11 is berthed in the Wijnhaven in the heart of Rotterdam now. In This time the new owners are restoring the lightship so that it can be reopened as a restaurant in summer 2009 again. But first the lightship will be towed from Rotterdam over the Maas to the Van Grevenstein´s Scheepsverf in Krimpen aan de Lek for a paintjob on the outside at the 23rd of April 2009. Approx. four weeks later it will return back to Rotterdam.

Photos of the towing at April 23rd, 2009 can be found here. Thanks to Peter Kouwenhoven for sharing.

April 3rd, 2009
Life Aboard The English Lightvessels

Have I ever told you, how interesting my lightship hobby is? It is sometimes like searching a family tree, but it is a fantastic hobby. One of the best things hapened to me some month ago. I received an e-mail from a lightshipman, who served on different English lightvessels. And he told me two very different stories about the life on a lightship and allowed me to use them for my webpages. Believe me, it was not only fun serving on a lightship - read the stories (here and here) and you´ll see, what I mean...

Thanks Brian for sharing your memories with us.

March 19th, 2009
Visit Radio Waddenzees lightship at sea

Interested people can visit the former English lightvessel No. 8, which is the radioship Jenni Baynton today, while Radio Waddenzee will be boardcasting from sea for 2 days from May 23rd to 24th, 2009. For this reason the lightship will be anchored near Gried/Netherlands and visitors will be taken out to the Jenni Baynton from Harlingen/Netherlands by a tender. 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

March 18th, 2009
Irish lightvessel GANNET for sale

The last Irish lightvessel GANNET is for sale now. And it seems that is is one of the worldwide youngest lightvessels too. It was built in 1954 and is only 55 years old. Take the chance, lightshipfriends...

March 8th, 2009
Special cancellation with lightship

The lightship NORDSEE, which was on station OSTERIFF since 1916, ran aground on the 2nd of November 1921 in the area of the Balje Lighthouse. For the occasion of the action day Lighthouse Balje on the 8th of March 2009 a special cancellation was issued.

February 8th, 2009
Lightship modell building again

Maybe you remember the lightship modells of Mr. Albertus Looden. He did not only build a single lightship modell but a landscape with a lightship and many other things. If you are interested in his new project, which shows the German lightship ELBE 1 (Buergermeister O´Swald II) please click here.

January 23rd, 2009
Lightship puzzle

If you ever wanted to do a lightship puzzle, please try my new online puzzle of the former English lightvessel LV 13, which is berthed in Hamburg today as a restaurant. It is a little bit difficult, because I took the photo by night ;-) Have fun!

January 18th, 2009
North Carr lightship news

NORTH CARR is the last Scottish lightship and the Maritime Volunteer Service (MVS) is collecting money for the restoration of this extraordinary lightship now. Good luck, I hope you will be successful. We spent a wonderful week in Dundee last year, visited the lightship several times and took some photos of course. Thanks Bob for your hospitality and your kind help.

January 10th, 2009
Film of the STROBROTTEN lightship wreck

In 2004 divers found the wreck of the Finnish lightship STROBROTTEN near Eckerö between Aland and Sweden. The lightship was hit by a floating mine in 1922 and sunk. In 2006 a group of divers filmed the wreck in 52 m depth and this film can be viewed at www.youtoube.com now. Thank you very much, this is a wonderful chance for us not-divers to see such a special thing nearly "live".

January 9th, 2009
Museum-Lightship KEMI closed until 2010

The new berth of the Finnish lightship KEMI is in Kotka, because the Maritime Museum of Finland had moved to a new building in Kotka (Tornatorintie 99 A, FIN-48100 Kotka). If everything goes as planned, Kemi will be open to the public from summer 2010 again.

January 8th, 2009
LV 23 Bar/Planet is sold

The former English lightvessel LV23 has new owners. Two couples from Halewood bought the ship - Tom and Angela Sirtees and Alan Roberts and Sharon Sarsfield. Congratulations! If anyone has news, what the plans for the ship are, I wold be grateful for an e-mail.

January 2nd, 2009
Help for the former Danish lightship no. 10

After the bilge pump of the apparently leaky Danish fyrskib nr. X ship failed, last November the fire brigade had to pump the water logged ship out. Here you can find a report with pictures from the Danish Fire Brigade.

January 1st, 2009
Wedding on a lightship

More and more couples planning to get married want to ship into the harbour of marriage in a maritime atmosphere. What is more fitting than a wedding on a lightship? Marriage is possible on five lightships in Germany and on one lightship in England at present. A lighthsip wedding has something symbolic: Lightships, that guided the ships the right way in wind and weathers through the shoals of the sea for so many years, ought to also be probably be the ideal guardians for young couples.

