Lightship No.93

[Keelman]

Looking very spruce in March 1967 on her departure from the river after receiving attention in dry dock at North Shields. ( the picture really should have included the tug towing her!).

Lightship No.93 was built for Trinity House by Phillip & Sons at Dartmouth, she served from 1938 until 2003 during which time she was stationed as follows: 1939 Galloper station ... 1941-42 The Thames (mine watching duties) ... 1947-53 East Goodwin station ... 1954-74 Galloper station ... (she was automated in 1981 and converted to solar power in 1996) ..1998 Inner Dowsing station ... 2000 Sunk station ...2001 Foxtrot 3 station ... 2004 sold for £20,000 at auction and converted into a photographers studio.

[magoonigal]

Now I could be wrong but all the clues point to her Not being towed by a Tug.

The launch next to her looks very much like one you would expect to find on a Trinity House Tender and they are probably in the process of taking off crew members helping with the undocking etc...

The chances are as well that she has just come out of the 'Haddock Shop' which was the name bestowed on the Dry Dock by the Dolphin Quay Flats. The Haddock Shop was offially named initially as the Shields Engineering Company and later renamed Shields Dry Dock and Engineering Company. It was called the Haddock Shop because all the Trawlers used to use it, and came under the wing of Smith's Dock Co Ltd in 1954.