April 2026

Nantucket Lightship/LV-112 was launched March 21, 1936, from the shipways without her masts to be docked at the shipyard for her final fitting out.

Collision of RMS Olympic with Nantucket Lightship/LV-117. Credit: Painting by Charles Mazoujian (1911-2011)

The birth of Nantucket Lightship/LV-112, is the result of its predessesor, Nantucket/LV-117, being rammed and sunk by the RMS Olympic, sistership to the RMS Titanic. The Olympic was steaming into the Port of New York from Southhampton, England. when it encountered heavy blinding fog and collided with Nantucket/LV-117 on May 15, 1934. The Olympic hit LV-117 broadside, causing it to sink within minutes and taking the lives of seven of the lightship’s eleven crew members. As a result, the White Star Line paid for the construction of Nantucket/LV-112. In addition, restitution was paid to the Nantucket crew member’s families. Four LV-117 crew members were never recovered from the lightship’s underwater wreckage, which lies in 200 feet of water. For more information about the tragic collision, click here.

Nantucket Lightship/LV-112 is under construction on the shipways, building from the bottom-up. Progress photo taken in August 1935, starting with LV-112’s keel to constructing the floor frames and attaching the hull’s shell plating with a combination of rivets and welding. Credit: Hagley Museum

Edith King, the daughter of Harold D. King, Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Lighthouses, also known as the U.S. Light House Service (USLHS), christens Nantucket Lightship/LV-112, by breaking a bottle of champagne on LV-112’s forestem. The ceremony occurred on March 21, 1936, at the Pusey and Jones Corp. Shipyard, Wilmington, Delaware. LV-112 was the largest U.S. lightship ever built. It was built specifically to withstand the most severe weather and sea conditions, anchored in 200 feet of water on the most remote and hazardous lightship station in the world. Credit: Hagley Museum

Nantucket/LV-112 awaits final fitting out and sea trials before heading to the U.S. Light House Service 2nd District in Boston for commissioning.

Nantucket Lightship/LV-112 underway from her new homeport of Boston Harbor in 1936 on her maiden voyage to Nantucket Shoals Lightship Station. LV-112 was the last steam-powered U.S. lightship built for service as a floating lighthouse. The trip from Boston Harbor, navigating around the outside the arm of Cape Cod to Nantucket Shoals Station, was approximately 180 miles, taking 12–16 hours.

Springing forward from a

nasty, bitterly cold and snowy winter

During one of Boston’s snowiest storms in winter 2026, volunteers John Rogers (carrying the snow blower), Mick Baccari and Beau the Sea Dog, Nantucket/LV-112’s mascot, check on the lightship.

Volunteers pose for a quick picture (left to right): Beau the Sea Dog, John Rogers, Lucas Merchant, Kat and Mick Baccari.

Volunteer Mike Baccari helps clear the aftermath of the 2026 blizzard from LV-112’s weatherdeck.

Beau, a two-year-old Golden Retreiver and committed volunteer since he was a young puppy, supervises LV-112’s snow-clearing from the weather deck.

During this past sub-freezing winter season in Boston Harbor, there were many days that the temperature was in single digits. As a result, LV-112’s weatherdeck scuppers, designed for water drainage, froze. And the drain pipe that was routed through the port main deck passageway, down through the hull’s exterior, burst and split inside the port-side passageway. When the ice thawed, it leaked into the passageway and froze again, creating quite a mess to remove. Luckily, the day of discovery was warm enough that the ice was melting and could be broken up and vacuumed with a wet-vac. In left photo, USLM President Bob Mannino breaks up the ice with a hammer, while in right photo, USLM board member John Rogers takes a break from vacuuming to warm up his hands.

Nantucket/LV-112 visitor highlights

Tours begin for 2026 season — April 25 to Oct. 31

Nantucket Lightship/LV-112, berthed on East Boston waterfront.

Beginning April 25, Nantucket/LV-112 is open on Saturdays, 10am–4pm. In addition, during the ligthship’s restoration process tours may be scheduled for other days throughout the year to accommodate individuals, group tours and private functions. Nantucket Lightship/LV-112 also is available to rent for privite parties, weddings, memorial services, meetings, educational programs, etc. For more information, please call or text: 617.797.0135.

A scenic late February sunset illuminates the Boston City Skyline, viewed from Nantucket Lightship/LV-112’s starboard passageway porthole. Credit: John Rogers

Four crew members of Boston’s Fire Department Marine Unit stopped by for a tour during one of LV-112’s off-season volunteer work parties, preparing our museum for the 2026 season.