The registry office Emden offers a very special service for weddings on the lightship AMRUMBANK - Saturday weddings. The dates for 2009 are: April 25th, May 16th, June 20th, July 25th, August 15th and September 19th, 2009.

I am looking forward to your lightship wedding photos and reports :-)

January 1st, 2009
A very Happy New Year 2009 to all visitors and friends of my lightship webpages!

Earlier Logbooks:

2008

2007

2006

2005

4th Quarter 2004

3rd Quarter 2004

2nd Quarter 2004

1st Quarter 2004

December 29th, 2009	The winners of the Lighship Advent Calendar 2009 For this year the Lightship Advent Calendar remains closed. Thank you very much to all who played. Here are the winners and their prizes!
December 23rd, 2009	Christmas 2009 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.
November 27th, 2009	A logo for the Lightship-Advent-Calendar I am very happy today, because the Lightship-Advent-Calendar has got it´s own logo - drawn by the artist Râmine from Brest. His style is a mixture of comic and his own ideas. He paints with acrylic colour on old newspapers, letters and sea maps, however, also on wood or metal and not only lightships, but also lighthouses and other maritime things. If you would like to see more of him, please visit his website www.ramine.com.
November 24th, 2009	Lightship Advent Calendar From next Tuesday (01.12.2009), you will find a virtual Lightship Advent Calendar on my web pages. 24 lightship questions are waiting to be answered up to the 24.12.2009. Test your knowledge about lightships and have fun - at the end nice prizes can be won of course. I look forward to many players and many correct solutions : -)
November 21st, 2009	New QSL-cards I am very proud to have 5 new QSL-cards of lightships in my collection. Please click here to see them.
November 5th, 2009	Nantucket Lightship LV 112 sold LV 112 Nantucket is the largest lightship ever built in die United States. After plans failed to establish a museum on the Staten Island waterfront, Jerry Roberts, a board member of the National Lighthouse Museum, and Robert Mannino Jr., head of the United States Lightship Museum, signed transfer papers for the lightship on October 20th, 2009. The group will move the lightship to Boston, where it will be restored.
November 1st, 2009	Former English lightvessel opens as restaurant in Rotterdam The former Trinity House lightvessel no. 11 will be reopened as restaurant TINTO in the Wijnhaven of Rotterdam today. Unfortunately we are not able to be there, but if someone of you will visit the new restaurant, I would be grateful for some photos.
July 31st, 2009	English Lightvessel LV 21 for sale Trinity House offers LV21 for sale. It is currently moored at Trinity House Depot in Swansea. And if one of you will be the winning bidder, I would be grateful for an e-mail.
July 3rd, 2009	Another 2 special cancellations with lightships For the occasion of the 25th birthday of the lightship assiciation "Feuerschiff für Lübeck e.V." a special cancellation with the lantern of the German lightship FEHMARNBELT will be issued on the 22nd of August 2009. For the occasion of the 100th birthday of the German museumlightship ELBE 3 (Bürgermeister Abendroth) a special cancellation will be issued on the 12th of September 2009.
June 22nd, 209	Brandnew coin with a lightship On 27 May 2009 Danmarks Nationalbank issued a new 20-krone coin with lightship XVII on its backside. The coin is of aluminium bronze and has a diameter of 27 mm, a weight of 9.3 g and a thickness of 2,35 mm. In addition to the 1.2 million ordinary circulation coins a very limited number of only 1,500 collectors coins have been minted in the very fine proof quality. A picture of the coin can be found here.
May 31st, 2009	Repairs completed! Today the Overfalls lightship returned back home to Lewes in Delaware after six months of repairs at Colonna's Shipyard in Norfolk today. The new slip is not yet completed, but nevertheless the Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation has decided to bring the lightship back home and open her for the summer season. A wonderful idea to collect more money for the new slip.
May 6th, 2009	Collection of lightships in a bottle for sale If you are interested in lightships in a bottle, than you should have a look at this very rare collection of English lightship modells in old whisky bottles. In my opinion it is a dream, which is for sale now.
April 22nd, 2009	More collector´s items Today a new stamp with a lightship was added to my collector´s items page.
April 20th, 2009	LV11 will be towed to the wharf For over 10 years the former English lightvessel no. 11 is berthed in the Wijnhaven in the heart of Rotterdam now. In This time the new owners are restoring the lightship so that it can be reopened as a restaurant in summer 2009 again. But first the lightship will be towed from Rotterdam over the Maas to the Van Grevenstein´s Scheepsverf in Krimpen aan de Lek for a paintjob on the outside at the 23rd of April 2009. Approx. four weeks later it will return back to Rotterdam. Photos of the towing at April 23rd, 2009 can be found here. Thanks to Peter Kouwenhoven for sharing.
