While off duty, three USCG Nantucket/LV-112 crew members (Paul Sabo on right) take a plunge off the lightship into the sea while anchored in over 200 feet of water on Nantucket Shoals Lightship Station during the summer of 1973.
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Lightship duty brought unusual adventures, like swimming in shark-infested waters. Nonetheless, many crew members were reluctant to go swimming on Nantucket Shoals Lightship Station because the area is a favorite swimming location for hungry sharks. Throughout the years while on Nantucket station, it was strongly recommended that if someone goes for a dip in the water off the lightship, another crew member should remain on watch for sharks, either on the weather deck or in a deployed lifeboat, armed with a firearm. As far as we know, there were never any shark attacks on Nantucket Shoals Lightship Station. However, it was not uncommon to catch as many as 15 large sharks in a day, as seen in the photos below. Photos: Courtesy of Paul Sabo, 1973 |
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Left: Paul Sabo swims next to Nantucket/LV-112 on Nantucket Shoals Lightship Station. Right: A large possibly Mako shark being hauled up onto the weather deck of LV-112. In addition to sharks, the crew saw many other types of sealife such as whales and dolphins. It was not uncommon for large whales to rub their backsides against the lightship's keel.
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Shark caught off LV-112 stern on Nantucket Shoals Lightship Station, 1959. Photo: Bob Gubitosi
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Good-bye summer — Hello fall |
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Students and teachers from the Adams Alighieri Summer Learning Academy in East Boston were back on board LV-112 this summer for one of their summer program field trips.
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Another active summer with Nantucket/LV-112 is behind us, and we now are preparing for a lengthy visit from Jack Frost. In the past months, we had many visitors from around the world, especially from our nearby community. Education was a key component for many youths and adults who visited the Nantucket. Virtually everyone who came on board LV-112 learned about maritime and cultural history, weather/environment, nautical crafts such as marlinspike seamanship, team-building and much more.
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The Adams Alighieri Summer Learning Academy presented the U.S. Lightship Museum (USLM) with this certificate of appreciation at their Summer Learning Academy closing ceremony, for hosting them on Nantucket Lightship and participating in their summer school learning program this past summer. The academy runs every summer for local youths. It’s a great program that introduces youngsters to a wide range of new learning experiences via field trips.
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Rogalia Cruz Estrada, the community field coordinator for the Samuel Adams Elementary School, stands in LV-112's pilot house. Rogalia coordinated the Adams Alighieri Summer Learning Academy program.
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Students examine various LV-112 artifacts and marlinspike tools and materials on board Nantucket/LV-112.
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Volunteer Mike Walling teaches LV-112’s young visitors common knot-tying techniques.
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Mike explains to students on board LV-112 the various tools and techniques utilized in marlinspike seamanship crafts. Instructional handouts with illustrations of marlinspike seamanship techniques are given to students to take home.
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Nantucket/LV-112's off-season visiting hours
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F rom April through October LV-112 is open to the public on Saturdays, 10am — 4pm, while LV-112's ongoing restoration is in progress. However, LV-112 is available for individual and group tours on all other days throughout the year (weather permitting). Regular visiting hours and days will be increased as LV-112's restoration nears completion. For more information, please contact us via email at: rmmjr2@comcast.net. |
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2022 Maritime Beach Festival |
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The USLM participated in the Harborkeeper’s 4th Annual Maritime Beach Festival held at Constitution Beach in East Boston. Our booth included interactive educational exhibits and artifacts — a fun day of learning for all, young and old. Also attending was the U.S. Coast Guard with one of their rescue boats, and there were marine fisheries activities, SCUBA diving booths, environmental exhibits, games, music and more. |
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USLM volunteer Cindy Baxter helps curious USLM exhibit booth visitors with questions about Nantucket/LV-112.
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Visitors fall under the spell of a friendly pirate from the past — could it be the ghost of “Black Sam” Bellamy, the wealthiest pirate in recorded history? Whoever it was, he was very helpful to the children, explaining the USLM's block-and-tackle exhibit “Work Smarter, Not Harder.” The equipment for this hand-on exhibit was generously donated by Westerbeke Fishing Gear Co., East Boston. |
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The USLM’s block-and-tackle exhibit “Work Smarter Not Harder” is a favorite with the youngsters at the festival. |
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A big thank-you to our volunteers and contributors! |
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A special thanks goes out to our volunteers for their ongoing commitment and support helping with tours, administration, education, restoration and preservation projects, putting a lot of their time and effort into helping the USLM this past season. We also want to express our gratitude to our many financial supporters and in-kind donors who donated material, supplies and professional services. Without the support of volunteers and donors, Nantucket Lightship/LV-112 would not be afloat. Thank you all!
