CLS4 Carpentaria, Lightship in New South Wales, Australia
CLS4 Carpentaria is a steel lightvessel on display in Darling Harbour, New South Wales, Australia. Painted red with its name in large letters on the hull, it has a single mast topped by a light beacon and a riveted hull built for staying anchored in one spot.
Built in 1917 at Cockatoo Island Dockyard in Sydney, the vessel was one of four unmanned lightships ordered after the Australian government took over lighthouse services. It was later moved to Bass Strait in 1983 and retired from duty in 1985.
The name painted on the side comes from the Gulf of Carpentaria, the northern waters where the vessel spent much of its working life. Sailors learned to recognize the ship’s red hull and the pattern of its light flashes as a familiar signal in difficult passages.
Visitors can view the vessel from the wharves around the Australian National Maritime Museum, as boarding is not permitted. Walking along the waterfront gives a clear look at the hull and deck from different angles.
Unlike most lightships that had crews aboard, this one was designed to operate unmanned, with its bell chiming automatically from the ship’s rolling motion in fog. Its light ran on acetylene gas for many years, producing flashes visible from about ten miles away.
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