Royal Sovereign Lighthouse

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Royal Sovereign
Royal Sovereign Lighthouse in 2015
Locationoffshore Eastbourne
East Sussex
England
Coordinates50°43′24″N 0°26′08″E / 50.72333044°N 0.435498258°E / 50.72333044; 0.435498258[1]
Tower
Constructed1875 (lightship established)
Constructionconcrete column
Automated1994
Height36 m (118 ft)
Shapecylindrical column supporting an upper platform with tower
Markingswhite tower with a red band, white keeper's quarter
OperatorTrinity House[2]
Fog signal2 blasts every 30s.
Light
First lit1971
Deactivated2022
Focal height28 m (92 ft)
LensRotating three-panel 375mm catadioptric optic (original), biform tideland ML300 lanterns (current)
Intensity3,976 candela
Range12 nmi (22 km)
CharacteristicFl W 20s.

Royal Sovereign lighthouse was a lighthouse marking the Royal Sovereign shoal, a sandbank 11 km (6.8 mi) offshore from Eastbourne. The structure's distinctive shape was easily recognised as the lighthouse tower is perched above a large platform (which functions as a helicopter deck) supported by a single pillar rising out of the water.[3] Originally, the platform was manned by three full-time keepers, accommodation being contained in the 'cabin section' immediately below the platform. Additional accommodation was provided for up to four visiting maintenance workers.

Construction and installation

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The lighthouse replaced a lightship that had marked the Royal Sovereign Shoal since 1875. The structure was built, in two parts, on Newhaven beach, and put into position in 1970. First, the base and attached column were floated out to the shoal, where the hollow base was flooded and allowed to sink into position. Then the cabin section and superstructure were floated out, positioned over the base and allowed to settle on to the column as the tide fell.[4] Afterwards the telescopic inner section of the column was jacked up, increasing its height by 13 metres (43 ft).

Operation

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The lighthouse was brought into operation at noon on 6 September 1971, whereupon the lightship was towed away.[5] Initially, the light source was a 1,000 watt bulb set within a revolving 3.5 order catadioptric optic, mounted in a superstructure on the corner of the platform. Beneath the lantern, on two intermediate levels, were the sounder, air tanks and associated equipment for the diaphone fog horn, below which the main control room was located (on platform-level). Power was provided by four 20 kW diesel generators, housed in the cabin section of the structure along with two diesel compressors (which, as well as supplying the fog horn, powered a crane on the platform).[4] The optic completed one revolution per minute, thus displaying one flash every 20 seconds with a range of 28 nmi (52 km; 32 mi).

The light was automated in 1994. At the same time, the optic and lamp were replaced (reducing the range to 12 nmi (22 km; 14 mi)) and converted to solar-powered operation, and the fog horn replaced by an electric emitter.[4] As of 2006 the light was controlled by a 475 MHz radio link to Trinity House managed by Vodafone; the platform was still occasionally occupied.[6]

Decommissioning

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In June 2019, Trinity House announced that the lighthouse would be decommissioned, and then removed, because of the platform's deteriorating structural condition.[7] Beachy Head light, the "principal aid to navigation in the area", will be upgraded.[8] Having undertaken a site inspection in 2021, representatives of the Trinity House Board made it known that they intended to award the contract for removal in 2022 (once all necessary permissions had been sought), after which it was envisaged that the decommissioning would take place progressively over the course of three summers.[9]

The lighthouse was permanently taken out of service on March 21, 2022, as issued under Admiralty navigational warnings:

211355 UTC Mar 22 ENGLISH CHANNEL. Beachy Head Eastwards. Royal Sovereign Lighthouse permanently discontinued and light-buoys temporarily established.

UK Coastal

WZ 380/22

211355 UTC Mar 22

ENGLISH CHANNEL.

Beachy Head Eastwards.

1. Cardinal light buoys temporarily established North, East, South, and West of Royal Sovereign Lighthouse, 50-43.5N 000-26.1E; South cardinal with AIS and Racon (T), North cardinal with fog signal.

2. Lighthouse permanently discontinued.

3. Cancel WZ 364.

At the time of its decommissioning, Ian McNaught, Deputy Master of Trinity House, observed it was not an easy decision for Trinity House to have decided to decommission the lighthouse.[10] On 1 October 2023 the accommodation block was removed by heavy lift barge, the light tower having been lifted off previously and taken to Shoreham.[11][12] The pillar is scheduled to be removed in 2024.[12] The light tower has been donated by Trinity House to a community project in Bexhill-on-Sea as the focal point of a new "Maritime Coastal Environment Centre".[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ GPS coordinates of Royal Sovereign
  2. ^ Royal Sovereign Lighthouse Trinity House. Retrieved 5 May 2016
  3. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Southern England". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Woodman, Richard; Wilson, Jane (2002). The Lighthouses of Trinity House. Bradford-on-Avon, Wilts.: Thomas Reed. p. 128.
  5. ^ "Royal Sovereign Lighthouse to be decommissioned". Trinity House. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  6. ^ "A beacon for man and buoy". The Telegraph. 28 October 2006. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  7. ^ Sanderson, Ginny (29 June 2019). "Royal Sovereign Lighthouse to be removed". Eastbourne Herald. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  8. ^ Searle, Garry (5 July 2019). "They don't build 'em like they used to". Lighthouses of Australia Inc. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Royal Sovereign Lighthouse visit". Flash: The Trinity House Journal (35): 2. Autumn 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  10. ^ "Eastbourne lighthouse turns off after 50 years of service". Sussex Express. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  11. ^ Panons, Jacob (18 August 2023). "In pictures: Work to begin to remove Royal Sovereign Lighthouse off East Sussex coast". Sussex World. Chichester. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Royal Sovereign Lighthouse: stage one of deconstruction". London: Trinity House. 1 October 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  13. ^ Hemsley, Andy (9 December 2023). "In pictures: Iconic piece of Sussex maritime history preserved for the future". Sussex World. Chichester. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
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