Lightship Museum, Museum ship in Esbjerg Harbor, Denmark
The Horns Rev lightship is a museum vessel in Esbjerg Harbor that once guided maritime traffic in the North Sea. Its red hull with white stripes and working motor represent its long service as a stationary aid to navigation.
Built in 1912 at a Danish shipyard, the vessel served as a navigation aid along the coast for several decades. After decommissioning, it left its original station and was eventually relocated to the harbor to become accessible to the public.
The vessel bears the name of Horns Rev, a dangerous sandbank off the coast, and displays through its equipment how sailors lived in remote waters. The exhibition tells of daily routines aboard and the challenges of life on a ship that endured for decades without connection to land.
The museum sits at the harbor and is best visited in good weather when exploring the decks is comfortable. Sturdy footwear is recommended since the vessel has narrow stairs and confined passageways throughout.
The vessel was among the largest wooden ships of its era and one of the few that employed a diesel engine. This combination of wooden construction and modern propulsion made it a rare example of maritime engineering from the early 1900s.
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