Posted by Laurence Monkhouse on October 22, 2007 at 16:57:11 from 82.27.29.79 user Laurence_.
In Reply to: Signal Stations posted by Ed Kiser on October 22, 2007 at 15:59:29:
I have a lot of sympathy - I once ran aground on the Kentish Knock myself, but by the mercy of heaven we got ourselves home again. I have never been closer to the old gentleman with the scythe!
I don't know what happened to the Cork and Sunk lightships during either War - the Germans certainly attacked lightships from time to time - perhaps not systematically - during both wars, with U-boats in the first war and aircraft in the second - but my understanding is that they all remained on station.
The Cork was finally taken off station round about 1970. A lot of lightships were removed round about then, which to a very limited extent excuses my opening statement - the Kentish Knock light had been taken away a week before we tried to navigate past it, and we hadn't been able to afford up to date charts. The Sunk remained where the Goblin saw it until the beginning of this year, when it was moved a short distance and a new traffic separation zone came into effect there, although I haven't been that way since. It hadn't been crewed for several years.