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Contact Trinity House
This website has no connection with Trinity House, nor any shipping company, cruise line, boat operator or other commercial organisation
Trinity House
This page is devoted to postcards and photographs of Trinity House vessels. A separate page shows ships of the
Northern Lighthouse Board
covering Scotland and the Isle of Man. I will also include details of some Commissioners for Irish vessels (eventually providing a separate page).
An alphabetical list of ships
covered on this page is shown below. I have only listed ships for which I have images available. Beneath this are official
postcards of the fleet
in chronological order.
In 2003 it was announced that passengers would be able to book cruises on the Trinity House ship
Patricia
, hence the inclusion of this page under Cruise Ships. The definitive history of Trinity House tenders is "Keepers of the Sea" by
Richard Woodman
, published in 1983 by Terence Dalton. An updated edition was published in 2005. For many years, Trinity House depots were maintained in Harwich, Great Yarmouth, Penzance, Swansea, Cowes and on the Thames (closed some time ago). In December 2002 it was announced that the Great Yarmouth, Penzance and Cowes depots would close, leaving only Harwich and Swansea remaining, plus the two large tenders
Patricia
and
Mermaid
. Great Yarmouth closed on 2nd May 2003, Penzance followed in December 2004, and East Cowes is due to close before 2007. The 2003 fleet also includes the smaller vessels
Ready
and
Vectis
. Following review of review in 2003 held between Trinity House and the Commissioners for Northern Lights (ie: Scotland and the Isle of Man) and the Commissioners for Irish Lights (complete Irish coast), it was decided that a combined fleet of four large tenders, plus a smaller Rapid Intervention Craft (RIC) would be sufficient. This fleet will consist of the current vessels
Patricia
and the Irish
Granuaille.
Two new vessels will be built, based on the design of
Granuaille
, to replace the
Mermaid
and the Northern Lighthouse Board's
Pharos
. A new Rapid Intervention Craft (RIC) will replace
Ready
and
Vectis
.
THV Patricia
, flagship of the Trinity House Lighthouse Service visited the Pool of London between 5-6th February 2003 as part of a major publicity campaign to launch the introduction of passenger voyages on the vessel. Passengers will be given the opportunity to sail around the coasts of England, Wales and the Channel Islands whilst the vessel performs a variety of duties including the maintenance of floating aids to navigation, such as buoys and light vessels, the refuelling of offshore lighthouses, and on occasions dealing with shipwrecks that are a danger to navigation.
Voyages are being marketed through
Strand Travel
, who specialise in arranging passenger voyages on commercial vessels. Market research has indicated strong interest from lighthouse/ship enthusiasts and members of the public seeking that "unique holiday experience".
The
Patricia
can accommodate up to 12 guests, with prices starting at £180 per day for a seven-night voyage. Revenue generated from the enterprise will be paid into the General Lighthouse Fund, which is used to fund the lighthouse services provided by Trinity House and its sister authorities in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland. The introduction of passenger voyages is the result of recent legislation enabling the General Lighthouse Authorities to exploit spare capacity.
Trinity House is the General Lighthouse Authority for England, Wales and the Channel Islands, providing nearly 600 Aids to Navigation ranging from Lighthouses, buoys and beacons to the latest satellite based, Differential Global Positioning Service. The General Lighthouse Authorities are funded from light dues levied on commercial shipping calling at ports in the United Kingdom and Ireland - at no expense to the taxpayer.
Ships on This Page:-
Alert
- 2006-
Argus (5)
- 1948-1974
Beacon
- 1925-1960
Galatea
- 2007-
Mermaid (3)
- 1959-1986
Mermaid (4)
- 1987-
Patricia (2)
- 1938-1982
Patricia (3)
- 1982-
Pharos
- (Northern Lighthouse Board: 2000- )
Pole Star
- (Northern Lighthouse Board: 2000- )
Ready (2)
- 1947-1977
Ready (3)
- 19??-
Satellite (2)
- 1924-1961
Siren (2)
- 1960-1987
Stella (2)
- 1961-1989
Vectis
- 19??-2006
Vestal (5)
- 1947-1975
Winston Churchill
- 1964-1989
Sections on This Page:-
Trinity House Tenders
Commissioners of Irish Lights
Associated Pages:-
Trinity House Light Vessels
Northern Lighthouse Board
Cruise Ship Postcards
Ferry Postcards
Simplon Postcards Home Page
References:-
"Keepers of the Sea"
-
Richard Woodman
, published 1983 by Terence Dalton.
