Lightship have a long and interesting history protecting our coastal channels. This history began with the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, then the lightships were given to the U.S. Lighthouse Service, finally the Coast Guardmen came aboard lightships in 1939 when the lighthouse service absorbed by the USCG. This slide presentation follows a report that was published to the web in 2006 called "Lightships and their historical impact on Harwich Port, Massachusetts"

Please enjoy these old photographs! Take advantage of your F-11 key to max screen she has suffered more from collision than any other lightship Old #4 vessel retired to RELIEF Woods Hole 1916 Stone Horse :V-47 being towed to Station 1933 LV-47 as Pollock Rip Lightship. Never lost a man. Line drawing of sisterships LV: 47,48,49,50 Stone Horse 47 getting new deck hardware Boston base 1924 Stone Horse LV-53 self propelled (no sailing masts) Men clean Acetylene lamp cage Lightship#4 at Handkerchief nightime Lightship #5 at Shovelful shoal nightime 1866 Map of Monomoy Point Section note Powderhole and LS station Chart designation 1966 Pollock Rip LS Chart designation 1966 Nantucket Shoals LS Stone Horse LV-53 locked in ice 1948 Spar to the rescue 1906 Eldredge Chart of Monomoy and Harwich Port Cross Rip LV-6 Lost at Sea 1916 Late photo of Cross Rip LV-96 servced 17 years on station Another photo of Cross Rip 1937-1954 LV-42 spent 21 years at Great Round Shoal LV-98 spent 21 years off Harwich Port Map of Harwich Port and Village showing docks on Nantucket Sound LV-90 spent only two years at Hedge Fence Shoal after launch Crew of Nantucket Lightship Relief 106 practices lifeboat launch 1936 Between 1849 and 1969 eight different light vessels served the Polock Rip station Last crew of the Pollock Rip Lightship. 9 enlisted men, 2 non-com's and one commanding officer. No. 4 pulled its first duty at the Bishop then lighthouse was built Woody LV-5 set a record 64 years one mile from Monomoy Point at Shovelful Shoal In 1906 Shovelful LV showed One Red Light, Pollock Rip LV showed two red lights Engineer adjusts lamps on Shovelful LV-5. These were cranked t the mast head. Monomoy Point saw more fog than Downeast making passage dangerous Crew entertains one another at Shovelful Lightship ward room South Monomoy Island (winter 2004) Surfman Seth Ellis Rescue from barge grounding near Shovelful Lightship 1902 Nantucket Lightship #1 served 36 years and was seldom relieved. Nantucket #85 rescued 115 stranded sailors after a U-boat strike in 1917 #71 served time on Nantucket Shoal sunk off North Carolina LV-117 was rammed and sunk by inbound SS OLYMPIC in 1934 The British Goverment bought LV-112 to replace lost LV-117, largest LV LV-612 recently refurbished into a private home Coast Guard Station at Wychmere Harbor served the lightvessels at Monomoy LV-98 last vessel at Handkerchief retired 1951 with Cross Rip LV in 1954 Rare shot of two warhorses side by side. Woody Cross Rip LV-5 served 58 years Size comparison Handkerchief vs. Monomoy Light Hurricane wrecks 1944 The Vineyard Sound Lightship was lost with all hands 1944 Hurricae LV-73 served 20 years before its demise Bell recovered from the Vineyard lightvessel The 1906 Eldredge Lightship Chart graces the Harbormasters Office at Saqautucket Harbor Layout of Stonehorse Lightvessel #101 Sidney Moody photograph of Stonehorse LV Chief Engineer tends to the Cooper-Bessemer 315HP diesel LV #101 Crew bunks and storage lockers starboard side LV-101 Original 1000 lbs bell Stonehorse #101 Converted from kerosene to duplex 375 mm electric 13,OOOcp lantern 1931 Bridge deck steering station on top of wheel house Crash horn and mast Starboard side Stonehorse gin pole LV-101 Portside lifeboat & omini 10" fogsignal South Monomoy Island (winter 2004) Aft and fantail from bridgedeck Bow of the whale back style tumble-homed decks (note spare mushroom) Christmas aboard a lightvessel was very cheary! Elaborate radio room on Nantucket LV-112 the largest lightship Spare mushroom anchor was kept on mounts starboard bow Galley stove Stonehorse #101 Galley and sink Bosun's mate doing pots & pans Manger and anchor windless LV#101 Crews head across from windless room Rare photograph of happy crew onboard Stonehorse LV Looking up the mast Crewmember sands metal to accept paint. A lot of maintenance went on to pass the time. Stonehorse LV-101 windlass Stage Harbor Light 1900 Chatham Twin Lights 1895 Monomoy Point Light 1920 Crew sink locker was separated from the head in the spirit of hygene LV-101 even had stainless steel showers!

Return to Harbormaster website

Use Nantucket Sound and Approaches Lightship Slide Show above or load individual frames below