Sevenstones light vessel, north east of the Scillies.

Sevenstones Light Vessel.

Repro ID: H3123

Description: The Sevenstones light vessel was moored off the Sevenstones Reef, 10 miles north east of the Isles of Scilly. By the 1980s the vessel was unmanned. In June 1999, she broke free from her moorings and began drifting towards Land's End. Ocean-going vessels rely on lightships being in the exact location as marked on their sea charts. The navigational calculations of a ship become unreliable and dangerous if the lightship has moved. It was for this reason that the Trinity House vessel 'Mermaid' was despatched to retrieve the drifting Sevenstones lightship.

Creator: Unknown

Date: c. 1950

Credit line: National Maritime Museum, London