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The USLM is sincerely grateful for the funding support that the City of Boston and its Community Preservation Act committee, the Massachusetts Historical Commission and theNational Park Service have provided towards Nantucket Lightship/LV-112’s restoration and preservation. The amount of funding through their grant programs has been transformational in helping us make the ship's restoration a reality.
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USLM volunteers (left to right), Cindy Baxter, John Rogers, Mike Walling and Rob Nickologianis greet event participants on Nantucket/LV-112.
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Left to right: Adam Iversen, a technical representative/project manager from the Marine Systems Corporation (MSCorp), and Ross Dekle from the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) review the MHC grant project work onboard Nantucket/LV-112’s port-side, double-hull passageway. MSCorp donated a large portion of its project-management services to this particular project. It also was contracted by the USLM to survey and recreate the structural drawings/plans for the structural restoration work performed on Nantucket/LV-112’s interior bow section, performed during LV-112’s dry-docking in 2020-21. Copies of LV-112’s original builder’s blueprints could not be located, so new drawings had to be recreated through reverse-engineering of the structural components of LV-112's ballast tanks in the bow section. For more information about MSCorp, click here.
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Joe Mongrain, a long-time USLM donor who recently visited Nantucket/LV-112 in Boston Harbor, stands next to LV-112’s main engine, an 8-cylinder 900hp Cooper-Bessemer diesel. Joe was introduced to Nantucket/LV-112 in 2010 when he worked at Cameron International, based in Houston, Texas. At the time, Cameron owned Cooper-Bessemer. Cameron and Joe became generous committed donors to LV-112’s restoration project. In fact, Cameron sent one of their Cooper-Bessemer technicians to survey LV-112’s Cooper-Bessemer engine for restoration feasibility. The last time the engine ran was approximately 30 years ago and is fortunately serviceable for future operation. However, many other power support systems and structural hull components need to be restored prior to operating the main engine.
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Boston Harbor Shipyard & Marina (BHS&M), located on the East Boston waterfront, is Nantucket Lightship/LV-112’s homeport berth. This photo looks towards the Seaport District. Prior to the BHS&M, the shipyard was the Bethlehem-Atlantic Works (also known as Simpson Plant), a commercial shipyard facility (1853-1984) where Nantucket/LV-112 used to be dry-docked as a commissioned USCG lightship. In fact, many previous Nantucket Lightships were dry-docked for maintenance and repairs in East Boston. Nantucket/LV-112’s berth has been generously donated by the BHS&M since 2010.
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This is Bethlehem-Atlantic Works/Simpson Plant) prior to 1984. It is presently the Boston Harbor Shipyard & Marina (BHS&M). In the photo are two floating dry-docks and several service cranes. Today, LV-112 is berthed at the end of the longest pier in the photo. |
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This 1948 photo at the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp. Ltd. (Simpson Plant) in East Boston shows a floating dry-dock with a cargo ship inside on blocks, out of the water and being serviced. For more information about the history of dry-docks, click here. Photo: Digital Commonwealth/Leslie Jones
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Nantucket/LV-112 was dry-docked in 1967 inside the WWII-era graving dock at the Bethlehem Atlantic Works Shipyard, which today is the BHS&M.
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Nantucket/LV-106 in dry-dock on a marine railway, East Boston, c. 1930. Photo: Leslie Jones
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After 47 years, 1936 memorial bronze plaque returns to Nantucket/LV-112
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The Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum (NS&LM) returned this 1936 bronze memorial plaque to the USLM in September 2022. The plaque had been removed from LV-112 when the lightship was transferred from Boston to Nantucket Island after decommissioning in 1975.
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When the USLM acquired Nantucket/LV-112 in late 2009, the ship’s builder’s plaque was missing. In addition, we discovered another plaque was missing from the historic Nantucket/LV-112 — a memorial plaque commemorating the death of an “Ace Flying News Photographer” who drowned near the lightship when the plane he was piloting crashed into the sea. The photographer, Edwin Thompson Ramsdell (Eddie), shown at right, was photographing the RMS Queen Mary when she was inbound for New York City, shooting from the aircraft. But it became caught in the majestic ocean liner’s powerful downdraft, off its stern section, causing the plane, a Ballanca Airbus, to plunge into the ocean. The plane’s passengers were rescued from the water, but Eddie Ramsdell did not survive. For more information about the incident, click here.