"Keepers of the Sea"
-
Richard Woodman
, updated edition published 2005 by
Chaffcutter Books
.
www.trinityhouse.co.uk
- Trinity House home page
www.cil.ie
- Commissioners of Irish Lights home page
www.nlb.org.uk
- Northern Lighthouse Board (Scotland & the Isle of Man)
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Table of Ship Histories
Name
Other names
Built
Alert
2006
Galatea
2007
Mermaid (4)
1987
Patricia (3)
1982
Trinity House Fleet List
Satellite (2)
(Trinity House: 1924-1961)
A Pearson sepia postcard of
Patricia (2)
(left) and
Satellite (3)
(right) at Penzance.
Date is before 1951 when
Patricia (2)
received a replacement mainmast (the original was removed during the war).
Satellite
was replaced by the
Stella
in 1961.
Beacon
(Trinity House: 1925-1960)
Postcard of
Beacon
arriving at Cowes with the Calshot light vessel.
Postcard of
Beacon
plus the
Red Funnel
ferry
Vecta
.
Patricia (2)
(Trinity House: 1938-1982)
Patricia (2)
was built in 1938 by Smith's Dock of Middlesbrough. She was fitted with expensive diesel-electric machinery to aid manoeuvrability. At 1116 gross tons, she was the largest Trinity House tender built. As the Trinity House "yacht", she was fitted with additional accommodation for inspecting committees etc. She also played a part at many ceremonial occasions such as fleet reviews. Her replacement, the
Patricia (3)
has similar accommodation. The war started soon after the delivery of
Patricia (2)
, and she served throughout with great distinction, being present at the D-Day Landings to lay buoys. Her successor,
Patricia (3)
, led the Royal Yacht
Britannia
at the D-Day 50th Anniversary Fleet Review in 1994.
Patricia (2)
was sold for use as a berthed club in Sweden, last reported as being in Stockholm.
A Pearson sepia postcard of
Patricia (2)
and
Satellite (3)
at Penzance.
Date is before 1951 when
Patricia (2)
received a replacement mainmast (the original was removed during the war).
Postcard of
Patricia (2)
at Harwich.
F.W.Pawsey postcard H4 of
Patricia (2)
at Harwich, with a DFDS freighter in the background.
F.W.Pawsey postcard K.453 of
Patricia (2)
at Harwich, with the funnel of
Ready
visible in the background.
Vestal (5)
(1947-1975)
Ready (2)
(1947-1977)
Argus (5)
(1948-1974)
This class of three ships were built 1947/48 to re-equip the Trinity House fleet following the war. They were much larger than previous vessels, at around 1920 grt. They were the last steamships in Trinity House service.
Vestal
was built in Bristol and was originally stationed in Swansea. The
Ready
was built in Blythe and served at Harwich for 30 years.
Argus
was built in Port Glasgow.
Cotman Colour (Jarrald) postcard FWP/H2 showing
Ready (2)
at the Trinity Pier in Harwich, with
Mermaid
in the background.
Cotman Colour (Jarrald) postcard FWP/H1 showing
Ready (2)
at the Trinity Pier in Harwich, with
Mermaid
in the background.
Harvey Barton postcard M8O of Harwich, with the funnels of
Ready (2)
and one of her sisters visible in the background.
The funnels had been increased in height by this time compared to the views above.
