Around the Coast
by Stuart Ruttle, Head of Engineering
The function of the Engineering Department is
to provide marine aids to navigation to meet the requirements of
mariners as identified in navigational reviews, and to maintain
these aids to navigation to availability standards set out by IALA,
the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and
Lighthouse Authorities. The requirements are ever changing as
shipping technology advances, environmental issues become more
demanding, and alternative radio aids to navigation and
communications systems become available. The methods of providing
aids to navigation also change as alternative power systems become
available, new light sources are developed, equipment becomes
out-dated and obsolete, and new and innovative systems are
pioneered.
A trip around the coast shows how we have responded to these challenges over the last year.
Major Lights
The most common light source used in major lighthouses around our coast since the early 1980s has been the 1kWatt metal arc lamp. Unfortunately the type of lamp used is no longer available. The General Lighthouse Authorities' Research and Development (R&D) Department identified and recommended an alternative 1kWatt metal arc lamp which is slightly different physically and has different operating characteristics to the original lamp but results in improved light output and hence better range.
Wicklow Head was the first optic to be re-engineered with the new Venture lamp. It came into operation on 10 October 2002 and has been the proving ground for the change. Subsequently modifications were made to lighthouses such as Fastnet, Loophead, Rathlin East, and Rathlin West and a programme is in place to modify the other major lights.
Large Automatic Navigational Buoys (Lanbys)
Irish Lights operates two types of major floating aid to navigation: Lanbys and Automated Lightfloats. The Lanbys were first introduced in 1976 and have been operated on the Codling and Arklow stations ever since, with a spare in Dun Laoghaire. Lanbys are equipped with two 6kWatt diesel generators, one of which operates continuously, powering its aids to navigation and support equipment for the two year period the Lanby is on station. The second generating set acts as a standby unit, with automatic changeover in case of failure of the main unit.
Throughout the intervening years a lot of the equipment in each of the three Lanbys has been replaced: for example, the main optic systems were replaced in 1987. Each year a Lanby is refurbished at Dun Laoghaire where it is stripped down, cleaned out, repaired, fully re-painted and the engines, optic, fog signal, racon, and all its ancillary equipment overhauled, re-installed, tested, and readied for sea. Refurbishment work has just been completed on one of the Lanbys for deployment on the Codling station.
Automated Lightfloats
The lightvessels Gannet and Kittiwake, which were automated in 1980-81 and re-designated as Lightfloats, are now deployed virtually continuously on the Coningbeg and South Rock stations respectively, being removed for mini refit or dry docking as required for a short period during the summer.
In May this year the Gannet Lightfloat was towed by the Granuaile from the Coningbeg station into sheltered waters just off Rosslare, where Granuaile's crew, a Dun Laoghaire engineering team, and the Attendant Master and Assistant Attendant worked together carrying out repairs and painting over a five day period. While the Lightfloat was off station a superbuoy was deployed in its place.
Superbuoys
We continue to experiment with superbuoys, the objective being to find a satisfactory replacement for major floating aids to navigation. The superbuoy has a 3.5m diameter bowl, 6.25m high superstructure, and a 4.6m length tail-tube. One superbuoy has been deployed on the Blackrock experimental station, just east of the Coningbeg Lightfloat, with various combinations of equipment over the last three years. A second superbuoy has operated on the Cork Buoy station since May 2002, and a third has recently been deployed on the Bennet Bank Buoy station in Dublin Bay.
The most recent superbuoy is equipped with twelve 50 Watt solar panels charging 12 batteries powering 2 four-tier Vega led (light emitting diode) lanterns giving a 9 mile light range, a racon (radar responder beacon) and a Datac 922 monitoring system operating directly into the central monitoring system in Dun Laoghaire using mobile phone communications. The monitoring unit incorporates a GPS receiver to monitor the position of the buoy. It is planned to fit a wave activated generator to supplement the superbuoy's power generating capability in the next few weeks. It remains to be seen whether this buoy and its equipment is sufficiently reliable as a suitable replacement for our major floating aids to navigation.
Mine Head Lighthouse
Mine Head Lighthouse was electrified in 1964 and was made unwatched in 1973. Most of the equipment at the station dates back to those times. A navigational review confirmed that the range of the light could be reduced from 28 to 20 nautical miles and the station is currently being re-engineered with energy efficient equipment.
