Thirwood Place News: The Nantucket Lightship/LV-112

Just off the coast of Nantucket, the Nantucket Lightship served as a practical and steady guide for ships navigating the busy and often shallow waters of the region. Lightships serve an incredibly important purpose. They are essentially floating lighthouses that guide ships and warn them of dangerous shallow waters, shoals, or to mark shipping channels.

Last Friday we had a wonderful presentation from Robert M. Mannino, president of the United States Lightship Museum. Thirwood Place has a beautiful model of the Nantucket Lightship LV-112 . So, residents were very excited to attend a lecture where they were able to learn about the ship and its history.

Robert gave a wonderful overview of this mighty ship’s history. The LV-112 was actually built as a replacement ship to the LV-117 which sunk after getting struck by the Olympic in 1934. The Olympic was a sister ship to the Titanic. Because of the unfortunate sinking of its predecessor, the LV-112 was built to withstand anything. Which it did until 1983, outlasting all other Lightships. Rob also displayed a number of artifacts including an original crew member sick bucket, a light from the original ship, a shark’s jaw and more.

In addition to artifacts, Rob brought along, Paul Sabo. Paul was a crew member on the Nantucket Lightship from 1972-1973 working as an Electronics Technician. According to Paul, he had no idea it was the Coast Guard’s most hazardous duty station until after he got onboard. He had amazing stories and pictures to share including a shot of him swimming with fellow shipmates. Paul currently acts as a volunteer tour guide on the Nantucket LV-112 educating others about his experiences at sea.

Learn more about the museum

What was once a floating lighthouse is now a floating museum filled with history that is well worth the visit. The U.S Lightship Museum is a nonprofit organization that operates through the help of volunteers and donors. According to their website, the most critical phase of the ship’s restoration has been completed, and they are now taking donations for the next restoration phase which will involve another dry-docking.

The museum’s Mission Statement: The mission of the United States Lightship Museum (USLM) is to preserve and maintain Nantucket Lightship/LV-112 in perpetuity, reestablishing this National Historic Landmark in its homeport of Boston. It serves as a floating museum and learning center for the general public, chronicling the maritime history of the U.S. Lightship Service from its inception in 1820 to its end in 1985.

Click here to visit their website or make a donation.