Crew Stories
Comments from former crew members that served on LV72
We would love to hear from former crew members and thier families of LV72 or the Trinity HouseTenders that serviced the vessel if they have any memories or photos they can share.
George Dance
I was on LV72 English & Welsh Grounds in the mid 60's for around 12 months.
My memories are fading but I do remember the winter I spent on board was very cold, If I remember correctly the shoreline of Swansea Bay froze. Large chunks of ice from the river Severn were brought down by the tides and would crash against the ship, a bit alarming in the middle of the night. On Christmas day Barry Lifeboat and a boat from Devon came alongside Christmas cheer and small present from school children. No alcohol allowed on lightvessels but the skipper, I think Sid Morse, turned a blind eye for the day. Again my memory is fading but I seem to remember each morning during hoisting a can of paraffin up to the lantern chamber where the watch leader topped the lamps up. I know she had generators installed in 1948 but I am sure the lantern was still lit by oil. The lantern was rotated by an enormous clockwork motor which needed winding every 30 mins. heating was by coal fired stoves and cooking and hot water were supplied by a coal range in the galley/ lounge. The coal brought on board in1 1/2 cwt. sacks.
On the lightships we did 4 weeks on-board and 2 weeks off. The THV Alert would visit every 2 week with supplies and half the crew would change. We had to supply all our own food and would put an order in to the local Co-op who would deliver it to the Trinity House depot in Swansea, we would then be re supplied 2 weeks into our stint on board, anything extra to our standing order would be passed to the Co-op via Mumbles Coastguard. Every evening we had a radio sched. with the Coastguard with a weather report ect., the radio being in the skippers cabin and operated by him.
The relief crew and supplies from the THV Alert, which would anchor astern, would be transferred by motorboat, this included coal for heating and cooking in 1 ½ cwt bags.
The motorboat would bring a heaving line attached to a fresh water hose and an extremely heavy fuel oil hose which would be manually hauled on board, no winches on LV72.
Colin Wortley
a former TH mechanic along with engineer Bill Denhard both from the Blackwall depot, went out from Barry in the local boat ,Peter Binding was the boatman, to work on LV72 when she was stationed on the English & Welsh grounds circa 1959
"one thing that I remember that the outlet pipe from the toilet was frequently blocked up. The crew then would go fishing when they caught a dogfish they would put a length of sail makers twine round its tail and a piece of rag on the other end of the twine, then drop the fish down the toilet, shortly after the pipe was clear and the fish was back in the sea.
"Life was very simple then!!"
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Crew List
Tommy Revel
was on board when she broke adrift Evening of Nov 30th 1954 when her anchor chain parted and drifted off station
Sid Morse - EW.Grounds Master retired 1963
Charles Dance
Sam Dagnal l- EW.Grounds Master retired 1973
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pitured below
Maureen Staffer (TV presenter) with Sam Dagnell atop of the lattice light tower, Sam would later become the Master of the English & Welsh Grounds and other light vessels in the Bristol Channel
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George Dance
In the 1960's I was an 'extra ordinary lamplighter' on the English and Welsh Grounds lightship in the Bristol Channel. She was the oldest vessel operated by Trinity House built in 1903 by John Crown & Sons, Sunderland, although we had generators for lighting the lantern was the original paraffin lamp (9-2W oil lamps) and rotated by a large... clockwork motor which had to be wound up every 30 minutes with a big crank handle. Heating was by coal fires and cooking was done on a coal range which also provided hot water, fresh water had to be hand pumped into a header tank for this purpose. We did 4 weeks on and 4 weeks off, and had to provide our own food. The pay was not very good but with half our time spent 'at sea' it was adequate. I spent a Christmas on board which I was not looking forward to but it turned out to be quite a special day. It started off like any other day until at 10am a motor cruiser from Devon came alongside with beer, spirits, mince pies, Christmas puddings, turkey in fact everything for a grand feast. Soon after Barry Lifeboat came alongside with more booze and food but what touched me most was the gifts they brought from school children in Cardiff, mine was a hand made, beautifully embroidered writing case made by a 13 year old girl. I still have it, sadly I lost her details so was never able to write and thank her. Alcohol was not allowed on board but the skipper turned a blind eye although did keep a check on our consumption and made sure we were fit for our duties. After my second stint I went to the office to resign and was told I was to be transfered to the Scarweather Lightship which, I was lead to believe, was a modern vessel. The boredom had proved too much and I turned down the offer of a better berth. The last I heard of the light ship was a few years back, she had been purchased for scrap but the company decided to use her as offices until recently and I was told a preservation order had been put on her so he can't scrap her. George.
Extract taken from the World Naval Ships Forum,
Extract taken from the World Naval Ships Forum,