This is a list of lightships of the United States, listing lightships operated by the United States government. The first US lightship was put in place off of Willoughby Spit in Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, in 1820. Lightships remained in service in the United States until March 29, 1985, when the last ship, the Nantucket I, was decommissioned. During that period, lightships were operated by several branches of the government: by the Lighthouse Establishment from 1820 to 1852, the Lighthouse Board from 1852 to 1910, the Lighthouse Service from 1910 to 1939, and the Coast Guard from 1939 to 1985.

The naming conventions used for lightships are not consistent. Until 1867, there was no uniform method to refer to individual lightships. Lightships in that period generally took the name of the station that they served, but occasionally other names. These names were not permanently assigned to an individual vessel. Rather, whenever a lightship was moved to a new station she took on that name. That made identifying individual ships nearly impossible. Beginning in 1867, lightship numbers (hull numbers) were assigned to ships still in service. These numbers are the primary means of identifying individual lightships across her various stations. In 1938, the Lighthouse Service retroactively allocated letter codes to the unnumbered lightships based on their research of available records, although some ships may have been lost or misidentified. Even with the hull numbers, it is common to refer to a lightship by the name of the station it serves (or Relief, if it is a relief ship) and a few, such as the Nantucket I and Nantucket II, have been given individual names.

Lightships

Designation Start year End year Stations Fate Lightship A c. 1838 c. 1868 [A] Lightship B 1821 1861 Sunk by the Confederate States Navy in 1861 [A] Lightship C 1820 c. 1859 [A] Lightship D c. 1854 c. 1860 Sunk or captured by the Confederate States Navy [A] Lightship E c. 1854 c. 1860 Sunk or captured by the Confederate States Navy [A] Lightship F c. 1849 after 1860 [A] Lightship G c. 1865 1866 Abandoned and sunk by December 30, 1866 [A] Lightship H c. 1828 1864 Wrecked at Cape Poge, Martha's Vineyard in 1864 [A] Lightship K c. 1839 c. 1859 [A] Lightship L c. 1835 after 1849 [A] Lightship M c. 1826 c. 1855 [A] Lightship N 1823 c. 1855 [A] Lightship O c. 1835 1861 Sunk or captured by the Confederate States Navy [A] Lightship P c. 1848 after 1848 [A] Lightship Q 1821 c. 1847 [A] Lightship R 1847 1867 [A] Lightship S 1821 after 1821 [A] Lightship T 1856 1861 Sunk or captured by the Confederate States Navy in 1861 [A] Lightship U c. 1834 1861 Sunk or captured by the Confederate States Navy in 1861 [A] Lightship V c. 1863 1864 Captured during the American Civil War, and commandeered by the United States Navy from July 5, 1863 to March 1864. It is unknown what became of it after the war. [A] Lightship W c. 1847 1860 Sunk by the Confederate States Navy in 1860 [A] Lightship X 1823 c. 1845 May be Lightship LV-19, which was sunk in 1900 [A] Lightship Y c. 1857 c. 1861 [A] Lightship Z 1847 c. 1860 [A] Lightship AA c. 1825 c. 1841 May have been converted to a bell boat in 1841, but may have been two ships. (The first retired in 1830.) [A] Lightship BB c. 1841 c. 1852 [A] Lightship DD c. 1825 1861 Sunk or captured by the Confederate States Navy in 1861 [A] Lightship EE before 1859 c. 1859 [A] Lightship FF c. 1831 after 1831 [A] Lightship GG c. 1863 c. 1863 [A] Lightship HH c. 1828 c. 1862 [A] Lightship JJ c. 1825 