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Title: MV PHAROS

Reference number: 3725

Date: 1955

Sound: silent

Original format: 16mm

Colour: col

Fiction: non-fiction

Running time: 17.01 mins

Description: Lighthouse inspection made in 1955 by the Pharos VIII [although there is a possibility it is one of the last outings of the Pharos VII?]Main duties of this Northern Lighthouse Board Ship included the delivery of stores and supplies, buoyworking and the statutory inspection of the navigation aids on oil rigs in the Scottish sector. Starts at North Carr Lighthouse and finishes in Oban.

The Pharos vessel featured in this film would appear to be PHAROS VIII in service 1955 - 1988 [although there is a possibility it is one of the last outings of the PHAROS VII, in service 1909 - 1955?] Main duties being the delivery of stores and supplies, buoyworking and the statutory inspection of the navigation aids on oil rigs in the Scottish sector. It was built in 1955 by Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Dundee (507) and based at Granton. As of 2000, it was still in service , the owners being International Maritime Resources Ltd, registered at Port of Spain.
Information from Northern Lighthouse Board website with acknowledgement made to Graeme Somner - http://www.nlb.org.uk/historical/ships.htm [last accessed 09/07/2020]

This film is part of the Northern Lighthouse Board Collection. See refs. 3720, 3725 - 3737 and 9946

Shotlist: Life belt MV PHAROS LEITH . (.07) Bass Rock lighthouse. (.15) Unidentified lighthouse just visible behind a hill. (.24) Lighthouse men removing ropes from a davit. (.49) Men watching and working as a boat is lowered into the water. At this point the boat cannot be seen. (1.04) Red lightship, called the North Carr. (1.14) Captain (?), at the ships telegraph. (1.21) The North Carr, then the ship with a small motor launch driving to dock with the lighthouse inspection ship. (?). (2.07) Lighthouse men in full uniform climbing up the stairs onto the deck. (2.33) Two lighthouse men on deck. (2.42) Gv's of the landscape, and buildings near a lighthouse. (3.04) Lighthouse men climbing up a step ladder to get into the trailer of a pick-up truck. (3.29) Visual of landscape leading down to a cliff point. (3.42) C/u of the ext.'Lamp Room'. (?). (3.49) Lighthouse men on deck beside a life boat. (4.00) Gv's of various coastlines. One has a brough by sea. (4.21) View of the approaching coastline taken through all the rigging at the bow of the ship, a lighthouse can be seen through the cables. (4.31) Life boat style motor launch speeding towards a harbour. The main concentration of village buildings can be seen. (4.47) Man in a suit standing on the ship with the houses of the village in the background. (4.53) Three lighthouse men standing on the deck of the ship, one man is filming the large rock, with lighthouse on top, with his amateur cine camera. (5.10) Lighthouse men in the motor launch speeding towards the rock with the lighthouse on top. (5.26) Gv's of the rocky coastline. (5.36) Motor launch sailing into the rock channel, and docking. Large wooden crates are loaded onto the motor launch. (6.25) Man fishing off the side f the ship with a single line. He brings on board a fish. (6.37) Two men in uniform lean on the deck rail. (6.50) The lighthouse that was visited can be seen in the background. (6.58) Gv of two different lighthouses. One is perched on a low small rock, the other has red stripes. (7.19) Coastlines. Some flat, some hilly. (7.55) A lighthouse is just visible on the ledge of a cliff. (8.05) Lighthouse man attaching the pulley onto t he motor launch, and raising the boat back to the davit. (8.20) View of a cliff and a stack from the deck of the ship. Some details of the deck can be seen. (8.28) C/u of a cliff face. (8.36) Gv's of various cliff faces. (8.54) View from the deck of the back wash from the ship as it sails. (9.01) Gv's of a cliff face. A lighthouse can be seen in the distance. (9.10) Two lighthouse men standing on deck. One man his holding a cine camera in the palm of his hand. (9.16) Gv's of the coastline. One scene of cliff and stack, the other has the misty grey/blue impression of a mountainous landscape in the background. (9.36) Lighthouse men on the ship working with the ropes that lower the motor launch / life boat (?). The boat cannot been seen. A lighthouse is in the background. (9.46). Views of two lighthouses as the ship sails by. (10.15) C/u of some of the lighthouse men. Two men are wearing white uniform caps. The other man is looking beyond the camera, and the landscape can between in the background. (10.35) Lighthouse men, two boys, and a dog can be seen at the bottom of a lighthouse. Camera pans revealing that the lighthouse is very short. (10.51) L/s of lighthouse men climbing from the pier into the motor launch. The two boys are on the pier also. (11.05) C/u of one man in full uniform. (11.16) Coastline from the ship, seagulls. (11.52) Birds eye view of a Land Rover approaching the lighthouse. Pan over the barren hills, and cliff faces. The camera pans down and demonstrates the shear drop. (12.16) Gv's of the Pharos from the motor launch as it approaches the vessel. (12.40) Gv's of the remote villages. The ships approaches one village. The bow can be seen in many of these images. (13.12) Lighthouse man standing looking out to sea. The ship Pharos can be seen sitting in the bay. (13.20) Men working by steps, that lead to the water. Barrels can be seen in the background. (13.28) One of the lighthouse men standing by what appears to be a concrete wall and some scaffolding. (13.44) C/u of two workmen / labourers working with cables / ropes. The men are both smoking. (13.52) Four workers / labourers standing by bags, rock, and a cement mixer. (14.00) Worker / labourer climbing down some steps on a concrete large block wall. (14.02) Pan up to see the lighthouse under construction. The outer walls are built, however no windows or finishing can be seen (14.08) Man tipping a bag of sand into the cement mixer. (14.15) Gv's of the lighthouse under construction. (14.28) Lighthouse men walking by the bottom of the lighthouse. (14.38) L/s of the lighthouse under construction as the ship sails away. (14.52) Motor launch being hauled back to the davit. (14.57) In the foreground, the ships wheel and stern are clearly seen, however in the background, the lighthouse under construction is visible. (15.11) Two lighthouse men leaning on the ship's rail. (15.21) Coastline in the distance. (15.27) C/u of a man wearing a white apron outside with some seagulls behind him standing on a line. (15.34) Man wearing the lighthouse white cap, washing a window. The camera is at the other side of the glass he is washing. (15.40) Gv's of men looking towards the town they are sailing towards. (15.51) The small motor launch / life boat is swung around over the deck. (16.08) Visual of the houses on the coast as the ship sails in. (16.14) Man in lighthouse uniform smiling at the camera. (16.18) Visual of the funnel and flag on the ship. (16.24) View of Oban and McCaigs Tower as the boat approaches (16.31) Coastline. (16.40) Gv's of various members of the lighthouse men (17.01)