Lightship ''Overfalls (LV-118)'' (later renumbered ''WAL-539'') was the last

lightvessel A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, t ...

constructed for 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 ...

before the Service became part of 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, mu ...

. She is currently preserved in

Lewes, Delaware Lewes ( ) is an incorporated city on the Delaware Bay in eastern Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population is 2,747. Along with neighboring Rehoboth Beach, Lewes is one of the principal cities of Delawar ...

as a museum ship.

History

This ship was built to replace ''LV-44'', badly damaged in the

New England Hurricane of 1938 The 1938 New England Hurricane (also referred to as the Great New England Hurricane and the Long Island Express Hurricane) was one of the deadliest and most destructive tropical cyclones to strike Long Island, New York, and New England. The stor ...

, for the Cornfield Point station. Patterned after the ''LV-112'', she has a hull unlike that of any of her sisters; in effect, a single-ship class. She is the last riveted-hull lightship built for the

, all subsequent ships having welded hulls. Propulsion was diesel, with a set of diesel generators and compressors providing power for the beacon and auxiliaries. The light was a duplex lantern on a single mast, at above the water line. Dual diaphones were provided for a fog signal, as well as a bell and radiobeacon. A radar unit was installed in 1943. The crew complement was fourteen, to serve on a two weeks on/one week off basis. When the lighthouse service was merged into the coast guard in 1939, she was renumbered ''WAL 539''. ''LV 118'' / ''WAL 539'' served at these stations: :1938-1957: Cornfield Point, Connecticut :1958-1962: Cross Rip, Massachusetts :1962-1972: Boston, Massachusetts Unlike most US lightships ''WAL 539'' remained on station 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. A severe storm in December 1970 damaged the ship, leading to her decommissioning on November 7, 1972. Upon retirement ''WAL 539'' was donated to the Lewes Historical Society and placed on display in

, painted for the "OVERFALLS" station, though she never served there. The Lightship that actually served on the Overfalls station, is on display in Portsmouth Virginia. The ship's condition deteriorated and a failed attempt in 1999 to sell her led to the formation of a separate group, the Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation, to take over the maintenance and restore the vessel. She remains in Lewes and is available for tours. The lightship was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1989, and in 2011 was further designated 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 listed ...

References

External links

*
Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Overfalls (LV-118) 1938 ships Lightships of the United States Ships of the United States Lighthouse Service Ships built in Boothbay, Maine Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in Delaware National Historic Landmarks in Delaware Museum ships in Delaware Buildings and structures in Lewes, Delaware Museums in Sussex County, Delaware National Register of Historic Places in Sussex County, Delaware Ships built by Rice Brothers Corporation

History

See also

References

External links