The standby generating set is being removed and an etched 150 Watt discharge lamp has been installed in the first-order rotating lens, powered using two parallel connected 24 volt 500 Ampere-hour (Ah) lead acid batteries. The PRB 22 rotating mechanism and control system is being refurbished.
A Datac 932 monitoring system, which communicates over the telephone network with the monitoring centre in Dun Laoghaire, has been installed. The new light came into operation on 10 September 2003.
Ballycotton Lighthouse
A trip around the coast shows how we have responded to these challenges over the last year.
Major Lights
The most common light source used in major lighthouses around our coast since the early 1980s has been the 1kWatt metal arc lamp. Unfortunately the type of lamp used is no longer available. The General Lighthouse Authorities' Research and Development (R&D) Department identified and recommended an alternative 1kWatt metal arc lamp which is slightly different physically and has different operating characteristics to the original lamp but results in improved light output and hence better range.
Wicklow Head was the first optic to be re-engineered with the new Venture lamp. It came into operation on 10 October 2002 and has been the proving ground for the change. Subsequently modifications were made to lighthouses such as Fastnet, Loophead, Rathlin East, and Rathlin West and a programme is in place to modify the other major lights.
Large Automatic Navigational Buoys (Lanbys)
Irish Lights operates two types of major floating aid to navigation: Lanbys and Automated Lightfloats. The Lanbys were first introduced in 1976 and have been operated on the Codling and Arklow stations ever since, with a spare in Dun Laoghaire. Lanbys are equipped with two 6kWatt diesel generators, one of which operates continuously, powering its aids to navigation and support equipment for the two year period the Lanby is on station. The second generating set acts as a standby unit, with automatic changeover in case of failure of the main unit.
Throughout the intervening years a lot of the equipment in each of the three Lanbys has been replaced: for example, the main optic systems were replaced in 1987. Each year a Lanby is refurbished at Dun Laoghaire where it is stripped down, cleaned out, repaired, fully re-painted and the engines, optic, fog signal, racon, and all its ancillary equipment overhauled, re-installed, tested, and readied for sea. Refurbishment work has just been completed on one of the Lanbys for deployment on the Codling station.
Automated Lightfloats
The lightvessels Gannet and Kittiwake, which were automated in 1980-81 and re-designated as Lightfloats, are now deployed virtually continuously on the Coningbeg and South Rock stations respectively, being removed for mini refit or dry docking as required for a short period during the summer.
In May this year the Gannet Lightfloat was towed by the Granuaile from the Coningbeg station into sheltered waters just off Rosslare, where Granuaile's crew, a Dun Laoghaire engineering team, and the Attendant Master and Assistant Attendant worked together carrying out repairs and painting over a five day period. While the Lightfloat was off station a superbuoy was deployed in its place.
Superbuoys
We continue to experiment with superbuoys, the objective being to find a satisfactory replacement for major floating aids to navigation. The superbuoy has a 3.5m diameter bowl, 6.25m high superstructure, and a 4.6m length tail-tube. One superbuoy has been deployed on the Blackrock experimental station, just east of the Coningbeg Lightfloat, with various combinations of equipment over the last three years. A second superbuoy has operated on the Cork Buoy station since May 2002, and a third has recently been deployed on the Bennet Bank Buoy station in Dublin Bay.
The most recent superbuoy is equipped with twelve 50 Watt solar panels charging 12 batteries powering 2 four-tier Vega led (light emitting diode) lanterns giving a 9 mile light range, a racon (radar responder beacon) and a Datac 922 monitoring system operating directly into the central monitoring system in Dun Laoghaire using mobile phone communications. The monitoring unit incorporates a GPS receiver to monitor the position of the buoy. It is planned to fit a wave activated generator to supplement the superbuoy's power generating capability in the next few weeks. It remains to be seen whether this buoy and its equipment is sufficiently reliable as a suitable replacement for our major floating aids to navigation.
Mine Head Lighthouse
Mine Head Lighthouse was electrified in 1964 and was made unwatched in 1973. Most of the equipment at the station dates back to those times. A navigational review confirmed that the range of the light could be reduced from 28 to 20 nautical miles and the station is currently being re-engineered with energy efficient equipment.
The standby generating set is being removed and an etched 150 Watt discharge lamp has been installed in the first-order rotating lens, powered using two parallel connected 24 volt 500 Ampere-hour (Ah) lead acid batteries. The PRB 22 rotating mechanism and control system is being refurbished.
