Fall 2019

In this issue
U.S. Lightship Museum awarded 'Save America's Treasures' grant
Preparing for dry-docking and next phase of restoration
MSC donates shipping container to the U.S. Lightship Museum
Youngsters learn while having fun!
Launched in summer, now time for winter haul-out
Four-legged and two-legged visitors tour the Nantucket
Visitors experience a severe storm while on LV-112
Become a USLM member today

 

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Nantucket/LV-112 
Proudly made in USA

 
 
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Rowlett tried to maintain a list of lighthouses from his many friends and contacts, but it had grown too long (and too out of date) to display on the comprehensive site.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.



  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 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.  
  
 
We salute our donors
  
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
 
Burnham Associates, Inc.
Burnham Marine

California Public Safety Radio Association 

  Cameron International Corporation

Charitable Adult Rides and
Services, Inc.
 
City of Boston

C/J Towing & Recovery
  
Claflin & Son
Nautical Antiques

Crandall Dry Dock Engineers

Capt. Robertson P. Dinsmore Fund

Donahue, Tucker &
Ciandella, PLLC 
 
East Boston Foundation
 
Eastern Bank Charitable
Foundation
 
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 
 
Kelly Automotive Group   
 
H.F. Lenfest Fund
 
The Lightship Group, LLC
 
McAllister Towing &
Transportation Co.

Mediterranean Shipping Company
(MSC)
     
Joe and Pepette Mongrain
Fund 


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
 
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
 
 
 
 
USLM is a member
of the following organizations
 
CAMM Logo
  

HNSA Logo      
  
 
The flag of the United States Lighthouse Service
 


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 .

 
For more information about the U.S. Coast Guard Lightship Sailors Association and the U.S. Lightship Service, click on logo




Lead, Kindly Light
By John Henry Newman
(1801-1890) 

"Lead, Kindly Light, amidst th'encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home,
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.
I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou
Shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now
Lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years!
So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on.
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!
Meantime, along the narrow rugged path,
Thyself hast trod,
Lead, Saviour, lead me home in childlike faith,
Home to my God.
To rest forever after earthly strife
In the calm light of everlasting life."

Note: "Lead Kindly Light" was a poem originally written by John Henry Newman (1801-1890), who was 33 years old when he found himself on a boat from the Sicilian city of Palermo to Marseille, France. Newman, who was recovering after being dangerously ill with a fever, was on the boat to return to his native England when he penned the lyrics to "Lead, Kindly Light." The context that Newman was recovering from a frightening illness in the middle of the sea gives insight to the lyrics.
  
Photo above: Pigeon Point Lighthouse in California, by  Darvin Atkeson
 


Poem posted on
LV-112 while in service on Nantucket Shoals Lightship Station

"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

    
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 many shipwrecks located in New England waters. For more information,
  
 
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 an examination vessel, USS Nantucket (1942-45) during WWII, helped save the crew of the USS Eagle-56This is a book about the  U-853 story, researched and written by Capt. Bill Palmer , a long-time shipwreck researcher, diver and preservationist.
 
Description of book: "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 "





"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)

Bernie Webber (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.  
 
The full length movie "The Finest Hours' is available on DVD.



To learn more about  
lighthouse news, click on
Lighthouse Digest 



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 above.



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

[Note: To see entire eNews, click link above newsletter]

U.S. Lightship Museum awarded
'Save America's Treasures' grant
 
Nantucket Lightship/LV-112 docked at her homeport berth on the East Boston waterfront, 2019
 
The U.S. Lightship Museum (USLM) was recently awarded a Save America's Treasures   (SAT) grant from the National Park Service, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment of the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Announced this fall, a total of $12.6 million in grants will help fund 41 projects  in 23 states. The funds will support the preservation of nationally significant historic properties and collections throughout the country.
 
A shipyard worker media-blasts LV-112's hull during the 2012 dry-docking to prepare the hull for a survey and protective coatings, which will be required again during the upcoming haul-out for maintenance
Nantucket Lightship/LV-112 will receive a $487,500 grant to restore internal structural components  and provide general maintenance
critical to maintaining the integrity of the ship's hull and ability to remain open to the general public for decades to come.