Mermaid (3)
(1959-1986)
Siren (2)
(1960-1987)
Stella (2)
(1961-1989)
Winston Churchill
(1964-1989)
The
Mermaid
Class of three diesel-electric lighthouse tenders were built to replace older steam-propelled vessels. They were all built by Whyte's of Cowes, were 221 feet long and 1425 gross tons. The first delivery,
Mermaid (3)
, was initially stationed in Great Yarmouth. The second vessel
Siren
was based in Cowes, and
Stella
was stationed at Penzance. A fourth similar vessel, the
Winston Churchill
, was added in 1964. She replaced the
Siren
at Cowes, which moved to Harwich. By the mid-1970s,
Mermaid
had also moved to Harwich, along with the older
Ready
and
Patricia (2)
.
Photograph of
Mermaid (3)
passing Felixstowe in 1985.
Photo: © Ian Boyle.
Photograph of
Mermaid (3)
passing Felixstowe in 1985.
Photo: © Ian Boyle.
Photograph of
Mermaid (3)
, laid up alongside a light vessel off Harwich in 1987.
Photo: © Ian Boyle.
Photograph of
Siren (2)
, laid up off Harwich in 1987.
Photo: © Ian Boyle.
Photograph of
Siren (2)
, laid up off Harwich in 1987.
Photo: © Ian Boyle.
Lilywhite postcard PEZ/C2 of
Stella (2)
at Penzance.
Stella
replaced the
Satellite (2)
on the Penzance station in 1961.
Patricia (3)
(Trinity House: 1982- )
Patricia (3)
is one of two Lighthouse Tenders currently operated by Trinity House (2003). She was built by Robb Caledon in Leith in 1982.
Patricia
is 284 feet long and 2541 gross tons - the largest lighthouse tender that Trinity House had ever owned. She carries a crew of 23.
Patricia (3)
replaced the
Patricia (2)
as the Trinity House "yacht", and led the Royal Yacht
Britannia
at the D-Day 50th Anniversary Fleet Review in 1994.
Patricia
is also fitted with the additional accommodation for inspecting committees etc. From 2003, this accommodation is available for the use of up to 12 passengers whilst
Patricia (3)
undergoes her normal duties. Visit
www.trinityhouse.co.uk
for the latest information.
Additional images of Patricia (3)
Simplon Postcards issue sm5001, released in July 1994, showing
Patricia
leaving Harwich.
Photo: © Ian Boyle.
Photograph of
Patricia
off Harwich.
Photo: © Ian Boyle.
Photograph of
Patricia
arriving at Harwich in April 2003.
Photo: © Ian Boyle.
Photograph of
Patricia
arriving at Harwich in April 2003.
Photo: © Ian Boyle.
Photograph of
Patricia
off Cowes (Cowes Week), 30th July 2005.
Photo: © Ian Boyle.
Trinity House tenders
Galatea
and
Patricia
at Harwich
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 5th October 2007
Mermaid (4)
(Trinity House: 1987- )
Mermaid (4)
was built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in 1987, and at 2820gt is even larger than the
Patricia
. She does not have the extra passenger accommodation of the "yacht"
Patricia
, so will not be used for passenger cruising.
Mermaid
is normally based at Swansea.
Additional images of Mermaid (4)
This photo of
Mermaid (4)
was supplied by Trinity House.
This photo of
Mermaid (4)
and
Patricia
was supplied by Trinity House.
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 27th July 2003.
Click to open large image in new window
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 27th July 2003.
Click to open large image in new window
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 27th July 2003.
Click to open large image in new window
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 27th July 2003.
Click to open large image in new window
Photograph of
Mermaid
at Harwich Trinity Pier on 3rd August 2003.
The sailing vessel at the pier is the replica
Endeavour
.
Photo: © Ian Boyle.
Ready (3)
This photo of
Ready (3)
was supplied by Trinity House.
Ready (3)
at Harwich with
Patricia
, April 2003.
Photo: © Ian Boyle.
Ready (3)
at Harwich on 15th June 2003.
Photo: © Ian Boyle.
Ready (3)
, plus a lightship, at Harwich on 15th June 2003.
Photo: © Ian Boyle.