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The Bishopstone Coastguard Lookout
By Roger Turner
The Coastguard Lookout Station, perched on the cliff top at Bishopstone, Herne Bay, had been a familiar landmark to yachtsmen, commercial fishermen and anglers in the Thames Estuary for over 50 years.
Known popularly as The Lookout, it was built in 1946 and manned by auxiliary coastguards until its closure, through lack of Government funding, in 1984. Derelict, targeted by vandals and, through coastal erosion, becoming ever closer to the cliff edge it was demolished in 1999. The routine was for a team of duty watchmen to carry out six-hour shifts during unfavourable weather. The area of vision covered over 30 miles, from east of Margate to the River Swale at Faversham.
A flight of stone steps led to the watchroom, which was equipped with a powerful brass telescope, later replaced by binoculars, a telephone and a chart of the estuary. Heating was by paraffin, lighting was supplied by 12v batteries and its water supply was rainwater.
An auxiliary coastguard for 31 years, Peter Hoare recalls that his starting wage for a six-hour shift was 15/- (75p). “District officers,” he says, “were pretty hot on checking out that you weren’t asleep at night while on duty and would turn up without notice.”
As the sea was used far more for recreation than it is today, the list of incidents recorded in the Lookout’s logbook reveal almost every predicament. There were numerous cases of boats breaking down and requiring a tow. Other mishaps involved capsizes, sinkings, stranding on sandbanks, anchors dragging and even boats on fire. Southerly winds blew holidaymakers on lilos out to sea. Rowers lost oars and sailing boats were dismasted. Before radio contact came into common use a variety of signals were used to attract attention. These included hoisting an item of clothing – in one case a pair of trousers – to the top of the mast, waving arms or at night flashing a torch.
Called out by the watchmen in an emergency were Margate, Sheppey and Whitstable Lifeboats, an RAF rescue helicopter from Manston or local fishermen who were members of the Herne Bay Coast Rescue Company.
In one memorable event, on Sunday June 25th 1967, 40 of the 48 sailing dinghies taking part in a Herne Bay Sailing Club/Hampton Pier Yacht Club regatta capsized when a severe gale sprang up from the South. Two helicopters from Manston operated a shuttle service until all the competitors had been picked up from the water and safely landed ashore. John Heathcote, whose pleasure boat Kingfisher had acted as rescue boat for the event, managed to tow back through heavy seas many capsized and dismasted dinghies which had been swept miles offshore.