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Title: PHAROS 1957 LAUNCH OF THE PHAROS 1955

Reference number: 3727

Date: 1955 / 1957

Sound: silent

Original format: 16mm

Colour: col

Fiction: non-fiction

Running time: 18.25 min

Description: Launch of the Pharos VIII in 1955. 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. This ship was Built by Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Dundee and based at Granton. Followed by lighthouse inspection made in 1957 by the Pharos VIII, covering areas such as Dounreay, Suleskerry, Loch Harport, Idrigill Point, Hyskier, Staff, Iona, Mull of Galloway, Isle of Man, Ailsa Craig and Arran.

Written on card contained inside original can "1957 PHAROS. (FIRST ENTRY VERY INDISTINCT) MIGDALE BOWL ? BUUCHANNESS - STRATHY - DOUNRAEY - SULESKERRY - STACK - LOCH HARPORT - IDRIGILL POINT - MACLEOD'S MAIDENS & TABLES - HYSKIER - STAFFA - IONA - DHU HEARTACH - CORSEWALL - MULL OF GALLOWAY - LITTLE ROSS - ISLE OF MAN - AILSA CRAIG - ARRAN - WILLIE - CARPENTER - BOSUN".

The Pharos vessel featured in this film would appear to be PHAROS VIII in service 1955 - 1988. 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: [Launch of the Pharos VIII in 1955. This ship was Built by Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Dundee and based at Granton] Men and women outside in a industrial yard. The men are in their 'best' suits, the women are wearing fur coats and hats. (.08) Pan from the keel to the bridge of the Pharos as she lies in dry dock. Dockers can be seen among the well dressed men and women. (.27) Visual from the propeller to the stern. (.40) C/u of the wooden stocks along the keel, to the propeller. (.49) Gv's of the stocks, and ship in the dry dock. (1.09) Some of the dockers grouped at the keel. (1.14) Gv's of some of the men and women at the dock. One man is in full dress uniform. (1.52) C/u of a crafted piece of wood with a tiny axe blade fitted vertically to it by a hinge. Around the wood there are some strings. The axe blade is moved very slowly, and carefully to demonstrate the cutting action. (2.00) Bottle smashing against the bow, and men taking photographs. (2.05) Woman hitting the flat edge of the tiny axe blade, with a small mallet decorated with red, white, and blue ribbons. Two pieces of rope can be seen breaking away, and the ship moves down the slipway. (2.27) Ship in the water. (2.42) Gv's of the men and women at the launch. (3.03) Gv's of the empty slipway, and some dockers gathered by the ebb. Gv's of the dockers standing together laughing, and the men and women attending the launch walking by them. (3.26) Gv's taken from the deck looking out to the coastline from the ship. The rigging can be seen, and lighthouse men working on the lower deck. (3.43) Large arrangement of roses in a silver bowl / cup, on the ship. (4.00) Gv's of a lighthouse with one red stripe. (4.18) Gv's around a construction site. There is a lamp room at the top of a small concrete tower. The main construction area concerns the outbuildings, and the lighthouse keeper's accommodation. (4.49) Gv's of the views from the lamp room. The rocky coastline, and the barren landscape. (5.34) Gv's of the construction site. Red bricks on the ground. Three men standing talking [Dounreay](5.57) Dounreay. (6.06) White lighthouse. [Suleskerry] (6.15) Ship at anchor in the bay. (6.23) Visual of rail tracks for trucks leading from coast. (6.30) Pan out to sea. (6.47) C/u of two lighthouse men. (6.56) Gv's of puffins on the cliffs. (7.19) Man standing in the middle of the rail tracks. (7.23) Gv's of stacks in the sea, coastlines, and headlands. (8.27) Approaching lighthouse on a small piece of land. (8.52) Lighthouse men walking up to the lighthouse. Pan from the ground to the lamp room. (9.06) Visual of a slightly regimented rock formation. (9.19) Goats on the cliff top. (9.38) Gv's of stacks in the sea, headlands, and the coastline. (10.12) Gv's of lighthouse men climbing up some rock steps, separated from the plunge into the sea by a single piece of rope. Gv's of the block formations in the cliff, and water flowing in a geo, under ground. (11.05) Gv's of coastline. (11.19) Gv's of a small village on the coast. (11.36) Small lighthouse with a large red stripe in the middle, standing on a tiny stretch of rock. (11.51) A large white lighthouse visible through the fog. (12.03) Gv'[s of various lighthouse men on deck as the ship sails by a lighthouse on a headland. ( 12.37) Ship passing a lighthouse which is near sea level, and next to some small pieces of land. (12.59) Ship passing a large lighthouse with two red stripes. (13.17) Ship passing a small white lighthouse located half way down a cliff. (13.58) Lighthouse keeper and his dog, outside a white washed stone building. (14.04) Gv's of lighthouse men walking in the courtyard of the white washed building. (14.17) View of the lighthouse, ad its surrounding walls from a near by hill. (14.28) Lighthouse men walking along a muddy track. (14.46) Lighthouse men climbing down into a small motor launch. (14.53) Dull, concrete grey lighthouse perched on a skerry. Motor launch sailing towards it. (15.20) Gv's of a lighthouse on a headland, and the coastline. (15.31) Motor launch bouncing through the sea. (15.41) Gv's of a tall red and white lighthouse and lighthouse men walking between the buildings. (16.00) Two lighthouse men walking down some steps to a lighthouse on the shore. The camera pans from them to the top of the lamp room. (16.10) Gv's of the coastline,, taken from a high vantage point, probably a lamp room. (16.30) C/u of a lighthouse man. (16.40) Lighthouse men climbing up some steep steps to some white buildings. There are some red containers with pipes beside the buildings. (16.49) Gv's of a lighthouse on a low platform of a cliff. (17.05) Ship docking at a busy pier. The town can be seen in the background, and there is a sign with Welcome to the Isle of Man displayed at the pier head. (17.12) Large mountainous stack formation, with a lighthouse on a shore. (17.54) Man in a white dinner jacket, and black bow tie standing on deck (18.01) C/us of a lighthouse men on deck (18.25)

[Written on card contained inside original can "1957 PHAROS. (FIRST ENTRY VERY INDISTINCT) MIGDALE BOWL ? BUUCHANNESS - STRATHY - DOUNRAEY - SULESKERRY - STACK - LOCH HARPORT - IDRIGILL POINT - MACLEOD'S MAIDENS & TABLES - HYSKIER - STAFFA - IONA - DHU HEARTACH - CORSEWALL - MULL OF GALLOWAY - LITTLE ROSS - ISLE OF MAN - AILSA CRAIG - ARRAN - WILLIE - CARPENTER - BOSUN".]