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In October, former USCG LV-112 crew members Ken Kubic (LV-112, 1973) and Bob Burbank (LV-112, 1959) reinstalled the builders plaque on board LV-112.
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The two missing plaques were discovered by a USLM volunteer, Loren Peters, who had traveled to the USCG Historian’s office in Washington, D.C. to conduct some LV-112 research. During the process, he located a 1975 newspaper article that showed two USCG officers presenting LV-112’s builder’s plaque to the Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum (NS&LM), an affiliate of the Egan Maritime Institute. We found it to be very puzzling. Why did the USCG remove the lightship’s plaques and give them to the NS&LM when LV-112 was berthed in Nantucket Island Harbor as a museum ship?
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Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum, an affiliate of the Egan Maritime Institute, Nantucket Island. |
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After contacting the NS&LM regarding the plaques, they graciously offered to return them to LV-112. The builder’s plaque was returned several years ago, and the Ramsdell plaque was returned in September 2022, when USLM President Bob Mannino went to the NS&LM and gave a presentation about U.S. lightship history and Nantucket Lightship/LV-112. The NS&LM/Egan Maritime Institute is very impressive and has an outstanding exhibit about Nantucket Lightship in addition to other unique shipwreck and lifesaving-related exhibits. Our host was NS&LM Director and Curator Charles Allard. For more information about the NS&LM, click here.
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Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum entrance poster features a special exhibit: “Gallant Guardians—the Nantucket Lightships.” Photos: Ron Janard |
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This actual lifesaving ring was recovered from the 1934 collision of the RMS Olympic (RMS Titanic sister ship) and Nantucket LV-117, the predecessor ship to LV-112. Also shown is a scale model of LV-117, crafted from scratch by a USLHS LV-117 crew member — First Mate C.E. Mosher, one of four survivors from the horrific collision and the only one to go back to sea. The life-ring was used by one of the collision’s survivors. For more information and images about the historic collision, click here.
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Two former LV-112 crew members reunite after 49 years
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Former USCG LV-112 crew members (left to right) Paul Sabo and Ken Kubic, who served together on Nantucket/LV-112, 1972-73, stand in the ship's pilot house.
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It’s been 49 years since former USCG crew members, Ken Kubic and Paul Sabo served together on Nantucket Lightship/LV-112 from 1973-74. Ken presently lives in western Massachusetts and is an active LV-112 volunteer. Paul lives in Connecticut, and this was his first visit to LV-112 since 1973. Last month the two former crewmates reconnected on board their former ship. Below are USCG photos (left to right) of Ken and Paul, who submitted many photos to the USLM chronicling his service on LV-112. Because there are so many photos, we will publish them in consecutive issues of our eNews. Paul kindly wrote a summary about his unique time and experience — from peaceful and serene to terrifying and dangerous — serving on Nantucket/LV-112 (also referred to as the “Nanny”). Click here to read.
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In these 1973 photos, Ken Kubic (left) is climbing LV-112’s mast to perform maintenance on the main rotating light beacon while on station, and Paul Sabo (right) is standing next to LV-112’s two mushroom anchors while being serviced in a floating dry-dock in East Boston. All photos: Paul Sabo
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Nantucket/LV-112, anchored on Nantucket Shoals Lightship Station in 1973, rides the high seas during storm conditions.
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Looking aft while Nantucket/LV-112 rocks and rolls during stormy weather on station, Paul Sabo leans against LV-112’s fog horn support on the top deck of the horn room.
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Nantucket/LV-112 anchored on Nantucket Shoals Lightship Station during a calm serene sunset with its main rotating light beacon on.
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Help support LV-112's restoration when you shop on Amazon with AmazonSmile
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What is AmazonSmile?
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support the efforts of the U.S. Lightship Museum and Nantucket Lightship/LV-112 every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you'll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to the U.S. Lightship Museum, among nearly 1 million organizations from which to choose. The U.S. Lightship Museum is a registered and approved AmazonSmile charity. For more information on how to participate click here.
