The ''Spurn'' Lightship (LV No. 12) is a

lightvessel A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, t ...

(i.e. a

ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...

used as a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses m ...

), previously anchored in Hull Marina in the British city of

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south- ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. It was relocated to a shipyard in October 2021 for restoration, prior to becoming a display together with the Arctic Corsair. The ship was built in 1927 and served for 48 years as a navigation aid in the approaches of the

Humber Estuary The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the ...

, where it was stationed east of

Spurn Point Spurn is a narrow sand tidal island located off the tip of the coast of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England that reaches into the North Sea and forms the north bank of the mouth of the Humber Estuary. It was a spit with a semi-permanent con ...

. On 15 April 1959, the lightship was driven ashore in the

River Hull The River Hull is a navigable river in the East Riding of Yorkshire in Northern England. It rises from a series of springs to the west of Driffield, and enters the Humber Estuary at Kingston upon Hull. Following a period when the Archbishops o ...

at Woodmansey,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

. The lightship was decommissioned in 1975 and bought/restored by

Hull City Council (Kingston upon) Hull City Council is the governing body for the unitary authority and city of Kingston upon Hull. It was created in 1972 as the successor to the Corporation of (Kingston upon) Hull, which was also known as Hull Corporation and fou ...

in 1983 before being moved to Hull Marina as a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make th ...

in 1987. The museum closed in June 2018, in preparation for the vessel being relocated in September, to facilitate a footbridge being constructed over the adjacent A63. Initially it was expected that the museum would reopen in 2021 after undergoing conservation work and a relocation to a new position on the marina.

Restoration

The ship was moved to a private shipyard in October 2021 for restoration, having been static for 34 years. Part of a £30 million project, after renovation in a

dry dock A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...

with completion anticipated for 2023, it will be displayed together with the Arctic Corsair trawler.

References

External links

* * Museum ships in the United Kingdom Museums in Kingston upon Hull Lightships of the United Kingdom Humber Ships and vessels of the National Historic Fleet Maritime incidents in 1959 {{UK-lighthouse-stub