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However, with keepers at the mercy of the weather, when the sea was rough reliefs were often postponed for days or even weeks.
Each keeper in turn was relieved (replaced) by another keeper, so each individual keeper was on duty for six weeks, followed by two weeks off. Keepers would even get calls from fishermen’s wives asking for updates on their husbands’ whereabouts at sea.Īt most offshore lighthouses reliefs were carried out every two weeks, weather permitting. While the keepers’ priority was the light and other Aids to Navigation, they also kept an eye on the water and on vessels that passed their way. Keepers would even get calls from fishermen’s wives asking for updates on their husbands’ whereabouts at sea. The compressor engines were so large it took two men to start them, and when running, they had to be constantly attended to and lubricated to ensure they ran correctly.
As the compressed air was continuously being used up by the diaphone, the compressor engine had to run continuously to produce more. The fog signal could be either an explosive, where the keeper on watch had to detonate an explosive charge at a set interval, or a diaphone signal – a siren activated by compressed air.Īt lighthouses with a diaphone fog signal, the keeper had to attend to a large diesel engine which made the compressed air that was then stored in a tank. Each keeper in turn spent the first four hours operating the fog signal and the next four hours tending the light.ĭuring periods of prolonged fog each keeper worked a 16-hour day – and night! However, the watches were changed every Sunday to make sure one keeper wasn’t on the same watch indefinitely.ĭuring daylight watch the keeper on duty looked out for fog, this was because during fog patches the watches were doubled, with one keeper operating the fog signal while the other tended the light. This meant the same keeper kept the 2am to 6am watch and the 2pm to 6pm watch. At offshore lighthouses and headland lighthouses, the three keepers on duty kept four-hour watches in turn.
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