Engineering Works
M. B. McStay, Engineer-in- Marine Aids to Navigation into the
21st Century.
Automation of Lighthouses
The automation projects at Roches Point and Rathlin East were completed on schedule early this year. Following the usual test period of automatic operation they were both commissioned and the Lightkeepers were withdrawn at the end of March 1995.
At Roches Point the lighthouse compound has been contracted into a smaller area encompassing the tower, adjacent dwelling and engine house. With the exception of the old buoy bank store all the other dwellings and buildings on the site have been sold at public auction. The redundant manual buoy crane at the landing has been dismantled and removed. The old familiar pneumatic fog signal at Roches Point could not be converted for automatic operation and it has been removed and replaced by a new electric fog signal with a range of 4 nautical miles. This change has not been universally welcomed by local residents; however, in time it will no doubt be accepted.
The Rathlin East station has also been reduced in size and we plan to dispose of one of the surplus dwellings and the old cottage. For some time now this station has been connected to the electricity mains supply on Rathlin Island and it has been possible to reduce its electricity generating capacity to provide for mains failure cover only. To improve the day-time conspicuity of the station, the light has been exhibited by day as well as by night since 14th November 1995.
Both stations are functioning well and are now monitored and controlled from the Central Monitoring facility in the Lighthouse Depot, Dun Laoghaire.
Future Lighthouse Automation
The installation phases of the Mew Island and Hook Head automation projects are proceeding on schedule. Following a period of testing early in the new year they will be commissioned and the Keepers will be withdrawn at the end of March 1996. Baily will then be the only major watched station remaining to be automated and this project is already in its design and equipment procurement phase. As we approach the completion of our 12 year automation programme we can look back on a very successful series of Engineering and Marine operations but, sadly, we will no longer have Lighthouse Keepers on the Irish coast.
Wind Powered Stations
Irish Lights have been using wind powered electric generators to power three stations - Eeragh, Straw Island and Rue Point. These machines, which only deliver about 0.25 kW. of electric power, were becoming increasingly unreliable and very costly to maintain. A decision was about to be taken to abandon this source of renewable energy when a new wind generator became available from Proven Engineering Products Ltd, a Scottish company located in Kilmarnock.
Wind turbines are very prone to damage in high wind conditions and they need to be protected, often by complex mechanisms which feather the blades, or turn them away from the wind, to prevent over-speeding. The Proven machine is unique in its design and mode of operation, with a regulated nominal rotor speed of 300 r.p.m. It is of very rugged construction, which should help it survive the high winds on the west coast of Ireland. The rotor is mounted at the rear of the machine, a fact that helicopter pilots need to be aware of when reading wind direction. The rotor blades are designed to bend back and twist as the wind loading increases, limiting the driving torque and the rotor speed.
One Proven Wind Turbine was purchased and installed at Eeragh during June of this year. So far this machine has performed well and we are confident that these units are suitable for use at our other wind powered stations. Their power output of 2.2 kW, is sufficiently high to enable us to consider their use at some other west coast stations, possibly achieving significant economies in fuel oil costs.
Racons
Next year new 3 cm and 10 cm band racons (radar transponder beacons) will be fitted at Drogheda West and Slyne Head. The existing racon at Mizen Head will be removed and relocated to the Bull Rock. This will complete the present Irish Lights racon installation programme, which is proving to be of real benefit to mariners navigating around the coast of Ireland.
Buoyage
All operational lighted buoys will be converted to solar power by the end of 1996 and the programme to convert all Irish Lights buoyage to a 4 year maintenance cycle will then have been fully implemented. This operation is going smoothly.
Radar Target Enhancers for Buoys
Trials are under way on new radar enhancers fitted to the North and South Burford buoys in Dublin Bay, to determine whether they will improve the radar conspicuity of these buoys. The trials appear to be proving successful and it is likely that radar target enhancers will be fitted to other important buoys in the coming year.
Engineering Maintenance Operations
The near continuous high winds and heavy seas experienced during the past winter caused severe stress to both our floating and land based aids to navigation. Indeed, in the early part of the year it proved impossible to gain access to the Ballagh Rocks station in Co. Donegal, where the light was extinguished for over ten weeks. A landing at the station was finally made with the help of Aranmore Lifeboat, using one of their sturdy inflatable boarding craft. As ever, all our Engineering Operations Personnel coped well with equipment and building maintenance in these very difficult circumstances.
Roches Point
A light was first established at Roches Point on 4th June 1817 on the original Roches Tower, which had been built by either Edward Roche of Trabolgan or his father as a banqueting and pleasure house and as a place where they could sight shipping movements in and out of Cork Harbour. This tower was subsequently considered to be too small for a major harbour of refuge and it was replaced by the present 15 metre tower. The original small tower was carefully dismantled and rebuilt complete with lantern in 1883, as the North Duncannon light, forming a rear leading light with the Duncannon Fort light.
Rathlin East
Two lights were established at Rathlin East on 1st November 1856: an upper occulting light and a lower fixed light, designed to avoid confusion with other lights when approaching and passing through the North Channel. The upper light was mounted on a tower some 26.8 metres high, built of stone from the island, and the lower light was housed in a lantern placed close to the base of the tower.
