The United States Lightship LV-87/WAL-512 (''Ambrose'') is a riveted steel
lightship Lightship may refer to:
* Lightvessel, a moored ship that has light beacons mounted as navigational aids
* '' The Lightship'', a 1985 American drama film directed by Jerzy Skolimowski
*''The Lightship (novel)'', by Siegfried Lenz on which the film ...
built in 1907 and served at the
Ambrose Channel
Ambrose Channel is the only shipping channel in and out of the Port of New York and New Jersey. The channel is considered to be part of Lower New York Bay and is located several miles off the coasts of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and Breezy Point, ...
lightship station from December 1, 1908, until 1932, and in other posts until her decommissioning in 1966. It is one of a small number of preserved American lightships, and now serves as a
museum ship
A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...
at the
South Street Seaport Museum in southern
Manhattan,
New York City.
History
In 1921, the first
radio beacon
In navigation, a radio beacon or radiobeacon is a kind of beacon, a device that marks a fixed location and allows direction-finding equipment to find relative bearing. But instead of employing visible light, radio beacons transmit electromagnet ...
in the United States was installed in the ship's radio shack. This addition greatly assisted ships navigating the congested Ambrose Channel in dense fog. LV-87 would also be the last steam-powered vessel to hold the Ambrose Channel post.
After the end of her Ambrose Channel assignment in 1932, LV-87 underwent a major refit, most significantly switching from steam propulsion to a direct drive Winton Diesel engine, as well as the removal of her anchor burton on her bow and a reorganization of her deck structures. Afterward, the ship was assigned to various posts which included being used as an
examination vessel during World War II. Although her final post was at the Scotland Station she is commonly known by the name of her most famous station, ''Ambrose''.
LV-87 was decommissioned on March 4, 1966, from the
Coast Guard after 59 years of service. In 1968 she was given to the
South Street Seaport Museum in Lower Manhattan. Currently she is moored at Pier 16 on the East River and is used as a floating exhibit.
In April 1989, the lightship was declared a
National Historic Landmark.
[ and ]
References
External links
U.S. Coast Guard Lightships & Those of the U.S. Lighthouse Service VESSEL DESIGNATION: LV 87/WAL 512
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ambrose (LV-87), United States Lightship
National Historic Landmarks in Manhattan
Lightships of the United States
Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan
South Street Seaport
1907 ships
Museum ships in New York (state)
Ships built by New York Shipbuilding Corporation