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How you can
help Nantucket/LV-112's
light beacon keep shining
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All electronic donations will be securely processed by PayPal |
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Attention lighthouse lovers
If you love lighthouses and want to learn about these guiding lights and navigational aids all over the world, then The Lighthouse Directory is the website for you. It provides an astounding amount of information, linking to more than 17,200 of the world's lighthouses. Russ Rowlett, Adjunct Professor of Mathematics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, compiled the directory with the assistance of hundreds of lighthouse fans around the world who have enriched this site with their own information and suggestions. For a long time, Rowlett tried to maintain a list of lighthouses from his many friends and contacts, but it had grown too long (and too out-of-date) to display on the comprehensive site. Rowlett offers special thanks to Michel Forand for his suggestions and editing, touching essentially every page of the directory, and Jeremy D'Entremont, Ted Sarah and Klaus Huelse, each contributing in vital ways.
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The Maine Lighthouse Museum
Another unique educational resource for U.S. lighthouse history, lifesaving and lightship services is the Maine Lighthouse Museum (MLM), located in Rockland, Maine, the heart of the midcoast. Last October, the U.S. Lightship Museum presented a PowerPoint presentation at the MLM about U.S. lightships and Nantucket/LV-112. The mission of the Maine Lighthouse Museum is to educate the public regarding the longstanding traditions, heroism and progress of America's lighthouse and lifesaving services and the U.S. Coast Guard through the conservation and interpretation of the nation's most significant collection of lighthouse and lifesaving artifacts. From sparkling lighthouse lenses to heartwarming stories of the keepers and their families, the Maine Lighthouse Museum is truly America's lighthouse museum. For more information, log on to the Maine Lighthouse Museum or call 207.594.3301.
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Support LV-112's restoration!
Become a USLM member today
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For a gift of $1,000 or more, donors will receive a limited-edition, fine-art print of the SS United States passing Nantucket Lightship/LV-112 by marine artist Gerald Levey.
Discover the value-added membership benefits when you become a member of the U.S. Lightship Museum (USLM). The USLM is a member of the Council of American Maritime Museums (CAMM). All USLM members will be granted reciprocal privileges (free admission) at participating CAMM institutions. For more information about the benefits and the USLM Membership program, click on USLM Membership.
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ACK Marine & General Contracting, LLC
American Express
Amex Industrial Services, Inc.
Association of Public Safety Communications Officials – Atlantic Chapter
BAE Systems
Bluefin Robotics
Boston Forge & Welding Corp.
Boston Harbor
Shipyard & Marina
The Boston Foundation
ThreeBees Fund
Boston Marine Society
Burnham Associates, Inc.
Burnham Marine
California Public Safety Radio Association
Cameron International Corporation
Charitable Adult Rides and
Services, Inc.
City of Boston
Community Preservation Act
C/J Towing & Recovery
Claflin & Son
Nautical Antiques
Crandall Dry Dock Engineers
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Capt. Robertson P. Dinsmore Fund
Donahue, Tucker &
Ciandella, PLLC
East Boston Foundation
Eastern Bank Charitable
Foundation
Eastern Salt Company
Egan Maritime Institute,
Nantucket Shipwreck &
Lifesaving Museum
Fitzgerald Shipyard
Foss Maritime
Friends of the
Boston Harbor Islands
H&H Propeller, Inc.
J. Hewitt Marine
Electrical Services
SR Johnson Fund
Kelly Automotive Group
H.F. Lenfest Fund
The Lightship Group, LLC
Marine Systems Corporation
Massachusetts Historical Commission
McAllister Towing &
Transportation Co.
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC)
Joe and Pepette Mongrain
Fund
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National Park Service
Save America's Treasures
National Trust for
Historic Preservation
New England
Lighthouse Lovers
New London Maritime Society and Custom House Maritime Museum
Patriot Marine, LLC
The Sail Loft, LLC, Nantucket
Sherwin-Williams
Industrial Marine Coatings Division
State Street Corporation
T & M Services
Town of Oyster Bay,
Long Island, NY
U.S. Coast Guard Lightship Sailors Association
West Marine
U.S. Lighthouse Society
Westerbeke Company
USLM Members
Verizon Foundation
Zuni Maritime Foundation
USS Zuni / USCG Tamaroa
Individual Donors
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Nantucket/LV-112
Proudly made in USA
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USLM is a member
of the following organizations
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Teach children about lightships
with the book Lightship
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Editorial From School Library Journal
Kindergarten–Grade 2: Lightships were anchored where lighthouses could not be built. They protected our ocean harbors as well as points along the Great Lakes. The last one (Nantucket/LV-613) was decommissioned in 1983, so this fascinating picture book is a piece of nautical history. Brian Floca's watercolor drawings depict daily life aboard one of these vessels, cooking, sleeping, working, all the while rolling with the rhythm of the waves. Many hazards were involved. Big ships came too close, anchors lost their mooring, and weather caused many problems. But when the fog rolled in, the lightship sprang into action. Lights flashed and horns sounded, allowing ship traffic to make it "through fog and night, past rocks and shoals, past reefs and wrecks, past danger." The drawings are very detailed. Some pages are collages of small scenes. Many are full spreads. The sailors' facial expressions are amusing to watch, and the resident cat appears on almost every page. The front and back endpapers show a cutaway view of one of the vessels. This fascinating, little-known slice of history should prove interesting to every child who loves big boats.
-- Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI (review originally published by Reed Business Information, Inc.)
The book Lightship, by Brian Floca, can be purchased on Amazon.com. For more information about lightships, click on Brian Floca's blog.
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Poem posted on LV-112 while in service on Nantucket Shoals Lightship Station
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"When a sailor gets to thinking
He is one of the best
Let him ship out on a lightship
And take the acid test.
And if he feels like bragging
I don't think that all of his tales
Will be of deep sea sailing
But of the ship that never
Sails!"
Poem provided by Peter Brunk, USCG-Ret., Commanding Officer, Nantucket/LV-112, 1970-71, who serves on the USLM Board of Directors.
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This comprehensive New England shipwreck website is a helpful resource for SCUBA divers, maritime history researchers and enthusiasts. The site includes many photographs, charts, reference documents and history about numerous shipwrecks located in New England waters. For more information, click here.
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The Sinking of the U-853 by Capt. William Palmer
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When the German enemy submarine U-853 entered U.S. waters off Portland, Maine, in 1945, it torpedoed and sank the USS Eagle-56. Nantucket/LV-112, converted to the examination vessel USS Nantucket (1942-45) during WWII, helped save the crew of the USS Eagle-56. This is a book about the U-853 story, researched and written by Capt. Bill Palmer, a long-time shipwreck researcher, diver and preservationist.
Book description: "Out in the cold Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Rhode Island, lies the remains of what was once a feared and mighty hunter. It's not a fish or shark, for that matter it is not even a marine creature. It's what men feared the most when they went to sea aboard their vessel back during the World War II years. It's a German submarine called a U-boat. The U-853 was the last German submarine sunk in World War II. She was sunk with all hands just minutes before World War II ended. The once mighty hunter feared by all who put to sea, now lies in 130 feet of water off the coast of Block Island, Rhode Island, her grave marked only by a circle on the nautical charts, DANGER Unexploded Depth Charges, May 1945."
Capt. Palmer has been running a charter boat for wreck-diving, shark-fishing and shark-cage-diving off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut for 40 years.
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German U-boat attack off Portland, Maine, during WWII, involving LV-112 (USS Nantucket)
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This book is the story of a small U.S. sub-chaser, the Eagle 56, caught in the crosshairs of a German U-boat, the U-853, whose brazen commander doomed his own crew in a desperate, last-ditch attempt to record final kills before his country's imminent defeat a few weeks later in May. And it is the account of how one man, Paul M. Lawton, embarked on an unrelenting quest for the truth and changed naval history.
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"The Finest Hours—" Book and Movie |
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"In February of 1952, one of the worst storms to ever hit the East Coast struck New England, damaging an oil tanker off the coast of Cape Cod and literally ripping it in half. On a small lifeboat faced with frigid temperatures and 70-foot high waves, four members of the U.S. Coast Guard (Bernie Webber and three other crewmen) set out to rescue the more than 30 stranded sailors trapped aboard the rapidly sinking vessel. 'The Finest Hours' is the story of their heroic mission, which is still considered the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history."
(Michelle McCue, 9/9/14)
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Bernie Webber, who later served on Nantucket/LV-112 (1958-60) and the three other crewmen were awarded the coveted USCG Gold Lifesaving Medal for their heroism in what is considered by maritime historians to be "the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history." Mr. Webber, who was a member of the USCG Lightship Sailors Association, was extremely helpful in assisting the USLM-Nantucket/LV-112 compile research information and historic documents about LV-112. He was a pleasure and honor to work with. Bernie passed away in January 2009. He was considered a real American hero and is dearly missed.