Earlier this year, the USLM also was awarded $575,000 from the City of Boston through a Community Preservation Act (CPA-Boston) grant. The CPA-Boston grant serves as the required matching funds for the SAT grant. The USLM is sincerely grateful to everyone for their support and assistance that were so instrumental in helping us obtain these two transformational grants, directed to Nantucket LV-112's restoration and preservation. 
 
To perform the necessary restoration and maintenance work, LV-112 will need to be hauled out of the water and dry-docked, for which preparations currently are underway (see story below).   

   
As shown during LV-112's dry-docking in 2012, an ultrasonic testing (UT) survey was performed by marine surveyor Charles Deroko on LV-112's hull shell-plating to measure for acceptable plate thickness. If adequate shell-plating thickness requirements are not met, due to interior moisture and sea water corrosion, replacement or reinforcement of shell-plating and other compromised structural components would be required. A UT scan and general hull survey will be performed again during LV-112's upcoming dry-docking
 
Congress appropriates funding for the Save America 's Treasures grants from the Historic Preservation Fund, which uses revenue from federal oil leases to provide a range of preservation assistance without expending tax dollars. The 2019 awards, totaling $12.6 million, will leverage more than $22 million in private and public investment. The program requires applicants to match the grant money dollar-for-dollar with funds from nonfederal sources. 
 
During the 2012 dry-docking of Nantucket/LV-112, a shipyard welder is shown clad-welding corroded shell-plating rivets to improve their holding strength. We anticipate this process also will be needed again on hull rivets during the ship's upcoming dry-docking. In addition, rivets that reveal extensive corrosion will be replaced
 
The funds from grants directed towards LV-112's restoration and preservation also benefits the community and local economy, as we will hire local contractors and purchase materials, equipment and services from regional vendors and suppliers. Moreover, the generosity of private and public donors helps maintain our nation's important and unique historic sites, critical to preserving our country's heritage for everyone to learn from and enjoy. Learning from our past is so important in guiding us into the future.   
Preparing for dry-docking and next phase of restoration

Using the bucket-brigade method, a crew of hardy volunteers unloaded more than three tons of miscellaneous equipment, supplies and materials from LV-112's lower forward and stern holds. Much of the equipment and supplies are considered historic artifacts that were on board when LV-112 was a commissioned USCG lightship (1936 to 1975). In addition, there are still many new old stock (NOS) parts still in their original packaging (rope, engine parts, etc.). The remainder of material offloaded was non-metallic or ferrous and non-ferrous metal that was sold for scrap or considered refuse and discarded responsibly
 
Our original target for dry-docking LV-112 was the end of this past summer. However, the shipyard's backlog of other commercial vessels waiting to be dry-docked has delayed LV-112's haul-out until after the beginning of the new year. Due to this backlog, our actual dry-docking date is yet to be determined.  
In addition to offering educational tours of LV-112 to the general public and hosting special events this past season, it was a very busy year, mostly devoted to preparing the historic floating lighthouse for dry-docking and next phase of restoration and preservation. The interior surfaces of the lower forward and stern section holds/ballast tanks will be media-blasted and cleaned to remove old paint and corrosion in preparation for structural restoration. These surfaces then will be primed and given protective coatings. A marine survey will also be conducted to reevaluate LV-112's structure.
 
Three decks down, a volunteer in LV-112's forward lower hold helps off-load equipment and supplies
 
Volunteers unloaded miscellaneous hose, rope, fire-fighting equipment, block-and-tackle rigging, porthole glass, electrical components, a Stokes rescue transport basket, splint boards, etc.
 
Volunteers break for lunch, provided by the USLM in LV-112's galley
 
Local LV-112 work-party volunteers gather for a group photo
 
The USLM especially extends its gratitude and sincere appreciation to longtime volunteer Jim Hewitt for organizing virtually all the equipment, materials and supplies, historic artifacts and reusable items to be saved. These items were separated from those to be discarded, such as burned-out electrical motors/parts and items that did not belong on the ship, brought on board by previous LV-112 stewards/owners. Jim spent many months sorting through the stored items in conjunction with USLM President Bob Mannino.  
 
Jim is a retired marine electrician, specializing in electrical systems used on merchant and military vessels, including nuclear submarines. He has been a volunteer with the USLM since we acquired LV-112 in late 2009. He is responsible for restoring virtually all of LV-112's electrical systems, starting from a "dead ship" where nothing on LV-112 was operational. Jim not only assists the USLM, but he volunteers his time on the USS Cassin Young, berthed at the Boston Naval Shipyard. He also volunteers at a food pantry in his hometown of Marshfield, MA.
 
