Anti-aircraft Searchlight -Licence?

[Guest Papav66]

Just re-posting some of the lost data on this interesting thread.

 

I reported that Bob James of the South Midlands MVT had recently (March 2008) purchased some WW2 searchlights & thought that you needed a licence to operate so I asked the question. Didn't want to get in trouble for dazzalling a pilot.

 

The answer was Yes, the Civil Aviation Authority need to be given 28 days notice & completion of document CAP736, available on the CAA site:

http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP736.PDF

 

Here's a pic of the lights prior to restoration.

[Guest Papav66]

Then found a few B&W pics along with a restored example

[Guest Papav66]

a little more on the history of this pair of:

 

Anti-aircraft Searchlight 90cm 18kW

Built between 1938 to early 40’s by General Electric in the U.S. to help anti-aircraft gunnery crews search for enemy aircraft during night-time air attacks, but also to provide `Artificial Moonlight` by directing the beam at low level cloud. During blackouts this made driving without lights & river crossing etc. much easier; also known then as `Movement Light`. Classified as either fighting (concentrated beam) or observation (dispersed beam) defence electric lights.

 

ILLUMINATION

Powered by a Lister generator at 90 watts at 120 amperes. The brilliant beam produced was not from a bulb but by electricity jumping from a positive carbon rod to negative one causing a bright arc of light. During the time the arc is running, the carbon rods burn down & need constant adjustment to keep the gap just right for the arc. The carbon-arc, is then magnified by the large concave mirror, producing a 2 billion candlepower beam of light up to 5 miles (8 kilometers). As a high temperature was generated these would have been cooled by an electric fan on top of the casing.

Installations

Fixed fortifications, mobile trucks and ships. There were also 120cm & 150cm versions.

 

PERSONNEL

Many women of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) were charged with operating these searchlights during air raids. The only all-female Royal Army unit operated 90cm searchlights.

 

LIGHT CONES

When a searchlight found a Jerry bomber, two other searchlights would also turn to him, so that the Jerry was on a ‘cone’ of lights. As the Jerry flew on he was ‘passed along’ to the next searchlights, always ‘coned’ with three lights for as long as possible. This was to give the AA guns and fighters a good target.

 

Ultimately radar became the preferred method of target acquisition. Advances in radar technology late in the war saw the integration of radar into both searchlight and AAA gun designs. Anti-aircraft artillery accuracy was at stake, both from tactical & economic points of view. In 1940, in England, it took an average of 20,000 rounds of ammunition to down a single enemy aircraft! The demand for more accurate methods of engaging, tracking, & destroying aircraft, especially at night, was driven by the need to destroy more targets without expending lots of ammunition.

 

HISTORY

The pair of lights here originally formed part of an aircraft detection system to guard the approach to Liverpool’s harbour as most of the supplies & troops from America came into Liverpool. After the war they were no longer required & sold off to a pleasure beach in Rhyl, Wales to create a night time display up until the 1970’s, when they were replaced by modern lasers & put into storage. Bob James then purchased them in March 2008 as a restoration project.

[LeeEnfield]

Cheers for posting above info,............Interesting subject,.......and one thats been by-passed I guess by most of us.

[Rlangham]

Interesting, thanks for that - i'd always wondered how the Campaign Against Aviation stood on the matter of searchlights. Does anyone have any photos of WWI searchlights? Can't imagine they'd have differed that much

[Papav66]

Restoration work has now started on these two searchlights, but we are missing the top fans and housings, so if anyone knows of any sitting around then please let me know. Thanks Paul

[Guest catweazle (Banned Member)]

:-DGreat stuff where you been hiding you slacker.:-D

[6 X 6]

Fascinating subject, thank you for posting the wonderful 'photos and interesting detail. Cheers.

[LarryH57]

Go on have a guess when this type of pre-war searchlight stopped being used on active duty by the British Army?

[ArtistsRifles]

1950's???

[woa2]

Go on have a guess when this type of pre-war searchlight stopped being used on active duty by the British Army?

 

The Acton branch of the TA was the last to be using Search Lights operationally and that was in the late 1970s as they provided lights for the Royal Tornamount one year. I was there and it must have been 1975/6/7. Can't remember the exact year. They stopped using searchlights a couple of years later, I beleive.

