In the mid-twentieth century, there were many experiments to provide long-lasting sources of power for buoy lighting. Replacing batteries or gas at sea was hazardous and costly work Many options were tried such as seawater generators. An interesting one was the ‘Atomic Buoy’, powered by the radioactive isotope, Strontium-901U.S. Naval Institute. ‘The Atomic Buoy Experiment’, 17 August 2020. https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2020/august/atomic-buoy-experiment. This was an American experiment but there may also have been a British version, yet to be found.
U.S. NAVAL INSTITUTE PHOTO ARCHIVE
- 1U.S. Naval Institute. ‘The Atomic Buoy Experiment’, 17 August 2020. https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2020/august/atomic-buoy-experiment
Image Credits and Sources
- Atomic-buoy-experiment-1: Batteries being loaded into the Atomic Buoy at Curtis Bay, Maryland, in December 1962. U.S. NAVAL INSTITUTE PHOTO ARCHIVE