1861 Sunk or captured by the Confederate States Navy in 1861 [A] Lightship KK c. 1864 c. 1867 [A] Lightship LL c. 1821 after 1821 [A] Lightship MM c. 1835 1861 Sunk or captured by the Confederate States Navy in 1861 [A] Lightship NN c. 1838 c. 1854 [A] Lightship PP c. 1846 c. 1853 [A] Lightship QQ c. 1836 1861 Sunk or captured by the Confederate States Navy in 1861 [A] Lightship RR c. 1835 c. 1861 [A] Lightship SS c. 1827 1861 Sunk or captured by the Confederate States Navy in 1861 [A] Lightship TT c. 1852 c. 1859 [A] Lightship UU c. 1851 c. 1870 [A] Lightship VV 1823 c. 1829 [A] Lightship WW 1839 c. 1854 [A] Lightship XX 1849 c. 1870 [A] Lightship YY 1832 c. 1851 [A] Lightship ZZ 1820 c. 1823 [A] Lightship LV-1 1856 1930 Donated to the Sea Scouts in 1930. Later ran aground on the banks of the Merrimack River in a flood in 1936. [B] Lightship LV-2 1849 1921 [B] Lightship LV-3 1852 1923 [B] Lightship LV-4 1856 1924 [B] Lightship LV-5 1866 1930 [B] Lightship LV-6 1862 1918 Disappeared on February 4, 1918. LV-6 was stuck in moving ice, and presumably sank with all hands. [B] Lightship LV-7 1854 1909 [B] Lightship LV-8 1860 1879 Sunk by the Confederate States Navy in 1860 at Cape Fear River. LV-8 was later salvaged by USLHT Iris in 1866, and repaired. It is unknown what became of this ship. [B] Lightship LV-9 1858 1925 [B] 1887 1902 LV-10 was originally purchased as a construction barge for the Lighthouse Service, then was converted to a lightship in 1887. It is unknown what became of this ship after it left service. Lightship LV-11 1854 1925 [B] Lightship LV-12 c. 1835 1871 [C] Lightship LV-13 1854 1913 [B] Lightship LV-14 1853 1872 [B] Lightship LV-15 1838 1879 LV-15 was replaced by Stratford Shoal Light in 1877, then was used as a barracks for workers building the Great Beds Light in 1880. She was sold at the end of that year at auction for $1,010. It is unknown what became of this ship after the auction. [B] Lightship LV-16 1854 1935 [B] Lightship LV-17 1848 1891 Transferred to US Navy in 1891 for use as target practice, and sunk later that year. [B] Lightship LV-18 1839 1875 Transferred to US Navy in 1875 for use as target practice, presumably sunk. [B] Lightship LV-19 c. 1845 1900 May be the same ship as Lightship X. LV-19 was transferred to US Navy in 1900 for use as target practice, and presumably sank. [B] Lightship LV-20 1867 1923 Sold in 1923 and used by rumrunners during Prohibition. She was eventually grounded, abandoned, and burned near Plymouth, Massachusetts. [B] Lightship LV-21 1864 1880 [B] Lightship LV-22 c. 1846 1903 This was the only lightship to be renumbered (see note C). It is unknown what became of LV-22. [C] Lightship LV-23 1862 1925 Originally A. J. W. Applegarth, she was acquired by the Lightship Service in 1862. It is unknown what became of this ship after she left service. [B] Lightship LV-24 1864 1869 [B] Lightship LV-25 1827 1884 [B] Lightship LV-28 1864 1906 [B] Lightship LV-29 1865 1915 [B] Lightship LV-30 1863 1871 [B] Lightship LV-31 1865 1871 Formerly James Gray, commissioned in the Confederate States Navy as CSS Lady Davis. Captured by the USN in 1865, stripped, and transferred into lightship service. LV-31 served until 1871 after which her fate is unknown. [B] Lightship LV-32 1863 1890 [B] Lightship LV-33 1857 1872 [B] Lightship LV-34 1866 1924 [B] Lightship LV-35 1858 1862 it was originally sunk by the Confederate States Navy in the Savannah River in 1862. Four years later it was raised, and intended to be used for lightship duly as LV-35. Subsequently, it