Editing Lightship (section)

==Construction==
[[Image:Zeebrugge West-Hinder R01.jpg|thumb|right|Former Belgian lightship ''West-Hinder II'', now a [[museum ship]] in [[Zeebrugge]]]]
[[Image:Light ship tower.jpg|thumb|left|Some lightships, like this one in [[Amsterdam]], were also equipped with [[foghorn]]s.]]

The most important element of lightship design is a tall [[Mast (sailing)|mast]] upon which to mount the light. Initially, these lights consisted of [[Oil lamp|oil lamps]] that were run up the mast and could be lowered for servicing, while later vessels carried fixed lamps which were serviced in place. As they became available, [[Fresnel lens]]es were used, and many vessels housed them in smaller versions of lighthouse lanterns. Some lightships had two masts, with the second housing a reserve beacon, in case of the main light's failure.

Initially, lightship [[hull (watercraft)|hull]]s were constructed of wood, shaped like the small merchant ships of the time. However, this proved unsatisfactory for a permanently anchored ship, so the shape of the hull evolved to reduce rolling and pounding. As iron and steel hulls were popularized, they became used in lightvessels, and the advent of steam and diesel power led to self-propelled and electrically lit designs. Earlier vessels had no propulsion systems and had to be towed to and from their positions.

Much of the ship was taken up by storage for lamp oil and other supplies, as well as crew accommodations. The crew's primary duty was to maintain the light. Additional responsibilities included keeping records of passing ships, observing the weather, and occasionally performing rescues.

In the early 20th century, some lightships were fitted with warning bells mounted on their structure or lowered into the water to warn of danger in poor visibility and to permit a crude estimation of the lightship's location relative to the approaching vessel. Tests conducted by [[Trinity House]] found that sound from a bell submerged some {{convert|18|ft|m}} could be heard at a distance of {{convert|15|mi|km}}, with a practical range in operational conditions of {{convert|1|to|3|mile|spell=in}}.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bowen|first=J. P. |title=The Engineer's Year-Book for 1946|editor=Pendred, Loughan|publisher=Morgan Brothers|location=London|year=1946|edition=52|page=656|chapter=Lighthouses}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1906/06/07/archives/the-submarine-bell-rivals-jules-verne-deep-under-water-it-sends.html|title=THE SUBMARINE BELL RIVALS JULES VERNE; Deep Under Water, It Sends Warnings in Fog and Storm. A TEST OF THE INVENTION Through the Signal's Receiver the Throb of an Unseen Steamship's Screw Could Be Heard.|work=The New York Times |date=7 June 1906|access-date=21 February 2019|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>

===Mooring===
[[Image:LV101 with Mushroom anchor.jpg|thumb|right|Lightship ''Portsmouth'' (LV-101) shows its mushroom anchor. It can be seen at downtown [[Portsmouth, Virginia]], and is a part of the Naval Shipyard Museum.]]

Holding the vessel in position was an important aspect of lightvessel engineering. Early lightships used [[Anchor#Danforth anchor|fluke anchor]]s, which are still in use on many contemporary vessels, though these anchors are prone to dragging, making their performance unsatisfactory in rough seas. 

Since the early 19th century, lightships have used [[Anchor#Mushroom|mushroom anchor]]s, named for their shape, which typically weigh 3 to 4 tons. The first lightvessel equipped with one was a converted fishing boat, renamed ''[[Pharos]],'' meaning lighthouse, which entered service on September 15th, 1807, near [[Inchcape]], Scotland with an anchor weighing 1.5 tons.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cadbury|first=Deborah|title=Seven Wonders of the Industrial World|url=https://archive.org/details/sevenwondersofin0000cadb|url-access=registration|year=2003|publisher=Fourth Estate|pages=[https://archive.org/details/sevenwondersofin0000cadb/page/79 79]|isbn=9780007163045 }}</ref> The introduction of cast iron anchor [[Chain|chains]] in the 1820s improved their effectiveness dramatically, with the [[rule of thumb]] being {{convert|6|feet}} of chain for every foot of water.

===Appearance===
[[Image:Lichtschip Breeveertien.jpg|thumb|left|[[Lightvessel No. 11|LV-11]] (originally British lightship ''Trinity House'') is docked in [[Rotterdam]], [[Netherlands]], as ''Breeveertien'' serving as a restaurant]]

[[Image:north carr light ship 1988.jpg|thumb|200px|right|The ''North Carr'' Lightship showing a large foghorn]]

Early lightvessels were equipped with [[Daymark|day markers]] at the tops of their masts, which were the first objects seen from an approaching ship. These operated both at night and in fog, from one hour before sunset to one hour after sunrise, and were in addition to the lights. The markers were primarily red and occasionally white, and their designs varied. Filled circles or globes, as well as pairs of inverted cones, were the most common designs among them.

[[File:Huron Lightship early career.jpg|200px|thumb|United States lightship ''Huron'' ''circa'' 1922]]

For visibility purposes, most later lightships had bright red hulls that displayed the name of the station in white, upper-case letters; relief light vessels displayed the word RELIEF instead. Some vessels had hulls colored for specific purposes. For example, the [[Huron Lightship]] was painted black since she was assigned the black buoy side of the entrance to the Lake Huron Cut. From 1854 until 1860, the lightvessel that operated at [[Minots Ledge]], [[Massachusetts]], had a light yellow hull to increase contrast between the blue-green seas and the hills behind it.