Spurn Head Lightship

Find out about the old Spurn lightship, now open to visitors and moored at Hull marina. History and visitor information...

This is not a lighthouse as such, but the lightship has been a very important part of the lighthouse and shipping history around Spurn Head. It is also a fascinating tourist attraction these days, now moored in Hull Marina (where it is no longer operational).

Find out more about the Spurn Lightship

• Where?
  • It was originally positioned 4.5 miles east of Spurn Head, near to sandbanks - where 30 vessels had already been wrecked
  • Now: Moored in Hull Marina, where it is open to the public as a museum


• When?
  • The ship was built in Goole in 1927, at a cost of £17,000
  • The ship had no engine, so was towed into position in November 1927


• What?
  • The Spurn lightship was one of 5 lightships operating along the Humber, protecting vessels up and down the river.
  
  
  • It was built of steel, with the intention of being "practically unsinkable". With this aim in mind, it was built with 7 watertight compartments
  
  
  • The crew lived on board, below deck. There were:
    • 4 sleeping berths
    • a kitchen and galley stove
    • a washing area
  
  
  • The crew had to be self sufficient. They cooked for themselves in the kitchen area. Food was supplied by the families of the crew. It arrived every Wednesday in a supplies ship. Of course, the crew were able to supplement supplies by fishing, or buying food from passing ships. Emergency rations were, of course, always kept to hand.
  
  
  • The crew kept watch for passing ships in shifts.



• History
  • During WWII:
    • The Spurn lightship was moved to the middle of the Humber.
    • It was only allowed to show its light for HM ships and Merchant Navy ships, and only then on days with 2 dark tides and with much reduced lighting
    • The crew would sit in darkness, and use torches to check the identity of approaching vessels
    • Even with all these precautions, the lightship was still unlucky enough to be fired on by machine gunners from German aircraft
  
  
  • 1959
    • Spurn lightship went for a refit.
    • A new Spurn lightship was built.
    • The original Spurn lightship was moved to the 'Bull Shadows' position on the Humber - and became known as the 'Bull Light Vessel'
    • It was retired in 1975
  
  
  • 1983
    • The council restored the lightship to its original condition, from when it had been the Spurn lightship
  
  
  • February 2007
    • The lightship was opened to the public at Hull Marina as a museum.

Visiting Spurn Lightship

You can now visit Spurn Lightship at Hull Marina, to see how the crew lived and worked, and find out more about the history of the lightship, and the area.

Admission is Free
Open Weekends only
Closed between October and March
Visit the Hull City Council website ...
or call:
01482 593902
01482 613902
for more information.

Find out more about Spurn Point

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