Channel Lightvessel
{{Short description|Former lightvessel station in the English Channel}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2017}}
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|+Channel {{Infobox ship image |Ship image= File:Channel_Light_Vessel_23_at_Canning_Dock_-_geograph.org.uk_-_720220.jpg |Ship caption= Channel lightvessel 23 at Canning Dock }}{{Infobox ship career |Ship country=United Kingdom |Ship flag=60px |Ship operator=Trinity House |Ship in service= 25 November 2006 |Ship out of service=August 2021 |Ship status=Withdrawn as of August 2021 }}{{Infobox ship characteristics |Ship type=Lightvessel }}{{Infobox lighthouse | embed = yes |suppressfields=image }}{{Infobox lighthouse | embed = yes | qid = Q109805411 |lightsource=LED lamp }} |
Channel was the name of a lightvessel station located in the English Channel between 1979 and August 2021, when it was replaced with a light buoy. It was also one of the 22 coastal weather stations whose conditions were reported in the BBC Shipping Forecast. The vessel's position was {{coord|49|55|N|2|54|W|region:GB}}, approximately {{Convert|56|km|abbr=on}} north-northwest of Guernsey.
The lightvessel marked the western end of the English Channel Traffic Separation Zone.{{cite web |title=Channel Lightvessel |url=https://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/lighthouses-and-lightvessels/channel-lightvessel |website=www.trinityhouse.co.uk |publisher=Trinity House |access-date=18 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304183107/https://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/lighthouses-and-lightvessels/channel-lightvessel |archive-date=4 March 2021}}
Signals
The light, on a {{Convert|12|m|ft|abbr=on}} tower, had a range of about 15 miles, and flashed for .3 seconds every 15 seconds. The fog signal gave a single 2 second blast every 20 seconds. The agile radio beacon transmitted the letter "O" in morse code on X band and S band frequencies for nine seconds every thirty seconds.{{cite web|url=http://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/mariner_info/notice_to_mariners/d/30102006.html|title=NOTICE TO MARINERS No.66/06|date=30 October 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426002914/http://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/mariner_info/notice_to_mariners/d/30102006.html|archive-date=2011-04-26|work=Trinity House|accessdate=19 June 2012}}
History
The Channel lightvessel was established in 1979 as part of the Off Casquets Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS), introduced following the 1978 grounding of the Amoco Cadiz.{{cite journal |title=Channel Lightvessel replaced by Safe Water Mark Type 1 buoy |journal=Flash: The Trinity House Journal |number=35 |page=18}} The lightvessel was intended to clearly define the TSS, as such schemes were at the time a new feature, rather than marking a physical hazard to navigation.
In May 2021 it was announced that the vessel would be replaced by a Type 1 buoy in August 2021.{{cite web|url=https://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/news/trinity-house-to-replace-channel-lightvessel-with-type-1-buoy|title=Trinity House to replace Channel Lightvessel with Type 1 buoy|date=12 May 2021|publisher=Trinity House|access-date=12 July 2021}} In August 2021 Trinity House stated that the replacement had been completed,{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-guernsey-58284307|title=Lighthouse vessel marking shipping English Channel lanes replaced with buoy|date=20 August 2021|publisher=BBC|access-date=20 August 2021}} with the Channel Lighted Buoy being deployed by THV Galatea.{{cite web |title=Replacing the Channel Lightvessel with a Type 1 buoy |url=https://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/commercial-services/our-work/work-in-progress/replacing-the-channel-lightvessel-with-a-type-1-buoy |website=Trinity House |access-date=19 November 2021}}{{cite web |title=Channel Buoy deployment from THV Galatea (20 August 2021) |url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=E8MFrIEC_4k |website=YouTube |publisher=Trinity House |access-date=19 November 2021 |language=en |date=15 September 2021}} The light vessel was towed away by THV Patricia.
The light on the buoy flashes every 10 seconds. The agile radio beacon transmits the letter "O" in morse code on X band and S band frequencies for twenty seconds every sixty seconds.{{cite web |title=12/2021 Channel Light Vessel Channel Lighted Buoy |url=https://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/notice-to-mariners/12/2021-channel-light-vesselchannel-lighted-buoy |website=www.trinityhouse.co.uk |publisher=Trinity House |access-date=19 November 2021 |date=16 July 2021}}
References
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External links
- [https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/specialist-forecasts/coast-and-sea/observations/162103 UK Met office weather observations for the past 24 hours at Channel Lighted Buoy]
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Category:Lightships of the United Kingdom
Category:Lighthouses of the English Channel
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