A Datac 932 monitoring system, which communicates over the telephone network with the monitoring centre in Dun Laoghaire, has been installed. The new light came into operation on 10 September 2003.
Ballycotton Lighthouse
Ballycotton Lighthouse was automated in 1991 but the
generating plant installed in late seventies was not replaced at
that time. Plans are well advanced to run a submarine mains
electricity cable to the station. A seabed survey has been
undertaken, geophysical and archaeological investigations are
complete, and a contract to lay the cable has been placed.
Charlesfort Lighthouse
Charlesfort is the last of our propane gas powered lights. It had been planned to solarise this station but the historical nature of its site prompted us to try to convince the local heritage authorities that a better solution would be to run in a mains electricity cable. All equipment is now in place and the station will be converted to run from mains electricity in the coming months.
Glandore Beacon
In February 2003 winter storms washed away the lighted south-west beacon at Glandore. Following a navigational review completed in consultation with local mariners the Board has decided that the lighted beacon should be replaced. Investigations are about to commence to determine how this can be engineered.
Inishtearaght Lighthouse
Inishtearaght Lighthouse has been the subject of a major re-engineering and solarisation project during 2003. There has always been concern about the power required to rotate the large first-order lens at Inishtearaght which is supported on ball bearings. The R&D Department identified efficient DC stepping motors capable of rotating the optic at the required rotation speed which consume about 20 Watts continuous power.
A 35 Watt etched metal halide discharge lamp has replaced the 1kWatt metal arc lamp to provide a light of 19 nautical miles. Forty eight Solarnova 50 Watt solar panels, arranged to charge two parallel connected 24 volt 2,750 Ah lead acid batteries have been mounted on stainless steel frames in front of the operations room close to the helipad.
The operations area has been reduced in size and rooms have been built to house the equipment and the 132 battery cells. The monitoring system has been replaced with a Datac 932 unit that operates directly over the cellular communications network to the central monitoring station in Dun Laoghaire. The dual band X/S racon (radar transponder beacon) is being retained.
A TS3 diesel generating set is being installed which can be switched on remotely from Dun Laoghaire to charge the main batteries if required; this generator will also provide domestic power for visiting personnel. Two of the three existing generators are being removed, the third being left as a back-up. The new light came into operation on 26 September 2003.
Extensive work has been done to improve the condition of the accommodation, and building conditioning is being provided using a Wallas oil fed heater. A similar system installed on Bull Rock has given good results in maintaining the condition of the accommodation during periods the station is unattended.
Sligo Leading Lights
Quite a challenging task was the solarisation of the leading lights at Sligo (Metal Man and Oyster Island) and discontinuation of the propane lights. Vega led lanterns, each giving a 7 mile range, have been fitted at both stations. The light on the Metal Man is powered using four BP 12 volt 50 Watt buoy-type solar panels mounted on the south facing side of the handrail, charging six Sonnenschein 80 Ah batteries fitted in a stainless steel battery box on the plinth.
The light and equipment on Oyster Island are powered using six Solarnova 12 volt 50 Watt solar panels mounted on the balcony handrail charging eight 80 Ah batteries. The lights are synchronised using GPS and monitored over the mobile phone network using a Datac 911 unit at Oyster Island with radio link to the Metal Man.
The new lights came into operation on the 13 March 2003.
Aranmore Lighthouse
Aranmore Lighthouse was automated in 1976. A major re-engineering and refurbishment project has just been completed in which new Venture 1kWatt discharge lamps have been fitted, and control systems replaced. New equipment and battery rooms were provided in the engine room, and the roof of the engine room has been replaced.
Maidens Lighthouse
The construction of a new mess room and improvement of the accommodation at the station was completed by our tradesmen and technicians during the year. New Venture 1kWatt discharge lamps, optic control systems, and a refurbished PRB22 optic drive have been installed as part of the re-engineering and refurbishment project at this station. The Datac 932 monitoring system now operates directly over the mobile phone system to the monitoring centre in Dun Laoghaire.
Work in Progress
It has been a busy year in the Engineering Department. The buoy project, in which buoy bowls are being modified in Dun Laoghaire and fitted with replacement aluminium superstructures, is progressing well. The differential GPS service continues to operate satisfactorily. Automatic Identification System (AIS) trials continue, with the emphasis on how these new devices can be used as aids to navigation and the added value they can contribute to the safety of mariners. All these tasks and operations can only be successful with the co-operation and enthusiasm of all our staff working as a team.
