NLV Pharos is a lighthouse tender operated by the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB), the body responsible for the operation of lighthouses and marine navigation aids around the coasts of Scotland and the Isle of Man.

NLV Pharos in Oban
NLV Pharos in Oban
History
United Kingdom
NamePharos
NamesakeLighthouse of Alexandria
OwnerWilliams & Glyn's Leasing Company[2]
OperatorNorthern Lighthouse Board
Port of registryLeith
Awarded11 November 2004
BuilderRemontowa, Gdańsk, Poland
Launched3 February 2006
Commissioned9 May 2007
HomeportOban
Identification
General characteristics
Class and typeLloyd's + 100A1, +LMC, +UMS, CAS, DP(AA)
Tonnage
Lengtho/a: 84.20m BP: 75.00m
Beam16.5 m
HeightAir Draught 30 m
Draught4.25 m
Depthto Main Deck: 7.20 m
PropulsionDiesel-electric: Wärtsilä engines, 3 x 1370ekw – 2 x 685ekw; 2 x 1500kw Rolls-Royce Azimuth Propellers; Two Bow Thrusters
Speed12.5 knots
Capacity30 cabins
Complement7 Officers & 11 PO/Crew
Aviation facilitiesforward helicopter flight deck
Notes[3][4]

History edit

Pharos and her sister ship, Galatea (2006) were built by Stocznia Remontowa, Gdańsk, Poland as part of a £38 million contract. Galatea serves the same role for Trinity House on the coast of England, Wales and the Channel Islands.[5]

Pharos is the tenth NLB vessel to carry the name, replacing the ninth Pharos in March 2007.[3] The first Pharos, which operated as a lighthouse vessel from 1799 to 1810, was a simple wooden sloop 49 feet long (approx 15 metres) and 18 feet wide (approx 5½ metres). [6]

Pharos was the great lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.[7]

Service edit

NLV Pharos is based in Oban and works mainly in Scottish and Manx waters, servicing over 200 automatic lighthouses, buoys and beacons. She is also able to carry out hydrographic surveying and wreck finding and other commercial work under contract.[6]

References edit

  1. ^ "Pharos". VesselTracker.com. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
  2. ^ "NLV Pharos Visits Douglas". Irish Sea Shipping. Archived from the original on 3 August 2008. Retrieved 2 August 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ a b "NLV Pharos". Northern Lighthouse Board. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  4. ^ "Press Release: Royal Commissioning of new ship NLV Pharos in Leith, Edinburgh". Northern Lighthouse Board. 9 May 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Press Release: THV Galatea arrives in home port of Harwich". Trinity House. 23 July 2007. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Press Release: Northern Lighthouse Board Welcomes New Ship into Oban". Northern Lighthouse Board. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  7. ^ "The Great Pharos Lighthouse". Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Archived from the original on 8 September 2008. Retrieved 2 August 2008.