April 3rd, 2009	Life Aboard The English Lightvessels Have I ever told you, how interesting my lightship hobby is? It is sometimes like searching a family tree, but it is a fantastic hobby. One of the best things hapened to me some month ago. I received an e-mail from a lightshipman, who served on different English lightvessels. And he told me two very different stories about the life on a lightship and allowed me to use them for my webpages. Believe me, it was not only fun serving on a lightship - read the stories (here and here) and you´ll see, what I mean... Thanks Brian for sharing your memories with us.
March 19th, 2009	Visit Radio Waddenzees lightship at sea Interested people can visit the former English lightvessel No. 8, which is the radioship Jenni Baynton today, while Radio Waddenzee will be boardcasting from sea for 2 days from May 23rd to 24th, 2009. For this reason the lightship will be anchored near Gried/Netherlands and visitors will be taken out to the Jenni Baynton from Harlingen/Netherlands by a tender. 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
March 18th, 2009	Irish lightvessel GANNET for sale The last Irish lightvessel GANNET is for sale now. And it seems that is is one of the worldwide youngest lightvessels too. It was built in 1954 and is only 55 years old. Take the chance, lightshipfriends...
March 8th, 2009	Special cancellation with lightship The lightship NORDSEE, which was on station OSTERIFF since 1916, ran aground on the 2nd of November 1921 in the area of the Balje Lighthouse. For the occasion of the action day Lighthouse Balje on the 8th of March 2009 a special cancellation was issued.
February 8th, 2009	Lightship modell building again Maybe you remember the lightship modells of Mr. Albertus Looden. He did not only build a single lightship modell but a landscape with a lightship and many other things. If you are interested in his new project, which shows the German lightship ELBE 1 (Buergermeister O´Swald II) please click here.
January 23rd, 2009	Lightship puzzle If you ever wanted to do a lightship puzzle, please try my new online puzzle of the former English lightvessel LV 13, which is berthed in Hamburg today as a restaurant. It is a little bit difficult, because I took the photo by night ;-) Have fun!
January 18th, 2009	North Carr lightship news NORTH CARR is the last Scottish lightship and the Maritime Volunteer Service (MVS) is collecting money for the restoration of this extraordinary lightship now. Good luck, I hope you will be successful. We spent a wonderful week in Dundee last year, visited the lightship several times and took some photos of course. Thanks Bob for your hospitality and your kind help.
January 10th, 2009	Film of the STROBROTTEN lightship wreck In 2004 divers found the wreck of the Finnish lightship STROBROTTEN near Eckerö between Aland and Sweden. The lightship was hit by a floating mine in 1922 and sunk. In 2006 a group of divers filmed the wreck in 52 m depth and this film can be viewed at www.youtoube.com now. Thank you very much, this is a wonderful chance for us not-divers to see such a special thing nearly "live".
January 9th, 2009	Museum-Lightship KEMI closed until 2010 The new berth of the Finnish lightship KEMI is in Kotka, because the Maritime Museum of Finland had moved to a new building in Kotka (Tornatorintie 99 A, FIN-48100 Kotka). If everything goes as planned, Kemi will be open to the public from summer 2010 again.
January 8th, 2009	LV 23 Bar/Planet is sold The former English lightvessel LV23 has new owners. Two couples from Halewood bought the ship - Tom and Angela Sirtees and Alan Roberts and Sharon Sarsfield. Congratulations! If anyone has news, what the plans for the ship are, I wold be grateful for an e-mail.
January 2nd, 2009	Help for the former Danish lightship no. 10 After the bilge pump of the apparently leaky Danish fyrskib nr. X ship failed, last November the fire brigade had to pump the water logged ship out. Here you can find a report with pictures from the Danish Fire Brigade.
January 1st, 2009	Wedding on a lightship More and more couples planning to get married want to ship into the harbour of marriage in a maritime atmosphere. What is more fitting than a wedding on a lightship? Marriage is possible on five lightships in Germany and on one lightship in England at present. A lighthsip wedding has something symbolic: Lightships, that guided the ships the right way in wind and weathers through the shoals of the sea for so many years, ought to also be probably be the ideal guardians for young couples. The registry office Emden offers a very special service for weddings on the lightship AMRUMBANK - Saturday weddings. The dates for 2009 are: April 25th, May 16th, June 20th, July 25th, August 15th and September 19th, 2009. I am looking forward to your lightship wedding photos and reports :-)
January 1st, 2009	A very Happy New Year 2009 to all visitors and friends of my lightship webpages!