ملف ٥٠/ ١٩١٤، الجزء ١٠، "الخليج الفارسي: الإضاءة والطافيات؛ توريد سفينة حفيظة على المنارة؛ السفينة نيارخوس" [ظ‎‎٢‎١‎٤] (٤٧٠/٤٣٣)

2
it is recommended (page 11) that the work be executed by experienced
lighthouse constructors from England. I have, therefore, assumed that all
lighthouses &c in the Persian Gulf will be erected by a Superintendent of
Works of the’’ Constructive Staff of Trinity House, and by lighthouse
mechanics where necessary, all skilled labour being procured from India,
and unskilled labour from the locality in which the work is being executed,
and that none of the lighthouses will be erected by contract.
Lighthouse Tender.
The necessity for the provision of a steamship to serve exclusively in the
capacity of lighthouse tender has been pointed out by the Committee of
Enquiry. The cost of construction and maintenance of this steamer would
form very considerable items in any scheme for establishing lights in the
Persian Gulf. Possibly, however, the Royal India Marine have at their
disposal an existing vessel which, if possible to release from other duties,
could at comparatively small cost be fitted and adapted for use as a lighthouse
tender for the district.
She should have a good hold and good deck accommodation for the
conveyance of stores and buoys, be fitted with storage gas receivers and
compressor for charging buoys or light vessels, and have a powerful winch
and derrick for dealing easily with weights up to 8 tons at sea. Her capacity
for water storage or distilling, as recommended by the Committee of Enquiry,
should not be overlooked.
Should a suitable vessel of the Royal India Marine not be available, and
it becomes necessary to build a new ship, with proper appliances and
permanent living accommodation for officers and crew, she would in all
probability require a displacement of approximately 800 tons. I estimate her
cost, delivered in the Persian Gulf after construction in England, at 30,000L
The Indian Government, from their own experience, will be able to estimate
what her annual maintenance would be in the East, but it would probably
amount to about 5,000b per annum, inclusive of wages, repairs, coal, stores,
and all charges.
The Committee of Enquiry recommend that one of the officers of the ship
should be a qualified surveyor, and I would further suggest that her Com
mander hold the appointment of Superintendent of Lighthouses, and be
responsible for the proper maintenance of all lighthouses, light vessels, and
buoys. The engineer of the ship should be fully trained to overhaul and
adjust all working parts of all lights, including clocks, rollers, buoy
flashers, &c., and be thoroughly grounded in the management and adjustment
of modern lighthouse burners.
Lighthouses.
As already stated, the order of navigational importance as tabulated in
the report of the Committee of Enquiry should, for constructional expediency,
be departed from to a slight degree.
In the opinion of the Committee of Enquiry, the first lighthouse in the
Gulf should be established at Little Quoin, Musandam. The establishment
of a lighthouse on Little Quoin, however, would be dependent on the
attendance of the lighthouse steamer ; and, if it is the intention of the
Government of India to proceed forthwith with a lighting scheme, I would
point out that, as the services of the steam tender are not required for the
construction and maintenance of the proposed works at Muscat, Linga, and
Debai, the establishment of these lights could be undertaken during the
period in which the proposed lighthouse tender is under construction or
adaptation. Then, on the arrival of the steam tender in the Gulf, the
construction of the Little Quoin lighthouse could be proceeded with ; and
considerable economy would be effected if Little Quoin and Tanb Island
lighthouses were built simultaneously, as they are close together, and could
both be attended to easily and conveniently by the ship, while allowing her
ample time to attend periodically to the requirements of any floating or other
lights that may meantime have been established in the Gulf.