What Happens When ?

[Hunson]

They take them out.?

As we did not sail this week. We went places, and on sitting down with a bag of chips watching what was going on came across this.

On seeing the names on them, I thought hang on I've seen that name somewhere before.

So do the replace them with temporary marks or a new one and when they have fixed these they rename and relocate them ?

 

[Leighb]

You obviously went to Harwich.

Yes they do put in temporary replacements. In the Orwell they are usually anonymous, but the correct shape and colour. I don't know if they use "named" replacements offshore.

 

[Hunson]

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You obviously went to Harwich.

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/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Darn, what gave it away /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

The one that I recognised was Barrow 4. The red was Deal Sands. There was also SW Shingles, not sure where that is and I think the other two were to do with the shingles as well.

 

[Athene V30]

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There was also SW Shingles, not sure where that is and I think the other two were to do with the shingles as well.

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Off the Needles in the SW approach to the Solent. SW Shingles is approx 50 39.4N 1 37.6W.

Just happen to have my south coast charts at home and next to the PC!

 

[Hunson]

Cripes.

Thats a long way to bring bouyage for reworking. Surely Harwich can't be the only workshop left in the UK for such a task.

 

[Leighb]

Harwich is the HQ for Trinity House vessels although the Head Office is in London, the THV Patricia and THV Galatea and the THV Alert, - as seen in the posted pic /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif - are based there.

I had the pleasure of visiting the Galatea earlier this season, amazing technology on the bridge.

 

[JasB]

[ QUOTE ]

Cripes.

Thats a long way to bring bouyage for reworking. Surely Harwich can't be the only workshop left in the UK for such a task.

[/ QUOTE ]

Pretty sure I delivered a bouy, and other bits and pieces to somewhere in South Wales...Cardiff, or Swansea maybe. That was a Trinity House yard

 

[Hunson]

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THV Patricia

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Is the vessel in the background. They came into Harwich from the North, so must have been getting about a bit.

 

[lenseman]

I used to work for Trinity House out of Felixtowe on THV Ready and others but mainly on the Ready. I also served on the Patricia. She was virtually a 'Royal Yacht Britannia' with full State Rooms on boards for HM The Queen and the Duke Of Edinburgh. Where ever RY Britannia went, THV Patricia always followed whilst they were in home waters.

I worked for both Lights and Buoys and also for the Pilot Service (Sunk Pilots).

We put to sea with the three main buoys (red, black and green) in the main hold forward.

We would lift a barnacle encrusted buoys and replace it with ones from the hold with the correct name and fully loaded with three acetyline bottles.

My job in those days was either 'Buoy Jumper' or 'Radio Operator' as, apart for the Captain, I was the only other person on board who could read Morse code (Aldis Lamp).

The most dangerous time was during stormy weather, Force 8/9 gusting 10, recovering a rogue buoy which had broken free and drifted 'off station'. Trying to jump from a 2-ton motor-launch onto a 12 ton sea-weed covered buoy in that sort of weather and then trying to attach a hook from the fore deck derrick of the mother ship . . . . when I look back on it now . . . . bloody frightening!!

It was just as bad on the fore deck. The fo'csle hatch was open and you are trying to land a 12 ton monster covered in barnacles on a wet and heaving deck. Toe-tectors, hard hats and gloves were all in the future! It would have been very easy to trip over the hatch combing and fall 20 feet into the hold or get crushed by a buoy sliding around on the wet deck. You mustn't forget, ALL the deck stantions were down for this operation making it a very hazardous job!!

I also served with Folkestone Pilots out of Dover Harbour (Eastern Docks), tame in comparison! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[Athene V30]

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Where ever RY Britannia went, THV Patricia always followed whilst they were in home waters.

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Surely Patricia led? I thought a Trinity House vessel was the only one to sail ahead of the Monach?

 

[lenseman]

I wasn't aware as to whether Patricia was in the van or not but on the very last review of the Fleet off Portsmouth, I did notice that she was following the RY Britannia about 2 or 3 cables astern.