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The full-length movie "The Finest Hours' is available on DVD. |
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To learn more about
lighthouse news, click on Lighthouse Digest
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Explore the oceans in depth and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution with
Oceanus magazine
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Oceanus explores the oceans in depth, highlighting the research and researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in news, features and interviews written by magazine staff, with full-color photographs and illustrations. Each issue covers a wide spectrum of oceanography, spanning coastal research, marine life, deep-ocean exploration and the ocean's role in climate, as well as ocean technology and policy. To learn more, click on magazine cover.
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Lightships, Lighthouses & Lifeboat Stations: A memoir and history
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Lightships, Lighthouses & Lifeboat Stations is part history book, part memoir, written by Bernie Webber, recipient of the Coast Guard's highest award, the Gold Life-saving Medal, and hero of the Disney movie The Finest Hours. While the public will recognize Webber's name from the movie and the bestselling book by the same name, few people know that during his lengthy Coast Guard career he served on lightships (ships anchored in dangerous areas to warn other vessels of hazards) in addition to lifeboat stations (small boat rescue stations) and lighthouses. Webber poses the following question: "How did the lightship men cope with the isolation, constant loneliness, boredom, fear, or just sheer terror? All were part of life on board a lightship. Rough seas tossed the ship about, rearing up and down on the anchor chain. This was a world of isolation, noise from operating machinery, and blasts from the powerful foghorn that went on for hours, sometimes days, at a time." Webber answers that question in this book, drawing on a combination of personal experience and meticulous historical research. Discussions of men going mad, lightships being run down by larger ships, anchor chains breaking, and lightships cast upon shoals are offset by humorous stories and the author's reflections on his best days at sea. Fourteen historic photos are included, as well as a foreword by Michael Tougias (reprinted from Amazon).
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Help support the restoration of LV-112 by donating your old car and receive a tax deduction
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How it works
We have teamed with Charitable Auto Resources, Inc. (CARS), to accept vehicle donations across the United States. Once you contact our customer service representative about making a donation, everything will be taken care of, including a receipt for your tax records. Sale proceeds will be donated to the USLM in your name. Donating your vehicle to the U.S. Lightship Museum is as easy as calling our representative toll-free at 855-500-7433. For more information, click here.
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The Lightships of Cape Cod |
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Authored by Frederic L. Thompson, 1996, 2nd printing, 112 pages, soft wrap. Signed by the author. Illustrated with over 93 beautifully detailed photographs. Much sought-after, this scarce volume chronicles the history of the lightships in this vital area. Wonderfully detailed black-and-white photographs enhance the author's vivid description of the history and life aboard these vessels. One of the only volumes ever written exclusively on this subject, this fine work will make a fine addition to any library. Price: $14.95 plus shipping ($5.95), total: $20.90. May be purchased online from the USLM; just click on "Donate" button in this newsletter and add a notation in the area provided. Or mail a check or money order addressed to: U.S. Lightship Museum, PO Box 454, Amesbury, MA 10913 |
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Massachusetts Lighthouses and Lightships |
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"Massachusetts Lighthouses and Lightships" by Arthur P. Richmond is an indispensable addition to the lighthouse enthusiast's library, required reading for those interested in New England maritime history, and a delight for anyone who enjoys coastal Massachusetts. More than 800 images, many never before published, include historic plans that describe the details of these aids to navigation, and archival and contemporary photos that trace through their history. The book covers all the lighthouses and lightships that marked the shores (exclusive of Cape Cod and the Islands) and guided mariners through the challenging waters surrounding Massachusetts. This volume also explores the interiors of towers, shows the lantern rooms of rarely-visited lighthouses, and gives fascinating facts about these beacons through their 200-year history. U.S. Lightship Museum (USLM): Excellent book-one of the better books published, about lighthouses and lightships. Credit: Review-Amazon Books/USLM |
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A crew member rings the bell on the foredeck of Nantucket New South Shoal No. 1 during low-visibility storm conditions. The illustration is from "Life on the South Shoal Lightship" by Gustov Kobbe, Century Magazine, August 1891.
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Kenrick A. Claflin & Son Nautical Antiques
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Click on the website link above to see nautical artifacts available at Kenrick A. Claflin & Son Nautical Antiques, which has donated publications to the USLM. |
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The United States Lightship Museum
The U.S. Lightship Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the rescue and preservation of Nantucket Lightship/LV-112, a National Historic Landmark and a National Treasure. LV-112 is a museum and floating learning center, open to the general public -- a place for people of all ages to learn about our nation's seafaring history and the technologies that advanced the nautical and marine sciences.
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