Interior of the Boston Fire Department’s (BFD) Marine 2, known as Father Dan, in which our four BFD visitors arrived. In addition to firefighting, Marine 2 assists with search and rescue diving operations with Marine 3, BFD’s Search & Rescue Dive Team boat, known as Captain John Kenney. Boston Harbor is also protected by the Massport Fire Department, based at Logan International Airport. We greatly appreciate the committment and service of first responders from the fire departments, law enforcement, medical emergency, U.S. Coast Guard and other military branches.

Former LV-112 crew member Paul Sabo (USCG ET2) leads an LV-112 tour, sharing his jaw-dropping experiences at sea during his duty on Nantucket/LV-112 from 1972–73.

Two visitors, Burnice Washington (right) and his friend Lorenzo, traveling from the Virginia Beach area, recently toured the Nantucket. Bernice is a historic lighthouse and lightship aficionado. They drove up to New England specifically to visit as many lighthouses as possible, expressing that Nantucket Lightship/LV-112 was the highlight of their trip. So far, Burnice has visited eight U.S. lightships — located in Delaware, the Northeast and Great Lakes. His future lighthouse and lightship visits include traveling to the West Coast.

Long-time U.S. Lightship Museum supporter Russell Pike visits Nantucket/LV-112 from Maryland. Russell’s interest and attachment to the Nantucket inspired him to build a scale model of Nantucket Lightship/LV-112, shown in the photo below.

Hazardous Nantucket Lightship

crew transfer at sea

Death-defying experience shared by former LV-112 crew member

Lightship crew members occasionally encountered hazardous conditions during crew transfers at sea during rough seas up to 20 feet. Photo illustration credit: Richard Chiarella

Paul Sabo served on the historic Nantucket Lightship/LV-112, from 1972–73 as an ET2. Today, Paul volunteers his spare time conducting tours and sharing his unique experience with visitors on his former ship, now a floating museum and learning center, on which he served while in the U.S. Coast Guard. Below is an excerpt from an article that Paul wrote, describing one of his many memorable (not always pleasant) and profound experiences stationed on the most remote and treacherous lightship station in the world. Although, crew transfers to Nantucket Lightship from a USCG station on the mainland were avoided in seas 20 feet or greater, it was not uncommon for weather and seas to change from favorable to unfavorable during the 6-hour trip from USCG Base Woods Hole or the 12-hour trip from Base Boston to Nantucket Shoals Lightship Station. 

Paul Sabo enlisted in the USCG, 1969–1973. His first tour of duty was a Burmuda Loran Station as a trained Electroics Technician (ET), 1970-72. He was then transferred to Nantucket Lightship/LV-112, 1972–73 as an ET2 until his honorable discharge from the USCG in 1973.

Harbor pilot makes a challenging ship transfer.

When climbing a Jacob's ladder (rope ladder) on a ship in rough seas, crew members could experience violent, uncontrolled swinging of the rope ladder and the risk of being crushed between the lightship and motor lifeboat. The combination of a moving ship, pitching waves, and a flexible rope ladder creates an extremely hazardous and chaotic environment, as described below, as the lightship and the smaller motor lifeboat rise and fall with the waves. The transfer process requires exceptional physical fitness, stamina and timing. People must quickly scale the ladder against the forces of wind and sea, with no pauses possible. A large rogue wave can easily strike and sweep a person off the ladder and into the sea. Lives have been lost during these types of ship transfers.

USLM to offer historic decorative arts classes on board Nantucket Lightship/LV-112 in 2026

Shown above are various styles and sizes of newly hand-crafted lightship baskets. Nantucket lightship baskets evolved from utilitarian splint baskets, becoming iconic folk art after lightship crewmen began weaving them to pass away the time in the mid-1800s while off duty. They used rattan, cane and wood molds crafted from discarded ship wood. Key developments include the introduction of the purse-style basket by Captain Charles Ray and the popularization of lidded versions by José Formoso Reyes in the 1940s, transforming them from shipboard crafts to collectible island souvenirs and art, marked by their wooden bases, cane weaving and distinct molds. Photo credit: Nantucket Historical Association

The tradition of basket weaving began aboard the lightships anchored off the shores of Nantucket. Nantucket New South Shoals No.1, serving on Nantucket Shoals Lightship Station from 1856-92, was the lightship most noted for its sailors on board who created the famed Nantucket lightship baskets. These floating lighthouses protected and guided ships away from the treacherous Nantucket Shoals as they approached the island and other major ports of call along the North Atlantic. Keepers of the lightships spent much of their off-duty time weaving, and the result is a tradition still practiced today. The Nantucket lightship basket has become an art form, with makers exploring new shapes, functions, materials and decoration. It is a practice that has fueled the island economy and is recognized the world over.

Signature Basket Bracelet – one of several types of Signature Lightship Basket bracelets and necklaces offered by Fisher Nantuckets.