was found to be too damaged so it was scrapped. [D] Lightship LV-37 1869 1893 Sank on station on August 4, 1893 with the loss of four crewmen. [E] Lightship LV-38 1870 1892 [E] Lightship LV-39 1875 1935 Sank in 1975 near Beverly, Massachusetts. Lightship LV-58 1894 1905 Sank in 1905 due to a gale. Lightship LV-71 1897 1918 Torpedoed, and sank in 1918 Lightship LV-73 1901 1944 Sunk on September 19, 1944 in a hurricane. Lightship LV-79 1904 1967 Now a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Lightship LV-82 1912 1936 Buffalo (1912-1913) Relief (1916-1925)Eleven Foot (1926-1936) Scrapped in 1942, or possibly sunk by vandals in 1945. Lightship LV-83 1905 1960 Now a museum in Seattle, Washington. Lightship LV-87 1907 1966 Now a museum in New York City, New York. Lightship LV-97 1895 1918 Scrapped in 1945. Lightship LV-100 1929 1971 Transferred to the U.S. Navy on August 6, 1971 for further transfer to Vietnam. it is unknown what became of this ship. [F] Lightship LV-101 1916 1963 Now a museum in Portsmouth, Virginia. Lightship LV-102 1916 1963 Lightship LV-103 1921 1970 Now a museum in Port Huron, Michigan. Lightship LV-105 1922 1944 Lightship LV-106 1923 1967 Lightship LV-107 1923 1968 Moored at the Liberty Landing Marina in Liberty State Park, Jersey City, New Jersey Lightship LV-108 1923 1970 Lightship LV-109 1923 1966 Lightship LV-110 1923 1972 Lightship LV-111 1926 1969 Lightship LV-112 1936 1975 Now a museum in East Boston, Massachusetts. Lightship LV-113 1930 1968 Sank on June 16, 1988 while being towed to Ketchikan, Alaska. [F] Lightship LV-114 1930 1971 Scrapped in 2007 after sinking (later raised) in New Bedford, Massachusetts. [F] Lightship LV-115 1930 1965 Operational, and available for rent [F] Lightship LV-116 1930 1970 Now a museum in Baltimore, Maryland [F] Lightship LV-117 1931 1934 Sank in 1934 after being struck by the RMS Olympic.[F] Lightship LV-118 1938 1972 Now a museum in Lewes, Delaware. Lightship WLV-604 1951 1979 Now a museum in Astoria, Oregon. Lightship WAL-605 1951 1975 Now a museum in Oakland, California. Lightship WLV-612 1950 1985 Sold to private owner, operational and available for charter. She is the last lightship to be decommissioned by the coast guard. Lightship WLV-613 1952 1983 Sold to private owner. Located in Wareham and New Bedford, Massachusetts in the 2010s.

Notes

^ A. Name assigned retroactively in 1938. During her years in service, this ship was referred to exclusively by her station name. ^ B. Name/hull number assigned between 1867–70. Previously, she was referred to exclusively by her station name. ^ C. LV-12 was assigned to two ships. From circa 1867 to 1871, LV-12 was the former Guthrie and LV-22 was an unnamed Fifth District relief vessel. In 1871, old LV-12 was decommissioned and LV-22 was renumbered LV-12. For clarity, this list refers to her as LV-22 exclusively. ^ D. Name/hull number assigned between 1867–68 in anticipation of her return to service, but she was found not fit, condemned, and sold. ^ E. Either LV-37 or LV-38 was the first lightship to have launched with a LV designation. Except for the anomalously numbered LV-10 (which would have been 43), all subsequent US lightships were numbered sequentially. ^ F. Six identical vessels: LV 100/WAL 523 (1929), LV 113/WAL 535 (1929) and LV 114 / WAL 536 (1930) built at Albina Iron Works, Portland, Oregon. LV 115 / WAL 537 (1930), LV 116 / WAL 538 (1930) and LV 117 (1930) built at Charleston Drydock & Machine Company, Charleston, South Carolina.

References

Further reading