Keep Nantucket/LV-112’s guiding light shining
and powerful foghorn booming!
Please remember this historic ship and floating learning center in your 2022 year-end giving
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Click the arrow above to see and hear Nantucket Lightship/LV-112 on National Lighthouse Day. When the U.S. Lightship Museum (USLM) acquired LV-112 in late 2009, it was a "dead ship"; nothing was operational on the historic floating lighthouse. As a result of donors' generous contributions, the USLM has brought LV-112 back to life. Today, the majority of the ship's onboard systems are in working order, including its powerful foghorn and main rotating light beacon, designed to be seen 23 miles at sea.
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Happy New Year! With the end of 2022 fast approaching, please remember to support Nantucket Lightship/LV-112. Your generous year-end gift will help us achieve our restoration goals in preserving Nantucket Lightship/LV-112, a National Historic Landmark and National Treasure, which is a critically important part of our nation's maritime heritage. Your donation also will advance our educational programs. To view our most recent newsletter, which highlights latest happenings on the lightship, click here.
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Donations of $25 or more entitle you to a
U.S. Lightship Museum membership
In addition to your membership allowing free admission on LV-112, the USLM is a member of the Council of American Maritime Museums (CAMM). As a member of the USLM you also will receive a CAMM "Admission Privilege Card." This card, when presented with your USLM membership card at a participating CAMM institution, will entitle you to free admission. For a list of CAMM museums, click here.
The U.S. Lightship Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Your gift is tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. It's not too late to receive a 2022 tax deduction for your contribution. You can donate online by clicking here or on the "Donate" button below (before midnight, December 31, 2022), or you can write a check payable to: USLM Nantucket/LV-112 and mail it to: U.S. Lightship Museum, PO Box 454, Amesbury, MA 01913. To be eligible for a 2022 tax deduction, checks can be received by the USLM after Jan. 1, 2023, as long as the check is dated on or before Dec. 31, 2022.
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LV-112 crew members celebrate Christmas in 1959 in the crew's quarters with "decorations and goodies from home" (in photo, garland and Christmas tree bulbs hang from the overhead). At the time, LV-112 (also known as WAL-534 and WLV-534), was anchored offshore on Nantucket Shoals Lightship Station, 100 miles off the U.S. mainland in more than 200 feet of water. Photo credit: "Lightships, Lighthouses, & Lifeboat Stations" by Bernie Webber, who served on Nantucket Lightship/LV-112 from 1958-60.
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Your donor dollars at work |
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The restoration work presently underway is made possible by the generosity and commitment of donors and volunteers. Everyone who has donated money, in-kind donations and volunteered their time and efforts can take credit for helping rescue Nantucket/LV-112 from near destruction and assisting with rehabilitating LV-112 back to its former glory. After the recent dry-dock restoration, which was completed in March 2021, LV-112’s most critical phase of structural restoration is virtually accomplished.
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Nantucket Lightship/LV-112's homeport berth in Boston Harbor, 2022
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Nantucket Lightship/LV-112's first dry-docking under the U.S. Lightship Museum's (USLM) ownership was completed in 2011-12 at the Fitzgerald Shipyard, Chelsea, MA (Boston Harbor). The USLM assumed ownership of LV-112 in late 2009, rescuing the famed lightship and National Historic Landmark from scrapping after many years of neglect. It was the first time in 20 years that the ship had been dry-docked. Standing in the foreground is Peter Brunk (USCG, Ret.), who from 1970-71 served as LV-112's commanding officer. Peter is a member of the USLM Board of Directors. The photo below shows how the lightship hull looked after the 2011-12 restoration, with the Fitzgerald Shipyard crew who performed the work.
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With eight years of marine growth below the waterline, the 2020 photo above shows the lightship's hull prior to its second dry-docking at the Fitzgerald Shipyard, 2020-21. This dry-docking encompassed LV-112's most critical and comprehensive restoration, involving major structural steel project work in the ship's bow section, which had endured the most stress while anchored at sea on Nantucket Shoals Lightship Station for 39 years (1936-75). The photo below is LV-112 after the 2020-21 restoration, ready for launching.
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At left, after restoration: LV-112 floor frames in lower hold. At right, before restoration: severe corrosion of floor frames after 85 years of exposure to sea water.
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LV-112's windlass room after the recent restoration.