The main light at Rathlin East was electrified in 1981. A racon was fitted at the station in 1994 as part of the Irish Lights racon installation programme
The automation projects at Roches Point and Rathlin East were completed on schedule early this year. Following the usual test period of automatic operation they were both commissioned and the Lightkeepers were withdrawn at the end of March 1995.
At Roches Point the lighthouse compound has been contracted into a smaller area encompassing the tower, adjacent dwelling and engine house. With the exception of the old buoy bank store all the other dwellings and buildings on the site have been sold at public auction. The redundant manual buoy crane at the landing has been dismantled and removed. The old familiar pneumatic fog signal at Roches Point could not be converted for automatic operation and it has been removed and replaced by a new electric fog signal with a range of 4 nautical miles. This change has not been universally welcomed by local residents; however, in time it will no doubt be accepted.
The Rathlin East station has also been reduced in size and we plan to dispose of one of the surplus dwellings and the old cottage. For some time now this station has been connected to the electricity mains supply on Rathlin Island and it has been possible to reduce its electricity generating capacity to provide for mains failure cover only. To improve the day-time conspicuity of the station, the light has been exhibited by day as well as by night since 14th November 1995.
Both stations are functioning well and are now monitored and controlled from the Central Monitoring facility in the Lighthouse Depot, Dun Laoghaire.
Future Lighthouse Automation
The installation phases of the Mew Island and Hook Head automation projects are proceeding on schedule. Following a period of testing early in the new year they will be commissioned and the Keepers will be withdrawn at the end of March 1996. Baily will then be the only major watched station remaining to be automated and this project is already in its design and equipment procurement phase. As we approach the completion of our 12 year automation programme we can look back on a very successful series of Engineering and Marine operations but, sadly, we will no longer have Lighthouse Keepers on the Irish coast.
Wind Powered Stations
Irish Lights have been using wind powered electric generators to power three stations - Eeragh, Straw Island and Rue Point. These machines, which only deliver about 0.25 kW. of electric power, were becoming increasingly unreliable and very costly to maintain. A decision was about to be taken to abandon this source of renewable energy when a new wind generator became available from Proven Engineering Products Ltd, a Scottish company located in Kilmarnock.
Wind turbines are very prone to damage in high wind conditions and they need to be protected, often by complex mechanisms which feather the blades, or turn them away from the wind, to prevent over-speeding. The Proven machine is unique in its design and mode of operation, with a regulated nominal rotor speed of 300 r.p.m. It is of very rugged construction, which should help it survive the high winds on the west coast of Ireland. The rotor is mounted at the rear of the machine, a fact that helicopter pilots need to be aware of when reading wind direction. The rotor blades are designed to bend back and twist as the wind loading increases, limiting the driving torque and the rotor speed.
One Proven Wind Turbine was purchased and installed at Eeragh during June of this year. So far this machine has performed well and we are confident that these units are suitable for use at our other wind powered stations. Their power output of 2.2 kW, is sufficiently high to enable us to consider their use at some other west coast stations, possibly achieving significant economies in fuel oil costs.
Racons
Next year new 3 cm and 10 cm band racons (radar transponder beacons) will be fitted at Drogheda West and Slyne Head. The existing racon at Mizen Head will be removed and relocated to the Bull Rock. This will complete the present Irish Lights racon installation programme, which is proving to be of real benefit to mariners navigating around the coast of Ireland.
Buoyage
All operational lighted buoys will be converted to solar power by the end of 1996 and the programme to convert all Irish Lights buoyage to a 4 year maintenance cycle will then have been fully implemented. This operation is going smoothly.
Radar Target Enhancers for Buoys
Trials are under way on new radar enhancers fitted to the North and South Burford buoys in Dublin Bay, to determine whether they will improve the radar conspicuity of these buoys. The trials appear to be proving successful and it is likely that radar target enhancers will be fitted to other important buoys in the coming year.
Engineering Maintenance Operations
The near continuous high winds and heavy seas experienced during the past winter caused severe stress to both our floating and land based aids to navigation. Indeed, in the early part of the year it proved impossible to gain access to the Ballagh Rocks station in Co. Donegal, where the light was extinguished for over ten weeks. A landing at the station was finally made with the help of Aranmore Lifeboat, using one of their sturdy inflatable boarding craft. As ever, all our Engineering Operations Personnel coped well with equipment and building maintenance in these very difficult circumstances.
Roches Point
A light was first established at Roches Point on 4th June 1817 on the original Roches Tower, which had been built by either Edward Roche of Trabolgan or his father as a banqueting and pleasure house and as a place where they could sight shipping movements in and out of Cork Harbour. This tower was subsequently considered to be too small for a major harbour of refuge and it was replaced by the present 15 metre tower. The original small tower was carefully dismantled and rebuilt complete with lantern in 1883, as the North Duncannon light, forming a rear leading light with the Duncannon Fort light.
Rathlin East
Two lights were established at Rathlin East on 1st November 1856: an upper occulting light and a lower fixed light, designed to avoid confusion with other lights when approaching and passing through the North Channel. The upper light was mounted on a tower some 26.8 metres high, built of stone from the island, and the lower light was housed in a lantern placed close to the base of the tower.
The main light at Rathlin East was electrified in 1981. A racon was fitted at the station in 1994 as part of the Irish Lights racon installation programme