Squeaky bridge on LV18, Harwich, 2016

Light ships are rather curious and interesting vessels, and there aren’t that many that you can step aboard. At Harwich Quay though is moored LV18 which has a rich history not only as the last ever manned light ship, but also as a place for radio broadcasts. There is plenty to see and learn on board, with lots of memorabilia of the broadcasting days, but it’s also interesting to see how the crew would have lived whilst out at sea at up to a month at a time.

Whilst inside the stern of the ship I could hear a strange noise. It took me a good five minutes and a bit of investigation to work out what it was. As the tide was coming in, the ship was raising up and consequently the foot bridge used to gain access from the quay was going at a steeper angle. This was causing it to make some straining noises, which were then being filtered through a small portal into the ship. I put the recorder inside the portal to capture the sound.