Model Boat Mayhem

Mess Deck: General Section => Full Scale Ships => Topic started by: Captain Povey on May 26, 2009, 06:39:53 pm

Title: Discovery and others in Dundee
Post by: Captain Povey on May 26, 2009, 06:39:53 pm

Hi All, I happened to be in Dundee the other weekend and visited the Discovery centre. Great information on the Antarctic as well a good tour of the boat. Also visited the Frigate Unicorn. Fascinating history. Then passed by the light ship. Tours can be arranged. All well worth a visit. Cheers Graham.

Title: Re: Discovery and others in Dundee
Post by: Colin Bishop on May 26, 2009, 06:42:26 pm

Last time i went on Discovery, she was moored in the Thames. Long time ago but i remember it well. I think Model Boats will be featuring a visit by one of our members (not me!) a bit later in the year.

Colin

Title: Re: Discovery and others in Dundee
Post by: Bryan Young on May 26, 2009, 10:43:25 pm

Re.the pic of the Lightvessel...is that big vent a vent or the "outlet" for the fog-horn. A bit excessive for a vent.

Title: Re: Discovery and others in Dundee
Post by: farrow on May 28, 2009, 09:14:20 am

Yes I went on the Unicorn last year with some Sea Cadets, she has been restored very well ( although she lacks a lot of the equipment you see on the Victory) and she is as you say and interesting vessel.

Title: Re: Discovery and others in Dundee
Post by: Captain Jack on May 30, 2009, 05:08:17 am

I would surmise that to be an intake for the engineering spaces. The large size probably owing to the fact that the vessel was designed not to be actually moving very much? Does anyone know how long her crew was deployed when she was on station? Lightship duty must have been terribly boring from a sailors point of view.

Title: Re: Discovery and others in Dundee
Post by: Arrow5 on May 30, 2009, 08:04:05 am

It is the foghorn. www.northcarr-lightship.org/ gives a good description of the vessel and it`s history.

Title: Re: Discovery and others in Dundee
Post by: Captain Jack on May 31, 2009, 01:31:04 am

I stand corrected! What a great website. Very informative.
Thanks for that. If the sound of that horn bothered people almost two miles away, can you imagine how hard it was on the crew aboard her?

Title: Re: Discovery and others in Dundee
Post by: Bryan Young on May 31, 2009, 06:11:39 pm

Ask any sailor who lived in close proximity to a ships "fog-horn" and he will say that "that is the worst". Every 2 minutes a long blast would be sounded. This could go on for days, but generally it only seemed to happen when I was trying to get some zeds in. With some of the mechanical horns it wasn't so much the "horn", but the socking great "clunk" as the lid dropped. Apparently the old "Queens" had horns that could be heard for 30 miles if the conditions were right. Must have miffed some of the wealthy passengers just under the dog kennels! BY.