Lightships
The Lightship Columbia
A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship which acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although there is some record of fire beacons placed on ships in Roman times, the first modern lightvessel was placed off the Nore sandbank at the mouth of the River Thames in England, placed there by its inventor Robert Hamblin in 1732. The type has become largely obsolete; some stations were replaced by lighthouses as the construction techniques for the latter advanced, while others were replaced by large automated buoys.
British lightvessels
In England and Wales, Trinity House is in charge of all lightvessels. There are currently 8 unmanned lightvessels and 2 smaller light floats.
The first lightvessel conversion to solar power was made in 1995, and all vessels except the ‘20 class’ have now been converted. The ‘20 class’ is a slightly larger type of vessel that derives its power from diesel electric generators. Where a main light with a visible range in excess of 20 nautical miles (37 km) is required, a ‘20 class’ vessel is used, as the main light from a Trinity House solar lightvessel has a maximum range of 19 nautical miles (35 km).
There are hull numbers: 19, 22, 23 and 25 (the 20 class); 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 17 (solar lightvessels); and LF2 and LF3 (solar lightfloats). Solar lightvessels 93 and 95 have been decommissioned and scrapped.
American lightships
The first United States lightship was established at Chesapeake Bay in 1820, and the total number around the coast peaked in 1909 with 56 locations marked. Of those ships, 168 were constructed by the United States Lighthouse Service and six by the United States Coast Guard, which absorbed it in 1939. From 1820 until 1983, there were 179 lightships built for the U.S. government, and they were assigned to 116 separate light stations on four coasts (including the Great Lakes.)
The first United States lightships were small wooden vessels with no propelling power. The first United States iron-hulled lightship was stationed at Merrill’s Shell Bank, Louisiana, in 1847. Wood was still the preferred building material at the time because of lower cost and ability to withstand shock loading. Wooden lightships often survived more than 50 years in northern waters where the danger of rotting was reduced.
The official use of lightships in the United States ended March 29, 1985, when the United States Coast Guard decommissioned its last such ship, the Nantucket I. Many lightships were replaced with offshore light platforms called “Texas Towers” (as they were modelled after the small offshore oil drilling platforms first used off the Texas coast) or large navigational buoys – all of which are cheaper to build and operate than lightvessels.
It is estimated that there are 15 left today. Two lightships are in New York Harbor: the Ambrose (No. 87) at the South Street Seaport; and the Frying Pan (No. 115), docked at Pier 63 in Chelsea.
