Previous names
- 1927 LV No 12
Details
Construction
Dimensions
History
LV No.12 was built for the Humber Conservancy Board by the Goole Shipbuilding and Repairing Company in 1927 at a cost of £17,000. She was commissioned as the Spurn light vessel, the first on that station, on 17 November 1927 and was removed to Middle Humber (Grimsby Middle position) on 27 October 1939, marking the Naval river defence boom. She returned to her pre-war position on 22 May 1945.
On 31 January 1953 she was driven off station and drifted 12 nautical miles south onto Protector Shoal where the reserve anchors held. She was repainted red and moved to Bull Station on 9 June 1959. A new light vessel, No. 14, took the Spurn station. She was decommissioned and laid up in November 1975. In 1983 she was sold out of service and acquired by Hull City Council. Restored to her original black colour, she was berthed in Hull Marina in 1986 and opened to the public the following year.
In October 2021, Spurn Lightship was moved to a local shipyard for restoration. As part of the Hull Maritime project, the Spurn Lightship will be fully restored with new interpretation and displays to tell its full story. She will also be re-berthed at Hull Marina, offering visitors increased access and the unique opportunity to climb the lantern tower.
March 2023 saw the vessel returned to Hull following the completion of restoration work.
In November 2023, SPURN was announced as Winner of the 2023 Martyn Heighton Award for Excellence in Maritime Conservation at the National Historic Ships UK Awards.
Key dates
-
1927
Vessel built by Goole Shipbuilding and Repairing and commissioned on 17 Nov 1927
-
1939
Moved to Middle Humber in October due to outbreak of Second World War, marking the naval river defence boom
-
1945
Returned to pre-war position at Spurn Head
-
1959
Removed from station for refitting
-
1959
Moved to Bull Station as the Bull Light Vessel and repainted in original livery of red
-
1975
Until November 1975 served on the Bull Shallows station, so know as Bull Light vessel
-
1983
Restoration to original condition begun by Hull City Council, moored in Hull Marina
-
1986
Towed to her present berth at Hull Marina and restored to her original colour of black with white lettering
-
1987
Opened to the public
-
May 2018
Vessel will be moving temporarily from September 2018 as part of the plans to upgrade the A63 to Hull docks. She will stay in the Marina until 2021 and is set to receive specialist conservation work, subject to funding before then being moved to a new permanent home in the Marina
-
March 2023
Restoration completed and vessel returned to Hull
-
November 2023
Spurn Lightship announced as Winner of the 2023 Martyn Heighton Award for Excellence in Maritime Conservation at the National Historic Ships UK Awards.
-
November 2023
Winner of the Martyn Heighton Award for Maritime Conservation
Sources
Storey, Arthur, Hull Trinity House History of Pilotage and Navigational Aids of the River Humber
Brouwer, Norman J, International Register of Historic Ships, Anthony Nelson, Edition 2, 1993
Butterfield, A E, Report on the lighthouses, lightships, light floats, buoys and vessels belonging to the Board, Humber Conservancy Board, 1939
Thomas, D C, The Manned Lightships of the Humber, Malet Lambert Local History Special, 1987
Credland, Arthur, Hull City Museums Information Sheet No 3: The Spurn Lightship, Hull City Museums
Own this vessel?
If you are the owner of this vessel and would like to provide more details or updated information, please contact info@nationalhistoricships.org.uk