Video

History: Lamp-Lighters Of The Sea (1961) | British Pathé


published on 18 May 2020 -  97 -

Found on YouTube, Created by "British Pathé"
Sailors are seen demonstrating the process of maintaining lightships, boats that acts as anchored lighthouses, and the 'street lamps of the sea' , buoys, in this colourful footage from 1961.

For Archive Licensing Enquiries Visit: https://goo.gl/W4hZBv
Explore Our Online Channel For FULL Documentaries, Fascinating Interviews & Classic Movies: https://goo.gl/7dVe8r

#BritishPathé #History #Sea #Ocean #Sailor #Ships #Boats

Subscribe to the British Pathé YT Channel: https://goo.gl/hV1nkf

(FILM ID:139.15)
Harwich, Essex.

Various shots of a Trinity House ship, The Vestal, leaving the harbour. It moves out to the Thames Estuary and moors alongside a light ship called 'Tongue'(yes, really!). Various shots as the anchor chain on the light ship is pulled in and replaced with a new one. Our ship pulls away from the light ship and moves off to find some buoys, "those street lamps of the sea".

Various navigation shots; a man on the bridge plots the course; C/U of the course being marked on a map. The Captain signals to the engine room as the ship approaches a buoy in the sea. Two men stand on the buoy and attach a winch to it; the buoy is hoisted aboard.

Several shots show the cleaning of the hanging buoy; seaweed and mussels are sloughed off the base, chain and anchor and thrown back into the sea. The cleaned buoy is then lowered back into the water.

Note: there is no print for this issue. Correspondence on file about the filming of this story between Pathe and Trinity House, plus notes on the sequences filmed.

Cuts exist - see separate record.

BRITISH PATHÉ'S STORY
Before television, people came to movie theatres to watch the news. British Pathé was at the forefront of cinematic journalism, blending information with entertainment to popular effect. Over the course of a century, it documented everything from major armed conflicts and seismic political crises to the curious hobbies and eccentric lives of ordinary people. If it happened, British Pathé filmed it.

Now considered to be the finest newsreel archive in the world, British Pathé is a treasure trove of 85,000 films unrivalled in their historical and cultural significance.

British Pathé also represents the Reuters historical collection, which includes more than 136,000 items from the news agencies Gaumont Graphic (1910-1932), Empire News Bulletin (1926-1930), British Paramount (1931-1957), and Gaumont British (1934-1959), as well as Visnews content from 1957 to the end of 1984. All footage can be viewed on the British Pathé website. https://www.britishpathe.com/
Harwich, Essex.
What's your opinion on this?
Login or register to write comments and join the discussion!
Read more...

Video Maritime Piloting in the 17th-Century

published on 25 June 2022

Many people wonder how ships made it across entire oceans without getting lost in the seventeenth century. Aaron introduces seventeenth century navigation to us today by beginning with piloting.

0

Video Look at Life - City of Sailors - Portsmouth - 1965, UK

published on 18 March 2021

Look at Life - City of Sailors - Portsmouth - 1965
Portsmouth is no longer the sea-faring city it once was; this film from the Documentary Series "Look At Life" Volume 5 - Cultural Heritage in 1965 looks at its changing face.

0

Video British Sea Pilot's 1960: Vintage History Vault Films.

published on 27 July 2026

Step back in time to the height of Britain's maritime influence with this look at the unsung heroes of the shipping industry: the sea pilots. In the 1960s, as global trade patterns shifted and shipping technology began its rapid evolution, British sea pilots remained the vital, trusted guides navigating the world’s most complex waterways. From the treacherous currents of the River Mersey to the bustling ports of the coast, these men held the legal conduct of massive vessels in their hands,...

1

Video Japan Federation of Pilots' Associations (partly animated)

published on 23 June 2021

This is a video designed to educate people about pilots and their work. It consists of an animated version and a live action version.

5

Video 2006 Port of London Pilot Capt. Tom Miller - Hebridean Princess

published on 22 November 2023

In 2006 I was invited to join Port of London Pilot Capt. Tom Miller on one of his last few voyages before his retirement. A pilot cutter ferried us from the Gravesend Port office to the Port of London Terminal where the Hebridean Spirit waited for us to board. Once aboard, the ship's captain manoeuvred the vessel off its moorings and into the channel. After handing the vessel over to Capt. Miller, the Captain joined the ship's company for dinner, and the first offer and a helmsman remained...

0

Video How Cargo Ships Navigate the World's Most Treacherous Bay

published on 10 December 2025

Play World of Warships for Free! Click my link to join the battle and unlock exclusive rewards. https://wo.ws/SamEckholm For over 150 years, the San Francisco Bar Pilots have guided the world’s largest ships through one of the most dangerous stretches of water anywhere on Earth. In this episode, I'm taking you out to sea with the pilots to see what it actually takes to navigate these vessels through the Golden Gate. Follow Along Here: --------------------------------------------- 📸...

1

Video The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway Shipping System

published on 16 October 2022

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System is a 2,340 mile “marine highway” that extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. This integrated navigation system serves mariners, farmers, factory workers, and commercial interests from the western prairies to the eastern seaboard. Today, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System serves as a Key Supply Chain for the world’s 3rd largest economy. Visit greatlakesseaway.org/our-system/ to learn more!

0

Video MV ULTRAMARINE inbound Port Everglades.

published on 12 September 2026

MV ULTRAMARINE inbound Port Everglades. Join me as I pilot the containership MV ULTRAMARINE to her berth in Port Everglades. #harborpilot #ship #maritime #porteverglades #job

0

Video German Pilot Tender Döse

published on 15 September 2021

#maritime #pilot #ship

0