The Lightship Museum () in the harbour of

Esbjerg Esbjerg (, ) is a seaport city and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of Aarhus. With an urban area, urban population of 71,554 (1 January ...

in southern Denmark consists of a private museum open to the public on board the ''Horns Rev'' lightship. Dating from 1912, the ''Horns Rev'', also known as ''Motorfyrskibet Nr. I'', is the world's oldest and best preserved motor lightship. It houses a highly regarded exhibition of life and work on board.

History

The world's largest and best preserved wooden lightship, ''Motorfyrskibet Nr. I'', was built at the Rasmus Møller shipyard in

Fåborg Faaborg or Fåborg () is an old port town located on Faaborg Fjord in Faaborg-Midtfyn municipality on the island of Funen in Denmark. By road, Faaborg is located southwest of Odense, west-northwest of Svendborg, and roughly southeast of Midd ...

. The contract was signed in June 1912 and the ship was delivered on schedule in August 1914. From the beginning it was intended to serve shipping from the

Port of Esbjerg The Port of Esbjerg on the southwest coast of Jutland is a competitor to Aarhus and Hamburg for freight. Built by the State in 1868, it was once Denmark's principal fishing harbour but today has become Europe's leading port for shipping offshore ...

. Apart from short periods when it was stationed elsewhere or undergoing maintenance, it spent most of its working life off Esbjerg, first at Vyl Station or at Horns Rev Station where it last served in 1980. Both these positions lie west of Esbjerg in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

. Its final period of service was off the island of

Møn Møn () is an island in south-eastern Denmark. Until 1 January 2007, it was a municipality in its own right but it is now part of the municipality of Vordingborg Municipality, Vordingborg, after merging with the former municipalities of Langeb ...

(at Møn SE Station) from 1981 to 1988. In 1989, on the recommendation of the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) * Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) * Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...

, it was acquired by ''Fonden til bevarelse af Motorfyrskib Nr.1'' (Foundation for the preservation of Motor Light Vessel No. 1). It opened as a museum in July 1990. The positions the lightship served at

Horns Rev Horns Rev is a shallow sandy reef of glacial deposits in the eastern North Sea, about off the westernmost point of Denmark, Blåvands Huk.

and Vyl, which indicate one of the most dangerous reefs in Danish waters, have now been replaced by light buoys.

Motorfyrskib No. I

Built of oak, the ship has a length of , a breadth of and a draught of . Its displacement is 342 tonnes. It originally had a 125-horsepower, two-stroke engine which was later replaced with a three-cylinder, 180-horsepower diesel engine. Initially, the light could be hoisted up and down the mast and could be prepared for use on deck but it was later permanently secured at the top of the mast. It was displayed amidships from a round lantern. The ship's hull is painted with the colours of the Danish flag: red with a white horizontal band and a vertical white stripe.

Museum

Located at Esbjerg's new area "Havneøen" at the northernmost end of the harbour, the museum ship is open to visitors from May to August, Monday to Friday, 11 am to 4 pm. It features an exhibition illustrating in detail the role and importance of Denmark's lightships.

References

External links