Channel Lightvessel Explained
| -- commercial vessels --> | +Channel| Ship Image: | File:Channel_Light_Vessel_23_at_Canning_Dock_-_geograph.org.uk_-_720220.jpg | | Ship Caption: | Channel lightvessel 23 at Canning Dock |
| Ship Country: | United Kingdom | | Ship Operator: | Trinity House | | Ship In Service: | 25 November 2006 | | Ship Out Of Service: | August 2021 | | Ship Status: | Withdrawn as of August 2021 |
| Embed: | yes | | Suppressfields: | image |
| Embed: | yes | | Qid: | Q109805411 | | Lightsource: | LED lamp |
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Channel was the name of a
lightvessel station located in the
English Channel between 1979 and August 2021, when it was replaced with a light
buoy. It was also one of the 22
coastal weather stations whose conditions were reported in the
BBC Shipping Forecast. The vessel's position was
49.9167°N -56°W, approximately 56km (35miles) north-northwest of
Guernsey.
The lightvessel marked the western end of the English Channel Traffic Separation Zone.[1]
Signals
The light, on a 12m (39feet) tower, had a range of about 15 miles, and flashed for .3 seconds every 15 seconds. The fog signal gave a single 2 second blast every 20 seconds. The agile radio beacon transmitted the letter "O" in morse code on X band and S band frequencies for nine seconds every thirty seconds.[2]
History
The Channel lightvessel was established in 1979 as part of the Off Casquets Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS), introduced following the 1978 grounding of the Amoco Cadiz.[3] The lightvessel was intended to clearly define the TSS, as such schemes were at the time a new feature, rather than marking a physical hazard to navigation.[3]
In May 2021 it was announced that the vessel would be replaced by a Type 1 buoy in August 2021.[4] In August 2021 Trinity House stated that the replacement had been completed,[5] with the Channel Lighted Buoy being deployed by THV Galatea.[6] [7] The light vessel was towed away by THV Patricia.
The light on the buoy flashes every 10 seconds. The agile radio beacon transmits the letter "O" in morse code on X band and S band frequencies for twenty seconds every sixty seconds.[8]
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: Channel Lightvessel . www.trinityhouse.co.uk . Trinity House . 18 April 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210304183107/https://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/lighthouses-and-lightvessels/channel-lightvessel . 4 March 2021.
- Web site: NOTICE TO MARINERS No.66/06. 30 October 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20110426002914/http://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/mariner_info/notice_to_mariners/d/30102006.html. 2011-04-26. Trinity House. 19 June 2012.
- Channel Lightvessel replaced by Safe Water Mark Type 1 buoy . Flash: The Trinity House Journal . 35 . 18.
- Web site: Trinity House to replace Channel Lightvessel with Type 1 buoy. 12 May 2021. Trinity House. 12 July 2021.
- Web site: Lighthouse vessel marking shipping English Channel lanes replaced with buoy. 20 August 2021. BBC. 20 August 2021.
- Web site: Replacing the Channel Lightvessel with a Type 1 buoy . Trinity House . 19 November 2021.
- Web site: Channel Buoy deployment from THV Galatea (20 August 2021) . YouTube . Trinity House . 19 November 2021 . en . 15 September 2021.
- Web site: 12/2021 Channel Light Vessel Channel Lighted Buoy . www.trinityhouse.co.uk . Trinity House . 19 November 2021 . 16 July 2021.
