Where LV50 was stationed when she worked as a lightship
This is a map that shows where LV50 worked as a lightship for Trinity House and the dates she was there. Sometimes she wasn’t on a station but waiting for repairs or on standby to move to a new station when one became available.
For more details see our history book at https://friendsoflv50.org.uk/history-of-the-lightship-lv50/
There are some old photos LV50 in our picture gallery at https://friendsoflv50.org.uk/picture-gallery/
We’ve managed to piece together most of the stations she served at bit there are still some uncertainty and gaps in the records.
We think LV50’s stations were:
Seven Stones 1879 to 1886 – a dangerous rocky reef between Land’s End and the Scilly Isles; rocks rise out of water and are a hazard to shipping, claiming at least 200 ships.
Shambles 1891 to 1907– a sandbank southeast off Portland Bill, the southernmost point of Dorset; it stretches for 4 miles and is only a few feet above water at low tide.
Outer Gabbard 1907 to 1912 and 1924 to 1925– a 5 mile long shoal in the North Sea.
Nore 1916 to 1920 is a sandbank at the mouth of the Thames estuary; it marks the point where the river meets the North Sea. LV50 was her during WW1 as it’s next to the big Royal Navy dockyards at Chatham. She was prepared to go to the East Goodwin station but we don’t know that she went there.
Galloper 1924 to 1940 – a sandbank, around 30 miles off the Felixstowe, around 7 miles long and less than 1 mile wide.
Warner 1940 to 1943 – a sandbank off the east of the Isle of Wight.
Calshot Spit 1943 to 1951 – a mile long sand and shingle bank at the southern bank of Southampton Water. Southampton was an important military port during WW2, from where supplies were sent to the European theatre. On D-day she was one of the lightships that helped to guide the invasion fleet across the channel.
Decommissioning
LV50 was on Calshot Spit until she was damaged on 26 June 1951 by a Hopper Barge towed by the tug Resnova III. The Trinity House Board then decided that she should be decommissioned “because of her age and condition”. She was sold to J. Howard of Ipswich and removed to Harwich for breaking.
Fortunately, this is not the end of her story because she was rescued by the Royal Northumberland Yacht Club and started a new life as their club ship.