United States lightship Chesapeake (LS-116/WAL-538/WLV-538) is a museum ship owned by the National Park Service and on a 25-year loan to Baltimore City, and is operated by Historic Ships in Baltimore Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. A National Historic Landmark, she is one of a small number of preserved lightships. Since 1820, several lightships have served at the Chesapeake lightship station and have been called Chesapeake. Lightships were initially lettered in the early 1800s, but then numbered as they were often moved from one light station to another. The name painted on the side of lightships was the short name of the Light Station they were assigned to and was the daytime visual aspect of the many Aids to Navigation on board lightships. The United States Coast Guard assigned new hull numbers to all lightships still in service in April 1950. After that date, Light Ship 116 was then known by the new Coast Guard Hull number: WAL-538. In January 1965 the Coast Guard further modified all lightship hull designations from WAL to WLV, so Chesapeake became WLV-538.
Chesapeake had many redundant systems in order to maintain her position through most storms. The 5000-pound (2300 kg) main anchor was backed up by a second 5000-pound anchor attached to the side of the ship. The 30,000 candela main light was also backed up with a secondary lamp and the Radio Locator Beacon also had a backup system. On more than one occasion (in 1933, 1936, and 1962) the main anchor chain snapped during violent storms and the ship had to use her engines to stay in place and drop her second anchor.
The light vessel was built at Charleston Drydock & Machine Co. in Charleston, S.C. for $274,434.00; the keel was laid on 6 February 1929, the ship was launched on 22 October 1930 and delivery was on 23 June 1930.[1] She was one of six ships in the LS 100 class of lightships, which included LS 100, LS 113, LS 114, LS 115, LS 116 and LS 117. The first light station assignment for the LS 116 was the Fenwick Shoal station off the coast of Delaware, marked FENWICK. In 1933 Lightship 116 was then assigned to the Chesapeake Light Station, about 17 miles offshore from the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. The ship was also absorbed into the Coast Guard in 1939, as were all vessels in the United States Lighthouse Service.
Service in the US Coast Guard meant a pay cut for the sailors aboard Chesapeake and other Lightships, as well as the requirements for the crew to pass Coast Guard physical exams and wear uniforms. Coast Guard officers, usually a Warrant Bos'n,[clarification needed] were also placed in command of the lightships, which meant a more efficient, orderly and strict operation. It did also, however, mean better supplies and training reached the crew. During World War II, Chesapeake was based out of Sandwich, Massachusetts, where she served as an examination and guard vessel at the north entrance of the Cape Cod Canal and helped protect the important port of Boston. As WW2 ended, she was returned to the CHESAPEAKE light station.
In the 1960s with the introduction of automated buoys as well as permanent light stations, the lightship fleet was slowly mothballed. Chesapeake left her station at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in September 1965 when she was replaced by a large, manned light tower similar to an oil rig. This station was helicopter accessible and was easier to maintain than a lightship. Eventually the light tower was fully automated. Eight lightships were built after Chesapeake.
Chesapeake's last tour of duty was at the mouth of the Delaware Bay from 1966 to 1970 where she was named "DELAWARE". A large 104 ton buoy beacon replaced her at this station in 1970. After leaving Delaware Bay, Chesapeake was moored in Cape May, New Jersey, until her decommissioning on 6 January 1971. She was then transferred to the National Park Service and used as a seagoing environmental education classroom until she was handed over to the city of Baltimore in 1982. In 1988 Chesapeake became part of the Baltimore Maritime Museum, now the Historic Ships in Baltimore museum and is moored at Pier 3 in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. She is open for touring after a paid admission to the museum. Chesapeake was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 1 August 1980[2] and was designated a National Historic Landmark on 20 November 1989.[3]Chesapeake and her companions are major contributing elements in the Baltimore National Heritage Area.[4]
Name and station assignmentsedit
FENWICK, Fenwick Island Shoal, DE (1930–1933)
CHESAPEAKE, Chesapeake, VA (1933–1942)
LS-116, Examination and Guard Vessel World War II Sandwich, MA (1942–1945)
CHESAPEAKE, Chesapeake, VA (1945–1965)
DELAWARE, Delaware Bay, DE (1966–1970)
Galleryedit
Lightship Chesapeake in Baltimore's Inner Harbor
This is a photo of an overhead beam in the Engine Room of the Lightship Chesapeake showing her original hull number was LS 116, not LV 116.
