The westernmost of the two southern boat pits of Khufu’s pyramid was likely the first constructed. Containing what is characterized as Solar Ship Khufu II, the limestone excavation encompassed a wooden trove of the disassembled Royal Vessel. This lead craft was headed West with the sail-less Khufu I and its ceremonial oars ‘in tow’. This traditionally oriented east to west configuration is recognized as being Solar Boats following the conventional “course of the Sun-god's journey” (see S. Hassan, Excavations at Giza VIA, p. xiv).
Above this pit were placed 40 limestone ‘cover stones’ (excluding the eastern two “key stones”); near the middle of these blocks was #21 that presents two (2) royal cartouches of King Khufu on its West face.
Khufu Cartouches Lower Left and Upper Right West Face
These kingly shen are half of the four present at this location. Additionally, there were eleven (11) belonging to Khufu’s successor, Djedefre, [the Khufu I pit held another eighteen (18) Djedefre specimens]. Speculatively, this may suggest that the western pit of Khufu II was under construction during Khufu’s lifetime.
Cover stone #21 could possibly be representative of a ’transitional stone’, indicating the time of the King’s death. This western boat may have been the King’s Royal working transportational vessel at Akhet Khufu. It is the first known boat to have been built with metal fittings for oarlocks. Toward the end of his reign, with the bulk of the Project’s construction complete, including the permanent Royal Palace, Khufu’s health may have waned to the point that he no longer traveled on the Nile, or its waterways.
Quote
”The ships were buried for the use of the deceased king who was supposed to travel in a barque of his own across the night and day sky. In the night, the convoy of ships was under sail, during the day the convoy of ships was thought to be rowed. Each convoy was lead [sic] by the ship, which was specialized for its particular journey. During the night the Night Barque [Mesektet] was at the head of the convoy, during the day the Day Barque [Mandjet] took over the lead of the naval convoy.
An exact attribution of the boats interred in the boat graves either to daily or nightly navigation can be attempted for the ship burials of Khufu. The boat graves located to the south of the pyramid of this king contain two ships, both for the day journey. Both ships are oriented from east to west and are marked as oared ships. The western pit represents the pit of the leading ship and contains the Day Barque while the eastern pit contains the ship of the rear position, which is the Night Barque…”
Funerary Boats and Boat Pits of the Old Kingdom, Hartwig Altenmiiller, Hamburg, page 284
Sources: The Boat Beneath the Pyramid, The Journal of Egyptian Studies Vol.18, 2012, Khufu’s Second Boat, Pharaoh's Boat (Solar Barque), The Royal Ship of Khufu, Solar barque explained
Dr. Troglodyte