The Lightship Museum (Danish : Museumsfyrskib) in the harbour of Esbjerg in southern Denmark consists of a private museum open to the public on board the Horns Rev lightship. Dating from 1912, the Horns Rev, also known as Motorfyrskibet Nr. I, is the world's oldest and best preserved motor lightship. It houses a highly regarded exhibition of life and work on board. [1]
The world's largest and best preserved wooden lightship, Motorfyrskibet Nr. I, was built at the Rasmus Møller shipyard in Fåborg. The contract was signed in June 1912 and the ship was delivered on schedule in August 1914. From the beginning it was intended to serve shipping from the Port of Esbjerg. Apart from short periods when it was stationed elsewhere or undergoing maintenance, it spent most of its working life off Esbjerg, first at Vyl Station or at Horns Rev Station where it last served in 1980. Both these positions lie west of Esbjerg in the North Sea. [2] Its final period of service was off the island of Møn (at Møn SE Station) from 1981 to 1988. In 1989, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Culture, it was acquired by Fonden til bevarelse af Motorfyrskib Nr.1 (Foundation for the preservation of Motor Light Vessel No. 1). It opened as a museum in July 1990. [3] [2]
The positions the lightship served at Horns Rev and Vyl, which indicate one of the most dangerous reefs in Danish waters, have now been replaced by light buoys. [4]
Built of oak, the ship has a length of 33.582 m (110.18 ft), a breadth of 6.826 m (22.40 ft) and a draught of 3.478 m (11.41 ft). Its displacement is 342 tonnes. It originally had a 125-horsepower, two-stroke engine which was later replaced with a three-cylinder, 180-horsepower diesel engine. Initially, the light could be hoisted up and down the mast and could be prepared for use on deck but it was later permanently secured at the top of the mast. [2] It was displayed amidships from a round lantern. The ship's hull is painted with the colours of the Danish flag: red with a white horizontal band and a vertical white stripe. [5]
Located at Esbjerg's new area "Havneøen" at the northernmost end of the harbour, the museum ship is open to visitors from May to August, Monday to Friday, 11 am to 4 pm. [6] It features an exhibition illustrating in detail the role and importance of Denmark's lightships. [7]
Odense is the third largest city in Denmark and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2024, the city proper had a population of 183,763 while Odense Municipality had a population of 209,078, making it the fourth largest municipality in Denmark. Eurostat and OECD have used a definition for the Metropolitan area of Odense, which includes all municipalities in the Province of Funen, with a total population of 504,066 as of 1 July 2022.
Ertholmene is a small archipelago in Denmark. The largest island is Christiansø, whose name is often used with reference to the entire archipelago. Ertholmene are situated 18 kilometres (11 mi) northeast of Gudhjem, Bornholm, and include Denmark's easternmost point. Two of the islands, Christiansø and Frederiksø, are inhabited, with a combined permanent population of 91. The archipelago has a total area of 39 hectares. Its name is derived from the Danish for "pea islands".
A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, the first modern lightvessel was located off the Nore sandbank at the mouth of the River Thames in London, England, and placed there by its inventor Robert Hamblin in 1734. Lightships have since become largely obsolete; being largely replaced by lighthouses as construction techniques advanced, and by large automated navigation buoys.
Nyhavn is a 17th-century waterfront, canal and entertainment district in Copenhagen, Denmark. Stretching from Kongens Nytorv to the Inner Harbour just south of the Royal Playhouse, it is lined by brightly coloured 17th and early 18th century townhouses and bars, cafes and restaurants. The canal harbours many historical wooden ships.
The United States lightship Huron (LV-103) is a lightvessel that was launched in 1920. She is now a museum ship moored in Pine Grove Park, Port Huron, St. Clair County, Michigan.
Light Vessel Number 83 (LV-83) Swiftsure is a lightship and museum ship owned by Northwest Seaport in Seattle, Washington. Launched in 1904 at Camden, New Jersey and in active service until 1960 after serving on all five of the American west coast's lightship stations, it is the oldest surviving lightship in the United States, the only one still fitted with its original steam engine, and the last lightship with wooden decks. LV-83 was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989, and has been undergoing major restoration since 2008.
LV-117 was a lightvessel of the United States Lighthouse Service. Launched in 1931, she operated as the Nantucket lightship south of Nantucket Shoals. Moored south of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, the lightship was at the western part of the transatlantic shipping lane and the first lightship encountered by westbound liners approaching New York Harbor. On May 15, 1934, one of these liners, RMS Olympic, rammed and sank LV-117, killing seven of her crew.
North Carr is the last remaining Scottish lightship. She is 101 feet (31 m) in length, 25 feet (7.6 m) in beam and 268 tons.
Esbjerg is a seaport city and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is 71 kilometres (44 mi) west of Kolding and 164 kilometres (102 mi) southwest of Aarhus. With an urban population of 71,505 it is the fifth-largest city in Denmark, and the largest in West Jutland.
Lightship Overfalls (LV-118) was the last lightvessel constructed for the United States Lighthouse Service before the Service became part of the United States Coast Guard. She is currently preserved in Lewes, Delaware as a museum ship.
Svaneke Lighthouse is located southeast of Svaneke harbour on the Danish island of Bornholm. The overall height of the tower is 18 metres (59 ft).
Lightvessel No. XVII Gedser Rev is a decommissioned lightvessel built in 1895, now serving as a museum ship in Helsingør, Denmark, having formerly been stationed in the Nyhavn Canal in Copenhagen. It is owned by the National Museum and takes its name after Gedser Rev south of Falster where it was stationed most of its working life.
Orehoved is a small harbour town in the north of the Danish island of Falster. It grew up mainly as a result of the railway and ferry services in the late 19th century. As of 2024, it has a population of 450.
The Esbjerg Performing Arts Centre is a concert hall with theatrical facilities in the centre of Esberg in southwest Jutland, Denmark. Completed in 1997 to designs by the Utzons, it forms part of a complex which also contains the Esbjerg Art Museum. Its two auditoriums host classical concerts and drama productions.
The Esbjerg Art Museum is an independently owned art museum in Esbjerg in southwest Jutland, Denmark. Founded in 1910, in 1962 it moved into a new building in the City Park designed by Jytte og Ove Tapdrup. Since 1997, the museum has formed part of a complex which also contains the Esbjerg Performing Arts Centre.
Sædding is a district of Esbjerg in southwest Jutland, Denmark, some 5 km (3.1 mi) northwest of the centre and 5 km (3.1 mi) southeast of Hjerting.
The Port of Esbjerg on the southwest coast of Jutland is a competitor to Aarhus and Hamburg for freight. Built by the State in 1868, it was once Denmark's principal fishing harbour but today has become Europe's leading port for shipping offshore wind turbines.
Commonwealth Lightship 4 (CLS4) Carpentaria is a lightship that was in service from 1917 to 1985 with the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service, built at the Cockatoo Island Dockyard and commissioned in 1917. The vessel is named after the Gulf of Carpentaria, where it spent most of its service life together with its sister ship CLS2.
Dana was a Danish research vessel, best known for the circumnavigation of the world in the third Dana expedition 1928–1930. It sank in 1935 after a fishing vessel collided with it in fog.
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55°28′58.7280″N8°24′38.7000″E / 55.482980000°N 8.410750000°E
