OLD LIGHTSHIP - THE KITTIWAKE [HAS BEEN SCRAPPED]

OLD LIGHTSHIP - THE KITTIWAKE [HAS BEEN SCRAPPED]

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[UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2017] If my source is correct this little red ship was scrapped back in 2012 … what a pity!

 MORE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THIS LITTLE RED SHIP...

[UPDATE AUGUST 2011] Dublin docklands property developer Harry Crosbie has been refused permission to relocate the former lightship Kittiwake in front of the O2 Theatre, according to a report in the Irish Times. Crosbie had intended to convert the 1959 built Kittiwake into a café and bar after raising the vessel from her River Liffey berth and position onto the campshire of North Quay Wall, opposite the music venue. Dublin City Council told Crosbie that consent for the use of the campshires for the bar had not been agreed to by the board of the Dublin Dockland Development Authority (DDDA), which owns the quays, "and that said permission will not be forthcoming".

[OCTOBER 2010] Old Lightship (Kittiwake - There Must Have Been Two with The Same Name). Built 1957/59 by Philip & Son, Dartmouth; length 134 feet, breadth 25 feet, depth 15 feet; constructed of steel; cost £124,128; remains in Service, converted to automatic light float 1981. Sold out of Service in 2007. Now moored beside the Point Depot in Dublin. I was delighted to read in the Sunday Times that this little red ship could be used as a tourist attraction. According the the newspaper Harry Crosbie, owner of the Dublin 02, is seeking permission from Dublin City Council to raise the 500-ton lightship, Kittiwake and place on the quayside opposite The 02 Theatre. Currently the lightship is berthed nearby the East-Link road toll bridge and acts as a notable floating feature to countless daily commuters. I was very surprised to read the the Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL) sold the 1959 built lightship to Harry Crosbie more than three years ago. If Harry's plan for the the former lightship is given a thumbs up, the vessel would act as a "welcoming point" for cruise tourists. Subject to planning permission, the lightship would undergo a re-conversion project to create an open-plan café bar for a period of five years. The veteran vessel would also have its lighthouse light restored and would "beam" across the docklands and entertainment venue. The lightship would maintain its customary 'red' hull with Kittiwake written in neon on the side.

[APRIL 2009] Kittiwake (were they two with the same name?) Built 1957/59 by Philip & Son, Dartmouth; length 134 feet, breadth 25 feet, depth 15 feet; constructed of steel; cost £124,128; remains in Service, converted to automatic light float 1981. Sold out of Service in 2007. Now moored beside the Point Depot in Dublin.

[FEBRUARY 2009] For Sale: The Kittiwake Lightship At The O2