Ve Skerries Lighthouse, off Shetland

Ve Skerries Lighthouse

Ve Skerries Lighthouse was built in 1979 and designed by R J MacKay. It is an automated lighthouse constructed in pre-stressed, reinforced concrete and anchored into the bedrock using post-tensioned steel bars. The lighthouse stands on the remote and exposed Ve Skerries, located northwest of Papa Stour, southwest of St Magnus Bay on the west coast of Shetland.

The tower is 16 metres tall and stands on a round, tapered concrete plinth, accessed by concrete steps from the skerry. A concentric rail surrounds the base of the lighthouse, and two reinforced concrete galleries with railings and handrails are provided. External metal ladders with safety cages connect the galleries to the lantern room. The lantern room contains a battery-powered light with a range of 11 nautical miles. The triangular storm panes are made from polycarbonate sheeting. Solar panels are attached to the gallery railings, and a RACON (radar beacon) is mounted on top of the lighthouse. A concrete helipad is built into the rock a short distance away and connects to the lighthouse via a concrete walkway.

Historical Context

Ve Skerries was built as an automatic minor light in 1979 and was the last significant rock station built by the Northern Lighthouse Board in Scotland. The Ve Skerries are dangerous for passing vessels due to unpredictable currents and shallow water. Many ships have been wrecked on these rocks over the centuries.

A lighthouse on Ve Skerries was considered as early as 1863, but the remote location and extreme weather made construction very difficult. In 1894, Commissioners from the Northern Lighthouse Board landed on Ve Skerries to assess feasibility, but had to make a hasty retreat when the weather turned quickly. They estimated that a stone-built, pillar-style lighthouse like those at Bell Rock and Skerryvore would have cost between £50,000 and £60,000 and taken several years to build. Instead, a lighted buoy was placed off Ve Skerries.

From 1915, a temporary light on a cast iron tower at Esha Ness, 16 kilometres northeast of the skerries, provided some warning. A permanent concrete-built lighthouse station was constructed at Esha Ness in 1929. However, this did not entirely resolve the danger. On 29 March 1930, the steam trawler Ben Doran was wrecked on Ve Skerries with the loss of its entire crew. In June 1932, a gas-powered light buoy with a wave-operated whistle was placed off the north end of the reef.

The construction of a lighthouse directly on Ve Skerries was prompted by the wreck of the diesel trawler Elinor Viking in early December 1977. In December 1978, the Northern Lighthouse Board announced that a lighthouse would be built on Ve Skerries. Work began in May 1979. Due to the remoteness of the site and difficult sea conditions, all workers, materials and equipment were transported by helicopter daily from the construction site base at Esha Ness, a distance of around nine miles.

A major factor in the decision to build the lighthouse was the threat posed by increased oil-tanker traffic associated with Sullom Voe oil terminal. The lighthouse was completed in 11 weeks by engineers from CHAP Construction (Aberdeen) under the supervision of R J MacKay, chief engineer at the Northern Lighthouse Board. Ve Skerries was first lit in September 1979.