[LarryH57]

Later!

 

49 HG 92

 

Ex-Searchlight Operator RE (retired)

(B2 Trade)

[LarryH57]

WOA2 you are right!

 

Until 1977, 873 Movement Light Sqn RE (V) had been equipped with pre-war 90 inch Carbon Arc Searchlights, as used in the Blitz, which it had used since its formation in c.1947! The old Carbon Arc Searchlights were mostly dated from 1938 and each was mounted on the back of a Bedford RL towing a pre-war 15 KVA Lister Generator trailer. As you can imagine these ‘Searchlight portee and trailer’ combinations were very unwieldy and difficult to manoeuvre in to position at night.

 

So during 1978 the unit re-equipped with new AN/TVS-3 30-inch Xenon Searchlights imported from the USA. The Xenons wererated at 800 Million Candle Power; more than double the power of the Carbon Arcs.

 

(After the Xenons arrived the old Searchlights were retained by ‘873’ for ceremonial duties including lighting up events at Wembley Stadium, Horse Guards Parade and Buckingham Palace till about 1985?)

[Papav66]

Thanks for replies, v interesting.

 

We are still cleaning them up & will post as we progress.

[Guest catweazle (Banned Member)]

Seen at Fort Nelson Portsdown Nr Fareham.

[Papav66]

interesting to see with generator, intend to visit that Fort in summer as have friends I can stay with nearby on the coast so that will make the trip more worthwhile, thanks.

[morris c8 fat]

here are some of The Garrison s being re fittedhope you like them

[Guest catweazle (Banned Member)]

interesting to see with generator, intend to visit that Fort in summer as have friends I can stay with nearby on the coast so that will make the trip more worthwhile, thanks.

Its well worth a visit especially if they have some re enacting going on.will pot a lot of pics.you could even get a ride on a certain boat that lurks in the area.:-D

[LarryH57]

When doing the lighting for a military band events on Horse Guards Parade in the 1980's we mounted our carbon arc searchlights on scaffold towers on three sides of the square in advance and then turn up for each perforance over a few nights. It was great fun having such a good view and seeing the Blues & Royals & Guards in action often in the presence of the Queen.

 

To incident spring to mind -

 

The Lister generators were parked round the corner to keep the noise away from the crowd during the event. One night after going home we left one of the Lister Generators running and when one of the Squadron returned the next day it was still running!

 

Once when I was working in Central London , I said to the lads I'll meet you up at Horse Guards rather than go all the way out to W3 and back. So I went to HG with my kit in my ruck sack and sat down on a Lister Generator right next to the rear of 10 Downing St. As I was in civys at the time a Policeman asked me what I was doing. I told him I was with 873 Mvt Light Sqn RE but he didn't like me being there so told me to move on. So I walked over to the gents toilet in St James and changed in to my uniform and then walked back to the Listers and started removing the covers and getting them ready, without interference, while the same Policeman looked on!

[Richard Farrant]

The Lister generators were parked round the corner to keep the noise away from the crowd during the event.

 

Those Lister gennys were a lovely piece of kit, so easy to start with the half compression cocks, think they worked at about 900 rpm. It was amazing how long a service life they had.

 

The Meadows 27.5 kva was another good one although I much prefered the Listers.

[ArtistsRifles]

I remember the Meadows 27.5 KVa's - used to tow a couple behind the Militants in 215 wilst on exercise. Those things could power a small town!!

 

Although - to be honest - I've no idea why we lugged them around - we were an Engineering support unit and had no use for them, invariably dropping them off at an RAMC unit or similar.

[Papav66]

Please can morris C8 fat post a clearer pic of the searchlight trailer as would like to know if its the same as one I have just located, thanks Paul

[Guest catweazle (Banned Member)]

Its not like the picture in the Fort Nelson thread is it?

[Tony B]

This is Keith's searchlight. Any help?

[Papav66]

thanks for pic, yes it does look similar but will have to go back & compare & take a closer look underneath those sleepers, cheers Paul

[Tony B]

Any time:-D