Kannan Thiruvengadam (left) and Jim Hewitt (right) 
 
The USLM also is very grateful to East Boston resident Kannan Thiruvengadam. Kannan is highly supportive of the USLM's efforts to preserve Nantucket/LV-112 and extremely helpful with organizing local volunteers to assist with the lightship. He is director of  Eastie Farm , an urban farm in East Boston focused on community resiliency, and of JP Green School, a sustainability education program at JP Green House, a passive solar and energy-positive house in Jamaica Plain. He also hosts "What's up Eastie?," a radio show about local issues in a larger context, broadcast from  Zumix , a youth organization in East Boston. In addition, Kannan serves on the City of Boston's Community Preservation Committee.  
 
Each volunteer was extremely helpful and generous with their time and efforts. Everyone who volunteered during the unloading work parties helped us achieve our goals in superb time. Individuals such as our volunteers make a positive and impactful difference in the community they serve. Keep up the great work! Thank you all for your support and dedication to our historic cause!
MSC donates 40-foot shipping container to the U.S. Lightship Museum

The  Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has donated a 40-foot shipping container and its delivery to LV-112's homeport in East Boston from MSC's South Boston port-of-call. The container was mounted on the USLM's Navy barge (one of two 110-foot barges donated by the U.S. General Services Administration).  The container will be used to store the equipment and materials recently off-loaded from LV-112. Patriot Marine, based at our homeport in East Boston, generously donated their crane services, lifting and placing the container on our barge. We also are extremely grateful to Dan Noonan and the Boston Harbor Shipyard & Marina for their ongoing generous contributions, which include LV-112's homeport berth.

MSC has a longstanding commitment to building efficient, environmentally friendly and cost-effective sea-going cargo carriers. One of its 520 vessels, the container ship MSC Gülsün, built in 2019 and the largest container ship in the world, can carry 23,756 containers. It is nearly 62 meters (203 feet) wide and 400 meters (1,312 feet) long. MSC Gülsün is MSC's new class of vessels with pioneered shipbuilding innovation, putting environmental performance first. Its biggest container ship offers the lowest carbon footprint by design
 
A crane operator from Patriot Marine, LLC, transfers the MSC shipping container from the tractor trailer to the USLM barge. Patriot Marine is a marine construction company that provides services such as harbor dredging, dock building and repair, in addition to other commercial marine services

MSC   is a Swiss-Italian international shipping line headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Operating in all major ports of the world, the company  has  493 offices in 155 countries worldwide and serves 500 ports.  It is the world's second-largest shipping line in terms of container-vessel capacity.

Also part of the company is MSC Cruises, which presently owns 17 luxury cruise ships.  In addition to being the world's largest privately held cruise company, MSC Cruises is the fourth largest cruise ship company in the world and operates the sixth largest cruise ship in the world, the  MSC Grandiosa (181,541 tons). By comparison, Nantucket/LV-112 displaces 1,050 tons and is 148 feet, 10 inches in length. MSC currently has 12 additional cruise ships on order to be built. Three will be more than 205,000 tons. The USLM is sincerely grateful for MSC's generous support.
Youngsters learn while having fun!

He's back! A pirate appears on the scene at the Marine and Maritime Festival, helping youngsters learn how to work smarter not harder, using the math and physics principles involved in block-and-tackle lifting of heavy objects. Could he be an apparition of the "Prince of Pirates" Black Sam Bellamy, the wealthiest pirate in history, whose ship, the Whydah Gally, was shipwrecked off Cape Cod in 1717? Lurking through the rigging is former USCG LV-112 crew member Wayne Staltare, surprising the kids with jaws from a mako shark.
 
USLM exhibit at the Marine and Maritime Festival
 
This past season, the USLM participated in the Haborkeepers second annual Marine and Maritime Festival at Constitution Beach in East Boston. A whole  host of activities occurred throughout the day at this free family event. The festival featured marine activities, art, performances, demonstrations by the U.S. Coast Guard, pirates, activities by the New England Aquarium, and many more engaging and fun things to do.
 