Delgado, James P. (June 30, 1989). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form / Lightship No. 116" (pdf). National Park Service. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
"Vessel Designation: LV 116 / WAL 538". U.S. Coast Guard Lightships & Those of the U.S. Lighthouse Service. United States Coast Guard. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
Referencesedit
^ abcdPacific American Steamship Association; Shipowners Association of the Pacific Coast (1930). "Progress of Construction: Charleston Dry Dock and Machine Co". Pacific Marine Review. 27 (August). San Francisco: J.S. Hines: 165. Retrieved April 22, 2015.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. MD-133, "Lightship 116, Pier 3, Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Independent City, MD", 18 photos, 1 color transparency, 16 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
"Lightship Chesapeake, LV-116 / WAL 538". Chesapeake Bay Lighthouse Project.
April 29, 2024
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United States lightship Chesapeake LS 116 WAL 538 WLV 538 is a museum ship owned by the National Park Service and on a 25 year loan to Baltimore City and is operated by Historic Ships in Baltimore Museum in Baltimore Maryland A National Historic Landmark she is one of a small number of preserved lightships Since 1820 several lightships have served at the Chesapeake lightship station and have been called Chesapeake Lightships were initially lettered in the early 1800s but then numbered as they were often moved from one light station to another The name painted on the side of lightships was the short name of the Light Station they were assigned to and was the daytime visual aspect of the many Aids to Navigation on board lightships The United States Coast Guard assigned new hull numbers to all lightships still in service in April 1950 After that date Light Ship 116 was then known by the new Coast Guard Hull number WAL 538 In January 1965 the Coast Guard further modified all lightship hull designations from WAL to WLV so Chesapeake became WLV 538 Chesapeake LS 116 History United States OwnerUnited States Lighthouse Service 1930 1939 United States Coast Guard 1939 c 1971 National Park Service c 1971 BuilderCharleston Drydock amp Machine Co Charleston South Carolina Cost 274 434 Laid down6 February 1929 1 Launched22 October 1930 1 Acquired23 June 1930 1 Commissioned1930 Decommissioned6 January 1971 ReclassifiedWAL 538 April 1950 WLV 538 January 1965 StatusMuseum ship General characteristics TypeLightship Displacement130 long tons 132 t Length133 ft 3 in 40 61 m Beam30 ft 9 1 m Draft13 ft 9 in 4 19 m PropulsionDiesel electric 350 hp 261 kW Speed9 knots 17 km h 10 mph Complement10 seamen 5 officers 1 cook Armament2 20 mm rapid fire machine guns World War II only Chesapeake lightship U S National Register of Historic PlacesU S National Historic LandmarkShow map of BaltimoreShow map of MarylandLocationInner Harbor Baltimore MarylandCoordinates39 17 8 5 N 76 36 31 6 W 39 285694 N 76 608778 W 39 285694 76 608778Area0 1 acres 0 040 ha Built1930ArchitectGreen Lewis II Charleston Drydock amp Machine Co NRHP reference No 80000349 2 Significant datesAdded to NRHP1 August 1980Designated NHL20 December 1989 3 Chesapeake had many redundant systems in order to maintain her position through most storms The 5000 pound 2300 kg main anchor was backed up by a second 5000 pound anchor attached to the side of the ship The 30 000 candela main light was also backed up with a secondary lamp and the Radio Locator Beacon also had a backup system On more than one occasion in 1933 1936 and 1962 the main anchor chain snapped during violent storms and the ship had to use her engines to stay in place and drop her second anchor Contents 1 History 1 1 Name and station assignments 2 Gallery 3 See also 4 Resources 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksHistory editThe light vessel was built at Charleston Drydock amp Machine Co in Charleston S C for 274 434 00 the keel was laid on 6 February 1929 the ship was launched on 22 October 1930 and delivery was on 23 June 1930 1 She was one of six ships in the LS 100 class of lightships which included LS 100 LS 113 LS 114 LS 115 LS 116 and LS 117 The first light station assignment for the LS 116 was the Fenwick Shoal station off the coast of Delaware marked FENWICK In 1933 Lightship 116 was then assigned to the Chesapeake Light Station about 17 miles offshore from the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay The ship was also absorbed into the Coast Guard in 1939 as were all vessels in the United States Lighthouse Service Service in the US Coast Guard meant a pay cut for the sailors aboard Chesapeake and other Lightships as well as the requirements for the crew to pass Coast Guard physical exams and wear uniforms Coast Guard officers usually a Warrant Bos n clarification needed were