The Light Ship Restoration Project
It’s rare that we come across such a big and complex restoration project like this but when a customer of ours told us what he was using his recently purchased Plasma Cutter for we jumped at the chance to feature his exploits in our Blog. If nothing else the sheer scale and unusual nature of this project makes for some fascinating reading.
A lightship is basically a lighthouse on a ship. They were built to position themselves near sand-banks. These underwater obstacles tend to move over time due to the currents. Hence it doesn’t make sense to build a permanent structure. A light-ship however can be moved together with the sand-banks over time. Since the movement of sand-banks is not dramatic, most light-ships had no propulsion: they were towed to location, dropped their anchors and stayed there until it was time to move or when they had to go into a harbour for maintenance. The lights were oil-fired, later changed to electric. These lamps were mounted on a rotating assembly.
Over the past year Jan and his team have been painstakingly restoring this magnificent vessel for the purpose of using it as a base for Jan’s business – LightShip Therapies. Offering clients unique complimentary helathcare and life skills training. He is a Reiki Master, Life Coach, Counsellor and teacher and will be basing his operations at Gloucester docks when the project is completed. I can’t think of a more peaceful and relaxing environment to practice from.
Whilst the majority of work has been completed by Jan and the team some of the heavier jobs have had to be carried out by staff at the shipyard in Sharpness, where the LightShip is currently in drydock.
Jan’s blog is packed full of photographs and comments about the project . Visit: The Light Ship Blog to see all the photo’s and read all the posts on how this amazing vessel has been brought back to life.
Web Hosting
