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Saturday 31 December 2022
Friday 30 December 2022
Wednesday 28 December 2022
Friday 23 December 2022
Thursday 22 December 2022
Cloch Lighthouse
Cloch Point lies on the A770, north of Inverkip, three miles south-west of Gourock, on the east shore of the Firth of Clyde, directly opposite Dunoon.
The Cloch Lighthouse was designed by Thomas Smith and his son-in-law Robert Stevenson. The building was completed in 1797. There appear to be two generations of keepers' houses, the older now used as stores and the more recent having crow-stepped gables. The short circular-section tower has a corbelled walkway and triangular windows. The foghorns were added between 1895 and 1897
Cloch Point Lighthouse
The light was built by John Clarkson (engineer); Kermack and Gall built the tower, while Smith and Stevenson installed the oil lantern which was first lit on 11 August 1797. The light was replaced in 1829 with an argand lamp and silvered reflector. About 1900, it was lit with acetylene. A radio beacon was installed about 1931.
The dioptric and catadioptric lenses floated in baths of mercury and were rotated by a clockwork mechanism powered by falling weights. As well as tending the light, the keepers had to wind the mechanism by hand every two to three hours.
Today, the light is fully automated and unmanned. The main light has been replaced by a light on a pole outside the lantern room.
Information courtesy of wikipedia.
Wednesday 21 December 2022
TS King George V
King George V was built by William Denny and Brothers for the Turbine Steamers Ltd[ as a pioneering turbine powered vessel intended for longer routes. She passed to the ownership of David MacBrayne Ltd in October 1935, when plans to rename her were never enacted. Displaced by MV Columba, she was withdrawn from service in 1974. Several attempts were made to preserve her as a floating pub or restaurant, but all failed. King George V was burnt out at Cardiff docks in 1981 and scrapped in 1984.
Information by Wikipedia.