The Corporation of Trinity House Today
Today, Trinity House has three distinct functions:
The Trinity House Lighthouse Service
Trinity House is the General Lighthouse Authority (GLA) for England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar. Their remit is to provide Aids to Navigation to assist the safe passage of a huge variety of vessels through some of the busiest sea-lanes in the world.
Regular traffic ranges from nimble dinghies to mighty super tankers, which have stopping distances running to miles and turning circles to match. To meet their obligations, they deploy an impressive array of nearly 600 aids to navigation, ranging from lighthouses to a satellite navigation service.
Their responsibilities also include the annual inspection and auditing of over 10,000 Aids to Navigation provided by local port and harbour authorities and those provided on offshore structures such as production platforms or wind farms. Trinity House is also responsible for marking, and dispersing wrecks which are a danger to navigation.
Charitable Activities
A major theme of their long and distinguished history has been their care for mariners and their dependents. This work is financed entirely through our registered charities.
Trinity Homes
At the time of their first Royal Charter, they were already maintaining a number of almshouses for aged mariners and their dependents, near the Naval Dockyard at Deptford.
Today, they have 20 purpose-built retirement homes at Walmer in Kent. The homes are fitted-out with the elderly in mind and have recently been refurbished to include deck-level bathrooms and larger fully-equipped kitchens.
Cadet Training
The Trinity House Merchant Navy Scholarship Scheme provides financial support for young people seeking careers as officers in the Merchant Navy. Candidates must be between 16 and 18½ years old with a minimum of 5 GCSEs at Grade C or better, and must have passed the Department of Transport medical examination. They must also be British and permanently resident in the British Isles.
Cadets undertake a three or four year programme split between nautical college and time at sea in a variety of British-managed vessels. Cadets can train as either Deck or Engineer Officers or pursue a Marine Cadetship encompassing both disciplines.
Deep Sea Pilotage
Trinity House are authorised by the Secretary of State for Transport to licence Deep Sea Pilots. Although it's not compulsory to carry a Deep Sea Pilot, many ship's masters unfamiliar with Northern European waters like to employ their professional expertise to assist their bridge team.
If you would like to know more about the Corporation of Trinity House, please visit their website at www.trinityhouse.co.uk
