Latest Find: A Genuine Ship Searchlight

Owning a true piece of sailor history - a definite unique find

Ship searchlights have been used since 1882 during the Franco-Prussian war, becoming widely used by 1907. Being used to dazzle gun crews to assist attacks, as key signalling devices, assist landing parties, locate attacking torpedo boats, engage nightly battles between nearby enemy units, these items have a rich and rather incredible practical history.

Other than this, interestingly, in the First World War, they were also used to create 'artificial moonlight', a practise which allowed night attacks to be executed by reflecting searchlight beams off clouds. Normal moonlight was used as 'movement light', thus artificial moonlight needed it's own distinction.


Of course, they now have varying uses in the entertainment industry, as advertising, festivals, fairs, and other large-scale events. The largest, in fact, resides in Las Vegas, on top of the pyramid shaped Luxor Hotel - the brightness from the Luxor lamp room is considered to be twice the brightness of an equally sized area of the sun's surface - that's pretty incredible!

 This particular piece is English, made of brass, and mounted on a polished steel tripod. It is quite the conversation piece - especially if you have an area in your home that requires quirky or interesting nautical pieces, this could be perfect for you. A curious child could find this fascinating (especially if he's particularly fond of his grandfather's old war stories!), or a young adult who's especially into their topical history.

This piece isn't too large, standing at 150cm high, 38cm wide and 24 deep - this could easily be placed in a corner, alongside a fireplace in your lounge, next to a bookcase in a study, or be placed in a curved staircase corner, for example.

It has plenty of character, is still mobile and still able to be swiveled - this could be the ultimate conversation piece for your home.

To have a look at this item, check this page out:
http://interiorboutiques.com/en/ship-search-light

For more items from this dealer, Hudson Antiques, find their Interior Boutiques page here:
http://interiorboutiques.com/en/hudson-antiques

For our website, click this link:
http://interiorboutiques.com/Home/index

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Searchlight