United States lightship Chesapeake (LS-116/WAL-538/WLV-538) is a museum ship owned by the National Park Service and on a 25-year loan to Baltimore City, and is operated by Historic Ships in Baltimore Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. A National Historic Landmark, she is one of a small number of preserved lightships. Since 1820, several lightships have served at the Chesapeake lightship station and have been called Chesapeake. Lightships were initially lettered in the early 1800s, but then numbered as they were often moved from one light station to another. The name painted on the side of lightships was the short name of the Light Station they were assigned to and was the daytime visual aspect of the many Aids to Navigation on board lightships. The United States Coast Guard assigned new hull numbers to all lightships still in service in late 1940s, but the Coast Guard did not enforce the use of the new hull designation and number, WAL-538, until January 1951. In January 1965 the Coast Guard further modified all lightship hull designations from WAL to WLV, so Chesapeake became WLV-538.
Chesapeake had many redundant systems in order to maintain her position through most storms. The 5000-pound (2300 kg) main anchor was backed up by a second 5000-pound anchor attached to the side of the ship. The 30,000 candela main light was also backed up with a secondary lamp and the Radio Locator Beacon also had a backup system. On more than one occasion (in 1933, 1936, and 1962) the main anchor chain snapped during violent storms and the ship had to use her engines to stay in place and drop her second anchor.
History
The light vessel was built at Charleston Drydock & Machine Co. in Charleston, S.C. for $274,434.00; the keel was laid on 6 February 1929, the ship was launched on 22 October 1930 and delivery was on 23 June 1930.
Name and station assignments
- FENWICK, Fenwick Island Shoal, DE (1930–1933)
- CHESAPEAKE, Chesapeake, VA (1933–1942)
- LS-116, Examination and Guard Vessel World War II Sandwich, MA (1942–1945)
- CHESAPEAKE, Chesapeake, VA (1945–1965)
- DELAWARE, Delaware Bay, DE (1966–1970)
Gallery
<gallery>
File:Lightship Chesapeake.jpg|Lightship Chesapeake in Baltimore's Inner Harbor
File:Chesapeake(LV-116).JPG
File:Beam in the Engine room of Lightship Chesapeake showing the original hull number was L S No 116.jpg|This is a photo of an overhead beam in the Engine Room of the Lightship Chesapeake showing her original hull number was LS 116, not LV 116.
</gallery>
See also
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Maryland
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Central Baltimore
Resources
- Interviews with LV-116's former crew members and the first commanding officer's daughter, conducted by NPS historian Frank Hebblethwaite.