Lightship Portsmouth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Builder: | Pusey & Jones |
| Built: | 1915/1916 |
| Decommissioned: | 1963 |
| Fate: | Museum ship |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 360 displ |
| Length: | 101'10" |
| Beam: | 25'0" |
| Draft: | 11'4" |
| Propulsion: | 200 HP Meitz & Weiss 4 cylinder kerosene engine |
| Speed: | 8 knots |
| Armament: | none |
The Lightship Portsmouth, commissioned as Lightship 101, was first stationed at Cape Charles, Virginia. Today the vessel is at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum in Portsmouth, Virginia. Portsmouth never had a lightship station, however when the vessel was dry docked there as a museum, it took on the pseudo-name, Portsmouth.
Contents |
[edit] History
Lightship Portsmouth (LV-101) was built in 1915 by Pusey & Jones. It first served as the Charles in the Chesapeake Bay outside of Cape Charles, VA in 1916. It was then moved to Overfalls, DE, where it was station from 1926 to 1951 as the Overfalls. In 1939 when the United States Lighthouse Service was absorbed into the United States Coast Guard it became WAL 524, but still kept a station name on its hull. During World War II the vessel was not armed, however many other lightships were. In 1951 LV-101/WAL 524 was reassigned to Stonehorse Shoal, MA, where it served until decommissioned in 1963. OnSeptember 3, 1964 LV-101 was donated to the City of Portsmouth, Virginia, and became a part of Naval Shipyard Museum. The vessel was dry docked at the London Pier in Portsmouth. Today LV-101 is named Portsmouth, although it was never stationed there it has taken on the city's name. In 1989, the Lightship was designated a National Historic Landmark and can still be visited today. It is $3 to go into the hull of the vessel and the Naval Shipyard Museum a block down the road.
[edit] Name and Station Assignments
- Charles, Cape Charles, VA (1916–24)
- Relief, Relief 5th District (1925–26)
- Overfalls, Overfalls, DE (1926–51)
- Stonehorse Shoal, Stonehorse Shoal, MA (1951–63)
[edit] Official Website
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum
[edit] Other Lightships Of The Chesapeake Bay
[edit] Resources
VESSEL DESIGNATION: LV 101 / WAL 524
