#ship lanterns

Ships had large lantern fitted on their sterns. These were particularly useful when sailing in a fleet at night, because they allowed the ship astern to keep her station. Large ships, of the third rate and above, usually carried three lanterns. In 1722 it was ordered that fourth rates should also have three, but in 1804 it was decided that ships below the first rate needed only two, except when they were fitted as flagships. It is clear from this order that a private ship lit only the two outer lanterns, even before the middel one was abolished. These gave the following ship some indicattion of how far away the other ship was, and relative aspect.

Sovereign of the Seas (1637), a 100-gun three-decker ship of the line (x)

The middle one served solely to identify the flagship. In the 17th century, the centrkal lantern was far bigger than the other two. It was especially large on prestige ships, such as the Sovereign of 1637. It was quite easy to mount this lantern centrally aft of the taffrail, but in the first half of the century the mounting of the other two caused problems. The stern itself was very narrow, so the outside lanterns had to be mounted above the quarter galleries, where they were considerably lower than the central one, and could possibly be obscured by it at certain angles. By about 1650, after the stern had become yet wider, they were mounted on the outer corners of the taffrail. In the early 18th century the stern tended to become yet wider, and the lanterns were mounted a little way in from the quarter, so that their position in relation to one another remained unaltered.

Lantern of HMS Victory,1765 (x)

Early 17th century lanterns were usually hexagonal in plan, with parallel sides. Around 1650 the spherical lantern made its appearance, and it became the most common type for the next 40 years. It was made up of scores of tiny panels of mica. Because of developments in the glass industry, larger panels of plate glass became available towards the end of the century, and in the 1690s the parallel sided hexagonal lantern came into use again. In 1702 all ships were to fitted with stern lights and gallery lights, ranging with those of the stern, made of stone ground glass. By about 1707 the lantern had developed into a standard shape, hexagonal in plan, with a base which was narrower than the top, and a curved roof which carried roof which carried some decoration , this remaind standard until the early 19th century. Each stern lantern was supported by a bracket leading aft from the poop.

Detail of Peter Pett and the Sovereign of the Seas, by Peter Lely 1645 -50

Large ships were fitted with three lanterns at the stern, one mounted centrally and the other two on the outer corners of the taffrail. These were lit by large candles. Their shape changed from hexagonal to spherical in 1650 and they were made of dozens of mica panels, but this changed again in 1690 when they switched to plate glass and the lanterns became hexagonal again.