also placed in command of the lightships which meant a more efficient orderly and strict operation It did also however mean better supplies and training reached the crew During World War II Chesapeake was based out of Sandwich Massachusetts where she served as an examination and guard vessel at the north entrance of the Cape Cod Canal and helped protect the important port of Boston As WW2 ended she was returned to the CHESAPEAKE light station In the 1960s with the introduction of automated buoys as well as permanent light stations the lightship fleet was slowly mothballed Chesapeake left her station at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in September 1965 when she was replaced by a large manned light tower similar to an oil rig This station was helicopter accessible and was easier to maintain than a lightship Eventually the light tower was fully automated Eight lightships were built after Chesapeake Chesapeake s last tour of duty was at the mouth of the Delaware Bay from 1966 to 1970 where she was named DELAWARE A large 104 ton buoy beacon replaced her at this station in 1970 After leaving Delaware Bay Chesapeake was moored in Cape May New Jersey until her decommissioning on 6 January 1971 She was then transferred to the National Park Service and used as a seagoing environmental education classroom until she was handed over to the city of Baltimore in 1982 In 1988 Chesapeake became part of the Baltimore Maritime Museum now the Historic Ships in Baltimore museum and is moored at Pier 3 in Baltimore s Inner Harbor She is open for touring after a paid admission to the museum Chesapeake was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 1 August 1980 2 and was designated a National Historic Landmark on 20 November 1989 3 Chesapeake and her companions are major contributing elements in the Baltimore National Heritage Area 4 Name and station assignments edit FENWICK Fenwick Island Shoal DE 1930 1933 CHESAPEAKE Chesapeake VA 1933 1942 LS 116 Examination and Guard Vessel World War II Sandwich MA 1942 1945 CHESAPEAKE Chesapeake VA 1945 1965 DELAWARE Delaware Bay DE 1966 1970 Gallery edit nbsp Lightship Chesapeake in Baltimore s Inner Harbor nbsp nbsp This is a photo of an overhead beam in the Engine Room of the Lightship Chesapeake showing her original hull number was LS 116 not LV 116 See also editList of National Historic Landmarks in Maryland National Register of Historic Places listings in Central BaltimoreResources editDelgado James P June 30 1989 National Register of Historic Places Registration Form Lightship No 116 pdf National Park Service Retrieved October 25 2012 Accompanying Photos pdf National Park Service Retrieved October 25 2012 Vessel Designation LV 116 WAL 538 U S Coast Guard Lightships amp Those of the U S Lighthouse Service United States Coast Guard Retrieved October 25 2012 Interviews with LV 116 s former crew members and the first commanding officer s daughter conducted by NPS historian Frank Hebblethwaite References edit a b c d Pacific American Steamship Association Shipowners Association of the Pacific Coast 1930 Progress of Construction Charleston Dry Dock and Machine Co Pacific Marine Review 27 August San Francisco J S Hines 165 Retrieved April 22 2015 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link a b National Register Information System National Register of Historic Places National Park Service July 9 2010 a b Lightship No 116 Chesapeake National Historic Landmarks Program NHL National Park Service Archived from the original on September 26 2011 Retrieved March 13 2012 Baltimore National Heritage Area Map PDF City of Baltimore Archived from the original PDF on May 22 2013 Retrieved March 11 2012 Further reading editUnited States Coast Guard 1945 Aids to Navigation Washington D C U S Government Printing Office Price Scott T U S Coast Guard Aids to Navigation A Historical Bibliography United States Coast Guard Historian s Office Putnam George R 1933 Lighthouses and Lightships of the United States Boston Houghton Mifflin Co nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chesapeake ship 1930 External links edit Lightship Chesapeake LV 116 WAL 538 Historic Naval Ships Association Archived from the original on October 14 2007 Retrieved September 14 2007 Lightships LS WLV WAL semperparatus com Chesapeake Chapter of the US Lighthouse Society Historic Ships in Baltimore Lightship 116 538 Chesapeake volunteer web site Chesapeake lightship Baltimore City Maryland Historical Trust Historic American Engineering Record HAER No MD 133 Lightship 116 Pier 3 Inner Harbor Baltimore Independent City MD 18 photos 1 color transparency 16 data pages 2 photo caption pages Lightship Chesapeake LV 116 WAL 538 Chesapeake Bay Lighthouse Project Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title United States lightship Chesapeake LV 116 amp oldid 1169590191, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