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Restored forward area of anchor windlass room with main and auxilliary anchor chains leading to both anchors. |
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Severely corroded floor frames in the forward lower hold, after sandblasting and removal of cement encased bilges. The bow section of LV-112 was under an extreme amount of stress and underwent sea water flooding during rough sea conditions that was often, being anchored in deep water virtually all the time for 39 years. These conditions exacerbated the corrosion.
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A shipyard welder cutting out corroded steel—fabricating, cropping and welding in new floor frame webbing sections throughout the forward lower hold. This was an extremely arduous and uncomfortable task for the shipfitters, often having to work in cramped spaces, positioning themselves in awkward positions. In addition, several water-tight bulkheads (no longer water-tight) had to be completely replaced with pre-primed ABS certified steel plating. All existing sandblasted and new replacement steel was prepped with the application of industrial marine grade protective coatings. |
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In the ship’s bow section, forward lower hold, the ballast/trim tanks and anchor manger were in much worse condition than originally anticipated after sandblasting and removal of the main and auxiliary anchor chain—approximately 2,000 feet. The LV-112 anchor manger prior to the restoration reveals severely corroded structural steel sections. The severity of the corrosion from seawater penetration during LV-112's service as a U.S. Coast Guard floating lighthouse (1936-75) was not discovered until the 26 tons of anchor chain was removed. This work had to be done to prevent a potential catastrophic failure of the structure, dislodging shell plating below the waterline.
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Rebuilt anchor manger—all 2,000 feet of main and auxiliary anchor chain that was removed was cleaned, re-coated and re-installed. |
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Before and after 2020-21 restoration: LV-112 stern-section ship’s stores in the lower hold. This area of the ship was cleaned and prepped, and new coatings were applied. The next step is detailing the proper identification with label plates and stenciling on the watertight compartments, making the identification historically accurate.
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The port and starboard passageways had been previously painted with lead-based paint coatings that were peeling, cracked and had to be mitigated in addition to other restoration. Some of the interior hull insulation also had to be repaired. All the asbestos insulation on the heating pipes was removed and replaced with fiberglass insulation. |
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Both starboard and port double-hull passageways were restored. The old peeling lead paint was removed in addition to being encapsulated with multiple coats of industrial marine epoxy coatings. |
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Workers from AMEX Industrial Services are applying a base coat primer of epoxy on LV-112's crew's quarters interior surfaces before the final protective color coatings are applied. All overheads and bulkhead surfaces were cleaned and prepared before applying the protective coatings. This process is carefully done on all the ship's surfaces before multi-part protective coatings are applied.
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A majority of the crew’s cabins required sectional deck plating and hull framing replacement due to severe corrosion from rain and seawater leakage through the port holes. A shipfitter from the Lightship Group, LLC, is shown cutting out the damaged steel plating and fabricating new steel sections that were welded in place. Access to ship’s water tanks were also located in the crew’s cabins. Temporary ventilating equipment had to be installed while work was in progress to help supply fresh air. Each of the six cabins has two steel frame bunks that had to be removed for clear access to the bulkheads, hull, decks and water tanks. In the next step, the bunk frames will be repainted and reinstalled. |
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A partially restored crew's cabin shows newly cropped steel decking, hull frame repair and final coatings applied. The remainder of the restoration will involve the installation of new deck tiles (to historically match the previous tiles); also reinstalling the bunk frames and a final outfitting of the cabin to replicate the late 1960's time period that LV-112 was in service.
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LV-112’s primary sea-valves and strainers connected to the sea-chest, which filter and feed the ship’s cooling water for the six auxiliary engines and on-board fire-fighting systems in the auxiliary engine room, were dismantled and completely rebuilt. Both the auxiliary and main engine rooms are still in need of restoration that includes mechanical systems and mostly involve a thorough cleaning and preparation for new protective coatings.
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This photo shows the neglected condition of Nantucket LV-112 in 2009, when ownership was assumed by the U.S. Lightship Museum. At the time, LV-112 was a "dead ship" — nothing on board the ship was operational. It was berthed in Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY at the time, virtually neglected for many years and on the verge of being scrapped. Through the commitment and generous support of our donors and volunteers, Nantucket Lightship/LV-112 has been brought back to life for all to enjoy and learn from. Although LV-112's restoration has taken longer than anticipated, the generosity and support of the USLM's donors and volunteers has been transformational and helped us achieve nearly 70 percent completion. However, we still have a way to go before LV-112's restoration is essentially completed, which will require additional funding.
