United States lightship ''Buffalo'' (LV-82) was a lightship built in 1911 for the

United States Lighthouse Service The United States Lighthouse Service, also known as the Bureau of Lighthouses, was the agency of the United States Government and the general lighthouse authority for the United States from the time of its creation in 1910 as the successor of the ...

and stationed off Point Abino, Ontario, Canada to help guide vessels heading for the harbor at

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

. During the

Great Lakes Storm of 1913 The Great Lakes Storm of 1913 (historically referred to as the "Big Blow", the "Freshwater Fury", and the "White Hurricane") was a blizzard with hurricane-force winds that devastated the Great Lakes Basin in the Midwestern United States and Sou ...

, ''LV-82'' stayed at its assigned station and was sunk with the loss of all six crew members. On May 13, 1914 the wreckage of ''LV-82'' was located two miles from its assigned location in 63 feet of water. Following two failed salvage attempts, ''LV-82'' was raised from the bottom using pontoons and sent to be refurbished. She served as a relief ship from 1916 to 1925, and was stationed as the Eleven Foot Shoals Lightship from 1925 up to her decommissioning. Lightship LV-82 After Sinking

The ''Buffalo'' was in service until 1936 when she was decommissioned. After decommissioning, papers were signed by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

to have her moved to a VFW post in Massachusetts. However, this never happened as she was burnt at the dock by vandals, and was considered a total loss, so she was scrapped.

References

Lightships of the United States Maritime incidents in 1913 1911 ships Ships lost with all hands {{ship-stub