The USLM set up an interactive educational block-and-tackle exhibit titled "Work Smarter Not Harder," a lesson in the practical use of applying math and physics to lift weighted objects. The exhibit was a big hit with children. It allowed visitors to pull equal-weighted dead loads with 1-, 2- and 4-part block-and-tackle rigging, demonstrating how a load is easier to hoist as each of the block-and-tackle ratios is increased. The rigging was generously donated by the Westerbeke Co., East Boston.
Launched this past summer, it's time for the winter haul-out

Former U.S. Coast Guard LV-112 crew member Ken Kubic (1973-74) and friend Nancy Piccin volunteered their time to prepare the USLM's 26-foot USCG motor surf boat for launching this past summer. Ken and Nancy pose for a quick photo while painting the surf boat's bottom. Ken also generously donated the anti-fouling bottom paint, zinc anodes and two new 12-volt batteries for the boat. Back in 2017, the City of Revere Police Department donated two motor surf boats to the USLM. The Boston Harbor Shipyard & Marina generously restored this boat back to operational condition

USLM's motor surf boat, currently used as work boat, is slated for future oceanographic education
Four-legged and two-legged visitors tour Nantucket/LV-112
 
Levon, a 2-year-old tabby sea-cat, and his friend Emily came aboard LV-112 for a visit. Levon and Emily live on a boat near LV-112. One day, Emily was passing by LV-112, walking Levon on a leash. Everyone is welcome on board the Nantucket, so Emily brought Levon with her. He was very curious and friendly. Levon is named after the actor and musician Levon Helm. Emily grew up near his studio in Woodstock, NY, which inspired the name for her feline friend. Her boat's name is "Last Waltz 2"
 
Visitors from the Brookline Senior Center (Brookline, MA) came twice this past season for tours on LV-112. The USLM set up a traveling LV-112 exhibit at the senior center, piquing their interest
 
Captain Robertson Dinsmore (USCG, USMS Ret.) and his wife Pat (left) and daughter Shirley (right) recently stopped by LV-112 for a visit. Click here to learn more about Captain Dinsmore's (Bob) distinguished career. He has been a volunteer and financial supporter of LV-112's historic restoration and preservation from the USLM's beginning, when we acquired LV-112 in October 2009. Bob also serves on the USLM Board of Directors
 
Leading a tour for lightship visitors, former USCG LV-112 crew member Wayne Staltare (1967-69) shares his memories and adventures serving on the Nantucket Lightship Station, 100 miles off the U.S. mainland 

Visitors associated with Boston's HubWeek "Open Doors" program tour Nantucket LV-112. HubWeek was founded in 2014 by The Boston Globe, Harvard University, MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital. It has evolved into a year-long celebration of the innovative thought leaders from the fields of art, science and technology. Open Doors is a monthly celebration of unique happenings in different corners of the city, where people can make new friends, go somewhere new and learn something new
 
A young visitor rings LV-112's piercing fog bell on the foredeck 
Visitors experience a severe storm while on LV-112

With the sky still overcast from a previous violent storm, visitors from the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau (GBC&VB) pose for an after-storm photo on the deck of LV-112
 
When a group from the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau came with colleagues for a lightship tour on the last day of July, they unexpectedly experienced what it was like to be on board Nantucket Lightship during stormy weather. Suddenly in the middle of the tour, the atmosphere was transformed into an ominous, foreboding and dark sky. Everyone's attention on board was keenly focused on the weather. Then suddenly, lightening began striking around us and thunder boomed. The sky opened up with a torrential downpour, and the wind began howling and violently rocking the Nantucket.
 
Photo of the July 31 microburst in Boston. Photo credit: Sharon Flanagan Kelly
 
The abrupt damaging winds were recorded at 73 mph. Flights at nearby Logan Airport were grounded. There were power outages, flooding and up-rooted trees, damaging houses and cars. Fortunately, LV-112 survived the storm without any damage. Needless to say, it was quite an exciting several minutes of anxiety-producing weather. Our visitors certainly got a sampling of what it was like to experience stormy weather on a lightship, a unique memory to share in future social conversations  
Support LV-112's restoration!
Become a USLM member today 

For a gift of $1,000 or more, donors will receive a limited-edition, fine-art print of the SS United States passing Nantucket/LV-112, signed 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.


  Donate 
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We thank everyone for their ongoing
contributions and support
 

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.

 

www.nantucketlightshiplv-112.org