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In 2009, marine surveyor Charlie Deroko from Brooklyn, NY, conducted a "trip and tow" survey of LV-112's exterior shell plating of the entire waterline area of the endangered lightship. This portion of the survey was required to check for weak, vulnerable and risky sections of shell plating that could pose a potential seawater-leakage problem during a tow. During the ship's tow to Boston in May 2010, which took a day and a half, LV-112 encountered some rough and anxiety-producing seas, but the tow went well.
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A considerable portion of the remainder of LV-112's restoration involves cleaning, prepping and applying protective coatings to the bilge areas of the auxiliary and main engine rooms (aft section of main engine shown above), also to the emptied water and fuel tanks as well as the trim tanks in the stern. We also need to restore and replace floor tile coverings. All restoration work is performed in accordance to protecting the historic integrity of the lightship, which represents the 1936-75 time frame as a commissioned U.S. Coast Guard light vessel.
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A crew of volunteers and former Nantucket/LV-112 crew members pose for a photo on the foredeck of LV-112, January 10, 2010, at Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY. It was a bitterly cold weekend (10 degrees F.). A committed group of retired sailors from the USCG Lightship Sailors Association traveled from all over the United States to help prepare LV-112 for its journey back to its original homeport of Boston. In addition, local Oyster Bay residents also volunteered their time in this challenging effort.
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Meet the ultimate beneficiaries of your
generous contributions
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The U.S. Lightship Museum’s (USLM) mission is two-fold: (1) to restore and preserve Nantucket/LV-112, a National Historic Landmark and floating learning center, and (2) to provide educational programs to the general public, especially inspiring grade-school students in the areas of oceanography, the nautical, marine environment and climate/weather sciences, maritime crafts, history and historic preservation. The USLM’s goal is to make learning fun and rewarding. A significant portion of the USLM’s education initiative is outreach to schools, local and national maritime organizations, and public institutions.
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Standing in LV-112's engine room entrance above the main engine, this young lady turns to the chapter on lightship engine rooms in her book "Lightship" by Brian Floca. Emeline first learned about lightships in the book she borrowed from the public library in Portland, ME, which inspired her to visit an actual lightship. Nantucket/LV-112 is the closest lightship museum to Portland, where she lives. As she toured LV-112, she compared the lightship compartments in the book to those in LV-112. There are nine lightship museums in the United States. Nantucket Lightship/LV-112 is the only one in New England.
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A lesson in civic participation: Last spring, two fourth-grade students from the Curtis Guild School in East Boston, with their teacher, John Rogers, attended a Boston City Council public hearing at City Hall. The hearing topic was regarding the 2022 Community Preservation Act (CPA) grant nominees. Ira Jones, Jr., is standing next to the podium and presenting his positive comments and experience on Nantucket Lightship/LV-112, endorsing the U.S. Lightship Museum for a CPA grant award. When Ira was finished, his classmate Allison Gomez made her presentation on behalf of the historic lightship. The U.S. Lightship Museum was awarded a $250,000 CPA grant from the City of Boston.
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Left to right: Curtis Guild students Ira Jones, Jr. and Allison Gomez
The U.S. Lightship Museum’s Candlepower educational program offers and introduces students and youth groups to diverse interactive learning opportunities that include, cause and effect problem solving, team-building, civic participation, the importance of history, historic preservation and other important topics such as the environment, our climate, weather, oceanographic and nautical sciences, culture, arts/crafts and much more. The Candlepower program begins in the classroom and segues to a field trip to Nantucket Lightship. One of the USLM’s goals is to inspire and motivate young people to become interested in the value and importance of historic preservation, so us older folks who are administering our cherished historic sites, can pass along the mantle to the younger generation and carry on to help save our historic treasures.
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Before visiting the lightship, students receive a classroom lesson in navigation, oceanography, world geography, history, weather and transatlantic commerce focused around Nantucket Lightship.
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The photos above represent the wide range of visitors who annually come to tour Nantucket/LV-112. In photo at bottom left, John Rogers, an East Boston school teacher and an LV-112 volunteer, helps students collect plankton with a tow net to view under a microscope on board LV-112. While in service as a commissioned USCG lightship on Nantucket Shoals Lightship Station, LV-112 was also an oceanographic research and reporting station working in conjunction with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. In addition, the ship served as a weather reporting station for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
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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 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, painted by the late 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 and 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 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)
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
Westerbeke Company
U.S. Lighthouse Society
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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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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