Jose Reyes at work in his studio on Nantucket Island, c. 1940. Courtesy of the Nantucket Historical Association.

Above is a hand-woven basket that was crafted on No.1 Nantucket New South Shoal Lightship during the 1800s. This lightship basket is part of the Nantucket Historical Association's (NHA) collection, on display at the NHA museum.

No.1 Nantucket New South Shoal Lightship served on Nantucket Shoals Lightship Station, 1856-92.

During 2026, the U.S. Lightship Museum, in conjunction with the Nantucket Historical Association (NHA) and Fisher Nantuckets, will offer several unique classes on board the historic Nantucket Lightship/LV-112, berthed in Boston Harbor. In the spring, Fisher Nantuckets will offer signature lightship basket jewelry classes; for more information, contact Abby Fisher at Fisher Nantuckets. In late summer, the NHA will offer Nantucket lightship basket-weaving classes; inquiries can be directed to the NHA (Nantucket Historical Association). More information about these classes will be forthcoming in the next eNews.

Ongoing Nantucket/LV-112 restoration

An AMEX Industrial Services worker prepares surfaces for restoration re-coating on the LV-112's ward room section where the lightship basket classes will be held. AMEX has been Nantucket Lightship/LV-112's restoration prep and coating contractor since 2012. In addition, Sherwin-Williams Industrial Marine Coatings division has been LV-112's coatings supplier. Sherwin-Williams topside and underwater coating products have held up amazingly well. Both AMEX and Sherwin-Williams have generously donated their services and products to the U.S. Lightship Museum's (USLM) historic cause. The USLM is sincerely grateful for their support and generous contributions, as well as our other donors, including the Boston Harbor Shipyard & Marina.

Nantucket/LV-112's shell plating on the starboard hull receives refreshing prep and re-coating by the AMEX crew.

The U.S. Lightship Museum is now a member of 'Museums for All'

The U.S. Lightship Museum (USLM) has joined Museums for All, a signature access program of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), administered by the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM), to encourage people of all backgrounds to visit museums regularly and build lifelong museum-going habits. The program supports those receiving food assistance (SNAP) benefits, who can visit Nantucket/LV-112 for free, up to four people, with the presentation of a SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. Similar free and reduced admission is available to eligible members of the public at more than 850 museums across the country. Museums for All is part of the USLM’s broad commitment to seek, include and welcome all audiences. For more information about Museums for All, click here.

Capt. Robertson P. Dinsmore Fund

Donahue, Tucker &

Ciandella, PLLC 

East Boston Foundation

Eastern Bank Charitable

Foundation

Eastern Salt Co.

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 Corp.

Massachusetts Historical Commission

McAllister Towing &

Transportation Co.

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC)

Melvin's Welding

Joe and Pepette Mongrain

Fund

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 

U.S. Lighthouse Society

West Marine   

Westerbeke Company

Verizon Foundation

Zuni Maritime Foundation

USS Zuni / USCG Tamaroa  

Individual Donors

USLM Members 

Teach children about lightships

with the book Lightship

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.

Preserving America's Lighthouses: The Memoirs of a Coast Guard Ocean Engineer

By Rear Admiral Daniel May (author), a 1979 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, is the recipient of a Distinguished Service Medal and many other awards. During his career, he served as the engineer for major lighthouse projects, including the relocation of Block Island Southeast Light in Rhode Island (the first move of a major lighthouse in the United States), the relocation of Highland Light on Cape Cod, and the design and construction of a revetment to protect Montauk Light on Long Island, New York. This book tells the story of RADM May’s decades of working to preserve America's lighthouses and other aids to navigation. Dan May has been a valuable adviser to the USLM. The book may be purchased on Amazon.

Wreckhunter.net

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.

The Sinking of the U-853 by Capt. William Palmer

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.

German U-boat attack off Portland, Maine, during WWII, involving LV-112 (USS Nantucket)

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.

For more information, log onto: "Due to Enemy Action"

"The Finest Hours—" Book and Movie

"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)

The full-length movie "The Finest Hours' is available on DVD.

Explore the oceans in depth and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution with

Oceanus magazine

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.

Lightships, Lighthouses & Lifeboat Stations: A memoir and history

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).

Help support the restoration of LV-112 by donating your old car and receive a tax deduction

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.

The Lightships of Cape Cod

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

U.S. Lightship Museums

Nantucket/LV-112

Ambrose/LV-87

Overfalls/LV-118

Chesapeake.LV-116

Portsmouth/LV-101

Huron/LV-103

Swiftsure/LV-83

Columbia/WLV-604

Relief/WLV-605

At left, students visit LV-112's pilot house and pretend they are steering the lightship. At right, 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.

Kenrick A. Claflin & Son 
Nautical Antiques

Lighthouseantiques.net 

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.