United States Lightship 101, now known as ''Portsmouth'' as a museum ship, was first stationed at

Cape Charles, Virginia Cape Charles is a town / municipal corporation in Northampton County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,009 as of the 2010 Census. History Cape Charles, located close to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, on Virginia's Eastern Shore, ...

. Today she is at the

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum and the associated Lightship Museum are located on the downtown Portsmouth, Virginia, United States waterfront. The museum covers the 250+ year relationship with the shipyard - America's oldest and largest na ...

Portsmouth, Virginia Portsmouth is an independent city in southeast Virginia and across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,915. It is part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. The Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Naval M ...

. Portsmouth never had a lightship station; however, when the vessel was dry docked there as a museum, she took on the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

''Portsmouth''. A

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...

, she is one of a small number of surviving lightships.

History

Lightship ''Portsmouth'' (LV-101) was built in 1915 by

Pusey & Jones The Pusey and Jones Corporation was a major shipbuilder and industrial-equipment manufacturer. Based in Wilmington, Delaware, it operated from 1848 to 1959. Shipbuilding was its primary focus from 1853 until the end of World War II, when the com ...

. She first served as ''Charles'' in the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...

outside

from 1916 until 1924. After that assignment ''Portsmouth'' served just over a year as the relief ship for other lightships in her district. She was then moved to Overfalls,

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent ...

, where she was stationed from 1926 to 1951 as ''Overfalls''. In 1939 when 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 t ...

was absorbed into the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, m ...

she was reclassified WAL-524, but still kept a station name on her hull. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

the vessel was not armed, however many other lightships were. In 1951 LV-101/WAL 524 was reassigned to Stonehorse Shoal,

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, where she served until decommissioned in 1963. The lightship then sat in harbor at

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...

, until her fate had been decided. On 3 September 1964 LV-101 was

donated A donation is a gift for charity, humanitarian aid, or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including money, alms, services, or goods such as clothing, toys, food, or vehicles. A donation may satisfy medical needs such as bl ...

to the City of

, to become a part of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum. ''Portsmouth'' was

dry dock A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...

ed at the London Pier in Portsmouth. Although she was never stationed there, she has taken on the city's name. In 1989, ''Portsmouth'' was designated a

and is open for visitation.

Name and station assignments

Lightship are numbered, the stations have names. Light Vessel 101 was assigned to the stations: * ''Charles'', Cape Charles, Virginia (1916–1924) * ''Relief'', Relief 5th District (1925–1926) * ''Overfalls'', Overfalls, Delaware (1926–1951) * ''Stonehorse'', Stonehorse Shoal, Massachusetts (1951–1963) * ''CrossRip'', Cross Rip Shoal, Massachusetts (1963–1964)

Other lightships of Chesapeake Bay

* Lightship ''Chesapeake'' (LV-116)

References

* **

External links

*
Lightship Portsmouth

Lightship Overfalls
{{DEFAULTSORT:Portsmouth Museum ships in Virginia Lightships of the United States Ships of the United States Lighthouse Service Ships built by Pusey and Jones National Historic Landmarks in Virginia Museums in Portsmouth, Virginia National Historic Landmark lighthouses National Register of Historic Places in Portsmouth, Virginia Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia 1916 ships

History

Name and station assignments

Other lightships of Chesapeake Bay

See also

References

External links