Historic light vessel finds a home – ‘probably’
Mistley Marine’s crane barge Spartacus delivered piles last month, which were installed by main contractor Groupbridge.
After many months of party political bickering a berth has been established for the UK’s last remaining manned light vessel at Harwich UK, the town renowned as the home port of these distinctive vessels.
A set of mooring piles has been installed inside the Halfpenny Pier at a cost of £220,000 and Tendring District Council has finally agreed that the LV18 will be berthed there, if only temporarily. While the piles were being installed there was still no agreement on which vessel would occupy the berth and the saga might still not be over as the council’s decision is subject to call in for review.
Richard Jackson Intelligent Engineering were consulting engineers for the project which was put up for tender by Intend, a controversial company established by Tendring Council, which has seen very little success since it was established with £1.8m of public finance in 2008.
The funding is provided by the Haven Gateway Partnership with the support of Essex County Council. The main contractor was Groupbridge, while the survey and dredging was handled by Westminster Dredging and the Harwich Haven Authority.
The mooring was always planned to provide a base for the ex-Trinity House light vessel LV18, which is now a museum ship, retaining its original accommodation and layout. The 1957 built LV18 has proved a popular attraction whenever it has been berthed on the pier, although public access has not been possible. Owned and managed by a charity, The Pharos Trust, it has been moored in the River Stour and has functioned as the home of ‘offshore’ radio revivals for various broadcasters, including BBC Radio Essex.
Planning permission was granted by Tendring Council for the LV18 to be moored at the location back in 2009. Responses to the planning application included 87 letters in support and only one objection, from a local caterer. The location plan was drawn up in October that year. But, when the council finally agreed at a closed session in February to give a licence for the mooring, all mention of the lightship had been erased without explanation.
Work on the project continued and this July the plough vessel Forth Sentinel and the water injection dredger Odin were deployed in the harbour to clear a berth. In August Mistley Marine delivered six 22m long, 914mm diameter piles with their new crane barge Spartacus, which were installed by Groupbridge over two weeks, attracting a curious audience.
In an attempted blocking move, one councillor stated publicly that he would prefer the proposed Mayflower replica to occupy the site. However, the Mayflower Project, which plans to build a replica of the Pilgrim ship in the town from which the captain and, probably, the vessel originated, has said they have no intention of mooring on that berth and that they fully support the LV18 project.
In late August, a ‘secret’ report giving confidential details of the LV18 project was mysteriously uploaded on to the council’s website, and swiftly withdrawn.
The LV18 was recently moved to a midstream mooring just off the Halfpenny Pier in anticipation of coming alongside. But if the project is called in for review, a set of rusting piles might be the only visitor attraction in the harbour for some time to come.
By Graeme Ewens
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