December 2025

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.

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.

Remember when? 'Tis the season for not-so-jolly, bone-chilling temps

In for servicing at USCG Base Boston, during the winter of 1964, a Nantucket LV-112 USCG crew member chips away at thick ice with an axe and sledge hammer that built up on LV-112's pilot house and superstructure while at sea during sub freezing temperatures — a very hazardous task while anchored on station at sea during stormy seas. 

USLM volunteer, John Rogers, watches a Boston Harbor ice flow going out with the tide from LV-112's weather deck during a bitterly cold day, February 14, 2015. On that day, Boston Harbor experienced the onset of the Valentine's Weekend Storm (Winter Storm Neptune), a potent nor'easter bringing very cold temperatures, with a low of 3°F and a high of 9°F on that Saturday, but the air felt even colder due to strong winds. Light snow during the day developed into blizzard conditions, with winds blowing over 60 mph overnight into February 15, causing zero visibility. The storm contributed to Boston's snowiest month on record. These are the type of conditions that the sailors on board coastal lightships had to endure during the winter — especially Nantucket Lightship, considered the most dangerous duty in the USCG, being anchored so far off shore in deep water, 100 miles from the mainland. Lightships and their crews risked their lives, having to remain on station, regardless of the weather.

Your generous donations at work

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 most recent dry-dock restoration, which was completed in March 2021, LV-112’s most critical phase of structural restoration is virtually accomplished. We're now working on the next restoration phase, which includes another dry-docking. To help with this important phase, please donate by clicking here.

Nantucket Lightship/LV-112's homeport berth in Boston Harbor, 2025

As shown in this 2011 photo, 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.

With eight years of marine growth below the waterline, the second photo above taken in 2020, 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 of the lightship and Boston cityscape was taken by Georgia Flanagan. The photo below is LV-112 after the 2020-21 restoration, ready for launching.

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.

LV-112's windlass room after the recent restoration.

Restored forward area of anchor windlass room with main and auxilliary anchor chains leading to both anchors.

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.

Volunteer and former USCG LV-112 crew member in 1973, Paul Sabo puts some of his repair skills to work – troubleshooting LV-112's pilot house, WWII Chelsea Bakelite clock, which is ticking again. Thank you, Paul!

Photo on left is the condition that the lightship anchor chain (main and auxiliary anchor chain) was in, stored inside the anchor lockers. The approximately 2,000-foot and 26-ton alloy steel chain was a massive pile of rust, removed, cleaned and recoated. The restored anchor chain on pallets, ready for re-installation in LV-112.

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.

Rebuilt anchor manger—all 2,000 feet of main and auxiliary anchor chain that was removed was cleaned, re-coated and re-installed.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

The two photos above show 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 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 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.

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. 

Proudly flying her signal flags, Nantucket/LV-112 is berthed at the Boston Harbor Shipyard & Marina on the East Boston waterfront, 2025.

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.

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 lightship 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.

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.

As a hands-on living museum, Nantucket/LV-112 has the ability to take visitors through time, showcasing an important chapter in our nation's history. By learning from present-day stewards, today's youth become motivated about historic preservation and prepared to fill their shoes in the future. A volunteer explains the purpose of LV-112's fog bell.

Volunteer Kurt Hasselbalch instructs a young visitor on board LV-112 how to tie basic nautical knots at Kids in Boating day, where visitors were given instruction sheets and lengths of rope to take home to continue practicing and learning.

A visiting student talks on LV-112's restored sound-powered telephone in the pilot house to his classmates on another phone in the radio room in the stern section of the ship (photo below).

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.  

Students on a school field trip talking on LV-112's radio room, sound-powered telephone to their classmate in the pilot house at the opposite end of the nearly 150-foot lightship. A sound-powered telephone is a communication device that allows users to talk to each other with the use of a handset, similar to a conventional telephone, but without the use of external power. This technology has been used since at least 1944 for both routine and emergency communication on ships to allow communication between key locations on a vessel if power, including batteries, is not available. All of LV-112's sound powered telephones have been restored to operational condition.

USLM volunteers (left to right) Rob Nicologianis, Cindy Baxter and John Rogers show a youngster and parents a mako shark jaw artifact from a shark caught on Nantucket LV-112 while anchored on station by crew members prior to 1975. The USLM had an exhibit booth at a recent East Boston Chamber of Commerce event held at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) Watershed Museum, Boston Harbor Shipyard & Marina. 

A visitor examines a scale model of Nantucket LV-1 (served on Nantucket Shoals Lightship Station, 1856-92). The working model is used to demonstrate how early whale-oil-fueled light beacons were operated and maintained by the crew on board. The model was crafted from scratch by James Sanford (1952-2019), who had a deep passion for the sea and maritime history. His wife, Kathy, donated the model to the USLM. Due to its age, LV-1 was reassigned to a Savannah Lightship Station that was much closer to the U.S. mainland (6 miles instead of 100 miles) and less demanding, marking the entrance to the Savannah River, until decommissioned 1930. Coincidently, after the passing of James, Kathy relocated from the northeast to the coastal area of Savannah, not being aware of LV-1's Savannah Lightship Station assignment.

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 fishernantuckets@gmail.com. In late summer, the NHA will offer Nantucket lightship basket-weaving classes; inquiries can be directed to Mary Lacoursiere at the NHA (mary@nha.org). More information about these classes will be forthcoming in the next eNews.

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.