Ve Skerries Lighthouse
9CGW95FQ+63
Name and Location
Construction and History
The Ve Skerries Lighthouse was first listed by the United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in 2011. Although its official name is "Ve Skerries Light", it is often referred to locally as simply "Ve Skerries". The managing authority of the lighthouse is not officially recorded, but most offshore lights in Shetland are maintained by the Northern Lighthouse Board of Scotland.
Architecture and Materials
The lighthouse is a steel-cylinder tower mounted on a concrete foundation. It stands 17 meters above base. The structure has an unpainted steel or light-colored finish.
Light and Navigation
The Ve Skerries Lighthouse emits a group-flash signal every 20 seconds, consisting of two white flashes with a sequence detail of 0.7 seconds flash + 2 seconds eclipse + 0.7 seconds flash + 16.6 seconds eclipse. The nominal range is 11 nautical miles.
Accessibility and Visiting
The lighthouse is not open to the public. Landing is only possible by boat in suitable sea conditions, as there is no harbour or jetty. There are no visitor facilities nearby, and the nearest road access is many kilometres inland on the west coast of Mainland, Shetland.
Notable Views and Landscape
The Ve Skerries Lighthouse stands at an exposed location, exposed to heavy seas and fog. The surrounding landscape offers a vast open North Atlantic horizon with no landmass within several miles to the west. Seabirds such as guillemots and fulmars are frequently spotted, along with occasional grey seals.
Anecdotes and Folklore
The Ve Skerries Lighthouse has a tragic history, being the site of the 1881 wreck of the schooner Braemar, resulting in loss of life. This incident helped raise awareness for the need for lights in the area.
Technical and Operational Details
The lighthouse is fully automated and unmanned. Maintenance visits are periodic by specialized light-vessel crews. The structure has a radar reflector and an electronic radar signature (Racon) category "T" emitter, providing an electronic signature for vessels equipped with radar.
Details
| Name | Ve Skerries Lighthouse |
|---|---|
| City | |
| Country | Uk |
| Coordinates | 60.3730568, -1.8123158 |
| Events | [object Object] |
| Stories | The reefs are notorious; in 1881 the schooner Braemar was wrecked here with loss of life—a tragedy partly responsible for calling attention to the need for lights in this area. |
| Construction material | "steel-cylinder tower mounted on a concrete foundation" |
| Tower height | 17 |
| Access description | only by boat in suitable sea conditions |
| Accessible | false |
| View description | open North Atlantic horizon; no landmass within several miles to the west |
| Guided tours | false |
| Light characteristic | "Fl (2) W 20 s" |
| Light range | 11 |
| Automated | true |