Bishop Rock Lighthouse Question

[LordWinston]

Hi All --

 

I am working on a story and I was wanting to know -- on a Westbound Atlantic crossing, how long does it take for a ship to make it from Southhampton out to the lighthouse on Bishop Rock?

 

Thanks,

 

Alan

[Karanja]

Hi All --

 

I am working on a story and I was wanting to know -- on a Westbound Atlantic crossing, how long does it take for a ship to make it from Southhampton out to the lighthouse on Bishop Rock?

 

Thanks,

 

Alan

 

++++++

Alan

If the ship leaves Soton at 5-6pm, it will pass south of Bishops Rock very early the next morning. I have made many westbounds and have seen it only on a couple of occasions.

Ted

[LordWinston]

So about 12 hours or so? I wonder if the ocean liners of old managed to make the journey with even greater speed. Any idea if the old Queen Mary sailed past more quickly? Thanks!!!

[Salacia]

So about 12 hours or so? I wonder if the ocean liners of old managed to make the journey with even greater speed. Any idea if the old Queen Mary sailed past more quickly? Thanks!!!

 

From what I've read, in the not too distant past, ocean liners made that journey with greater speed. I remember in the days of old (four years ago) when QM2 cruised at 30 knots through a sudden squall in the Caribbean.

 

That was a trip to remember! -S.

[bob brown]

If I recall, that is where the "official" timing began or ended on transatlantic speed records, the other end being at Ambrose Light at the entrance to New York harbor.

[Salacia]

If I recall, that is where the "official" timing began or ended on transatlantic speed records, the other end being at Ambrose Light at the entrance to New York harbor.

 

Oh very different...didn't they have the same goal post?

[Cruachan]

So about 12 hours or so? I wonder if the ocean liners of old managed to make the journey with even greater speed. Any idea if the old Queen Mary sailed past more quickly? Thanks!!!

Quite possibly she did - but you have to bear in mind that the greater part of the journey from Soton to the Bishop occurs in the English Channel and the Western Approaches. Traffic in that area is now subject to much stricter "rules of the road" than it was in those days, and speeds will be stricly monitored and controlled.

 

Here's a photo of the Bishop taken at the end of a westbound TA on 18 Sep last year. The photo was taken at 1706hrs BST with QM2 in position 49º 38' 4.4"N : 6º16' 12.7"W.

 

The original image was taken with a 300mm telephoto on a Sony Alpha 550 DSLR (equivalent to 450mm on a 35mm film camera) and was then heavily cropped in Photoshop (hence the grotty quality). The lighthouse was only just visible to the naked eye from Deck 14 (which, without actually shinning up the mast, was as high as I could get). From the promenade deck it was effectively below the horizon.

 

We berthed at the Mayflower Terminal in Soton at approximately 0630hrs the next day so I guess 12 hours is a good ballpark figure for that sector of the journey. Incidentally, I would really love to complete that part of the journey in daylight as several other of the great rock lighthouses are passed between the Bishop and Soton; theWolf Rock, the Longships, and Eddystone.

 

J

 

[Fifer]

Great technical wizardry, Jimmy.

[Karanja]

Here's a photo of the Bishop taken at the end of a westbound TA on 18 Sep last year. The photo was taken at 1706hrs BST with QM2 in position 49º 38' 4.4"N : 6º16' 12.7"W.

 

J

 

 

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Back in 1970 I stayed in the Isles of Scilly for a week, and one of the excursions I made was the monthly mail run out to Bishops Rock. With the Atlantic swells making the journey in a small boat rather an adventure, the mail, etc. was winched between the boat and the LH. Now, it would be unmanned.

Ted

[Cruachan]

Back in 1970 I stayed in the Isles of Scilly for a week, and one of the excursions I made was the monthly mail run out to Bishops Rock. With the Atlantic swells making the journey in a small boat rather an adventure, the mail, etc. was winched between the boat and the LH. Now, it would be unmanned.

Ted

 

Now that's one "cruise" I would really love to do. The Bishop Rock's been fully automated since 1992.

 

J

[lannp]

I checked my John Maxtone-Graham, "The Only Way to Cross".

The book says :

"In terms of strictest accuracy, first contact was near midnight with the sweep of light from Bishop Rock, western outpost of the British Isles and finish line for eastbound attempts on the Blue Ribband."

 

Linda

[LordWinston]

Thanks for all the info! What must have it been like to live on that little piece of land? I believe Bishop's rock has the Guiness world record for the smallest island with a man made structure on it.

 

Alan

[guernseyguy]

I wonder if the ocean liners of old managed to make the journey with even greater speed. Any idea if the old Queen Mary sailed past more quickly? Thanks!!!

 

While they had higher top speeds they had slower acceleration - you have to build up the speed of a steam turbine - IIRC on Normandie for example it took about 12 hours to get to top speed (not a problem with modern diesels/azipods) - one of the reasons they 'moved the goalposts' down to the end of the English Channel - and it also helped them get across in under "4 days".....if you ignored time taken to get to Bishop's Rock from Southampton, and Ambrose to the West Side Piers.......

[Karanja]

While they had higher top speeds they had slower acceleration - you have to build up the speed of a steam turbine - IIRC on Normandie for example it took about 12 hours to get to top speed (not a problem with modern diesels/azipods) - one of the reasons they 'moved the goalposts' down to the end of the English Channel - and it also helped them get across in under "4 days".....if you ignored time taken to get to Bishop's Rock from Southampton, and Ambrose to the West Side Piers.......

 

+++++

So add 12 hours transit Soton-Bishops Rock and another 2.5 hours Ambrose to West Side Piers to whatever the records were through the years.

[bob brown]

+++++

So add 12 hours transit Soton-Bishops Rock and another 2.5 hours Ambrose to West Side Piers to whatever the records were through the years.

The last time I sailed out of Manhattan, we made it to Ambrose and disembarked the pilot in just 2 hours. Of course sailing away from the pier can be faster than gently easing in.....

[Karanja]

The last time I sailed out of Manhattan, we made it to Ambrose and disembarked the pilot in just 2 hours. Of course sailing away from the pier can be faster than gently easing in.....

 

++++++

It is.

Ted