My thanks go to all the members of the Engineering Department for their contribution during the year.
Charlesfort Lighthouse
Charlesfort is the last of our propane gas powered lights. It had been planned to solarise this station but the historical nature of its site prompted us to try to convince the local heritage authorities that a better solution would be to run in a mains electricity cable. All equipment is now in place and the station will be converted to run from mains electricity in the coming months.
Glandore Beacon
In February 2003 winter storms washed away the lighted south-west beacon at Glandore. Following a navigational review completed in consultation with local mariners the Board has decided that the lighted beacon should be replaced. Investigations are about to commence to determine how this can be engineered.
Inishtearaght Lighthouse
Inishtearaght Lighthouse has been the subject of a major re-engineering and solarisation project during 2003. There has always been concern about the power required to rotate the large first-order lens at Inishtearaght which is supported on ball bearings. The R&D Department identified efficient DC stepping motors capable of rotating the optic at the required rotation speed which consume about 20 Watts continuous power.
A 35 Watt etched metal halide discharge lamp has replaced the 1kWatt metal arc lamp to provide a light of 19 nautical miles. Forty eight Solarnova 50 Watt solar panels, arranged to charge two parallel connected 24 volt 2,750 Ah lead acid batteries have been mounted on stainless steel frames in front of the operations room close to the helipad.
The operations area has been reduced in size and rooms have been built to house the equipment and the 132 battery cells. The monitoring system has been replaced with a Datac 932 unit that operates directly over the cellular communications network to the central monitoring station in Dun Laoghaire. The dual band X/S racon (radar transponder beacon) is being retained.
A TS3 diesel generating set is being installed which can be switched on remotely from Dun Laoghaire to charge the main batteries if required; this generator will also provide domestic power for visiting personnel. Two of the three existing generators are being removed, the third being left as a back-up. The new light came into operation on 26 September 2003.
Extensive work has been done to improve the condition of the accommodation, and building conditioning is being provided using a Wallas oil fed heater. A similar system installed on Bull Rock has given good results in maintaining the condition of the accommodation during periods the station is unattended.
Sligo Leading Lights
Quite a challenging task was the solarisation of the leading lights at Sligo (Metal Man and Oyster Island) and discontinuation of the propane lights. Vega led lanterns, each giving a 7 mile range, have been fitted at both stations. The light on the Metal Man is powered using four BP 12 volt 50 Watt buoy-type solar panels mounted on the south facing side of the handrail, charging six Sonnenschein 80 Ah batteries fitted in a stainless steel battery box on the plinth.
The light and equipment on Oyster Island are powered using six Solarnova 12 volt 50 Watt solar panels mounted on the balcony handrail charging eight 80 Ah batteries. The lights are synchronised using GPS and monitored over the mobile phone network using a Datac 911 unit at Oyster Island with radio link to the Metal Man.
The new lights came into operation on the 13 March 2003.
Aranmore Lighthouse
Aranmore Lighthouse was automated in 1976. A major re-engineering and refurbishment project has just been completed in which new Venture 1kWatt discharge lamps have been fitted, and control systems replaced. New equipment and battery rooms were provided in the engine room, and the roof of the engine room has been replaced.
Maidens Lighthouse
The construction of a new mess room and improvement of the accommodation at the station was completed by our tradesmen and technicians during the year. New Venture 1kWatt discharge lamps, optic control systems, and a refurbished PRB22 optic drive have been installed as part of the re-engineering and refurbishment project at this station. The Datac 932 monitoring system now operates directly over the mobile phone system to the monitoring centre in Dun Laoghaire.
Work in Progress
It has been a busy year in the Engineering Department. The buoy project, in which buoy bowls are being modified in Dun Laoghaire and fitted with replacement aluminium superstructures, is progressing well. The differential GPS service continues to operate satisfactorily. Automatic Identification System (AIS) trials continue, with the emphasis on how these new devices can be used as aids to navigation and the added value they can contribute to the safety of mariners. All these tasks and operations can only be successful with the co-operation and enthusiasm of all our staff working as a team.
My thanks go to all the members of the Engineering Department for their contribution during the year.