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Coordinates: 38°46′40.5″N 75°8′28″W / 38.777917°N 75.14111°W / 38.777917; -75.14111
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{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:United States lightship ''WAL 539''}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[Image:WAL 539 NRIS.jpeg|300px|alt=US lightship WAL 539]]
|Ship image=[[File:Lightship Overfalls DE1.jpg|300px|alt=US lightship WAL 539]]
|Ship caption=''WAL 539'' painted for "OVERFALLS" station, docked in [[Lewes, Delaware]] (NRHP)
|Ship caption=''WAL 539'' painted for "OVERFALLS" station, docked in [[Lewes, Delaware]] in 2015
}}
}}
{{Infobox Ship Career
{{Infobox ship career
|Ship country=United States
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|USA|1938}}
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|USA|1938}}
|Ship name=''LV 118''
|Ship name=''LV 118''
|Ship renamed=''WAL 539'' (1939/1947–1965){{clarify |reason=Sources disagree; |date=September 2012}}<br />''WLV-539'' (1965-1973)
|Ship renamed=*''WAL 539'' (1939/1947–1965){{clarify |reason=Sources disagree; |date=September 2012}}
*''WLV-539'' (1965-1973)
|Ship operator=[[United States Lighthouse Service]]/[[United States Coast Guard]]
|Ship operator=[[United States Lighthouse Service]]/[[United States Coast Guard]]
|Ship builder=Rice Brothers, East Boothbay, Maine
|Ship builder=[[Rice Brothers Corporation]], East Boothbay, Maine
|Ship original cost=$223,900
|Ship original cost=$223,900
|Ship built=1938
|Ship built=1938
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|Ship out of service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship honors=
|Ship honors=
|Ship status=Museum in [[Lewes, Delaware]]
|Ship status=Museum Ship in [[Lewes, Delaware]]
|Ship fate=
|Ship fate=
|Ship note=
|Ship note=
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}}
}}
{{Infobox NRHP
{{Infobox NRHP
|embed=yes
| embed = yes
|name=Lightship ''WAL-539''
| name = Lightship ''WAL-539''
|nrhp_type=nhl
| nrhp_type = nhl
|image=
| image =
|caption=
| caption =
|location=[[Lewes, Delaware]]
| location = [[Lewes, Delaware]]
| coordinates = {{coord|38|46|40.5|N|75|8|28|W|display=inline,title}}
|lat_degrees=38
⚫
| locmapin = Delaware
|lat_minutes=46
⚫
| map_width = 300
|lat_seconds=40.5
| area =
|lat_direction=N
| built = 1938
|long_degrees=75
⚫
| architect = Rice Brothers
|long_minutes=8
⚫
| architecture =
|long_seconds=28
⚫
| designated_nrhp_type = 14 June 2011
|long_direction=W
⚫
| added = 16 February 1989<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2007a}}</ref>
⚫
|locmapin=Delaware
⚫
| refnum = 89000006
⚫
|map_width=300
|area=
|built=1938
⚫
|architect=Rice Brothers
⚫
|architecture=
⚫
|designated_nrhp_type=14 June 2011
⚫
|added=16 February 1989<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2007a}}</ref>
|governing_body=Private
⚫
|refnum=89000006
}}
}}
|}
|}
Lightship '''''WAL 539''''' (numbered ''LV 118'' when built) was the last [[lightvessel]] constructed for the [[United States Lighthouse Service]] before the Service became part of the [[United States Coast Guard]].<ref name="USCG">{{cite web |url=http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblightships/LV118.asp |publisher=[[United States Coast Guard]] |work=U.S. Coast Guard Lightships & Those of the U.S. Lighthouse Service |title=Vessel Designation: LV 118/WAL 539 |accessdate=2010-11-16}}</ref> She is currently preserved in [[Lewes, Delaware]] as a museum ship.
Lightship '''''Overfalls (LV-118)''''' (later renumbered ''WAL-539'') was the last [[lightvessel]] constructed for the [[United States Lighthouse Service]] before the Service became part of the [[United States Coast Guard]].<ref name="USCG">{{cite web |url=http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblightships/LV118.asp |publisher=[[United States Coast Guard]] |work=U.S. Coast Guard Lightships & Those of the U.S. Lighthouse Service |title=Vessel Designation: LV 118/WAL 539 |access-date=2010-11-16}}</ref> She is currently preserved in [[Lewes, Delaware]] as a museum ship.


==History==
==History==
This ship was built to replace [[United States lightship LV-44|''LV-44'']], badly damaged in the [[New England Hurricane of 1938]], for the Cornfield Point station.<ref name="USCG">{{cite web |url=http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblightships/LV44.asp |publisher=[[United States Coast Guard]] |title=U.S. Coast Guard Lightships: LV 44 |accessdate=2010-11-18}}</ref> Patterned after the [[United States lightship Nantucket (LV-112)|''LV-112'']],<ref name="USCG" /> she has a hull unlike that of any of her sisters; in effect, a single-ship class.<ref name="NHL">{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nhl/Fall10Noms/LightshipLV118.pdf |format=pdf |title=National Historic Landmark nomination |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |accessdate=201-11-19}}</ref> Propulsion was diesel, with a set of diesel generators and compressors providing power for the beacon and auxiliaries.<ref name="USCG" /><ref name="specs">{{cite web |url=http://www.overfalls.org/about_overfalls_specifications.html|title=Specifications and Other Facts |publisher=Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation |accessdate=2012-09-05}}</ref> The light was a duplex {{convert|375|mm|abbr=on}} lantern on a single mast, at {{convert|57|ft|abbr=on}} above the water line.<ref name="specs" /> Dual diaphones were provided for a fog signal, as well as a bell and radiobeacon.<ref name="USCG" /> A radar unit was installed in 1943.<ref name="specs" /> The crew complement was fourteen, to serve on a two weeks on/one week off basis.<ref name="specs" /> When the lighthouse service was merged into the coast guard in 1939, she was renumbered ''WAL 539''.<ref name="USCG"/>
This ship was built to replace [[United States lightship LV-44|''LV-44'']], badly damaged in the [[New England Hurricane of 1938]], for the Cornfield Point station.<ref name="USCG2">{{cite web |url=http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblightships/LV44.asp |publisher=[[United States Coast Guard]] |title=U.S. Coast Guard Lightships: LV 44 |access-date=2010-11-18}}</ref> Patterned after the [[United States lightship Nantucket (LV-112)|''LV-112'']],<ref name="USCG" /> she has a hull unlike that of any of her sisters; in effect, a single-ship class.<ref name="NHL">{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/NHL/find/statelists/de/LV-118.pdf |title=National Historic Landmark nomination |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |access-date=2017-12-27}}</ref> She is the last riveted-hull lightship built for the [[United States Lighthouse Service]], all subsequent ships having welded hulls. Propulsion was diesel, with a set of diesel generators and compressors providing power for the beacon and auxiliaries.<ref name="USCG" /><ref name="specs">{{cite web |url=http://www.overfalls.org/about_overfalls_specifications.html|title=Specifications and Other Facts |publisher=Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation |access-date=2012-09-05}}</ref> The light was a duplex {{convert|375|mm|abbr=on}} lantern on a single mast, at {{convert|57|ft|abbr=on}} above the water line.<ref name="specs" /> Dual diaphones were provided for a fog signal, as well as a bell and radiobeacon.<ref name="USCG" /> A radar unit was installed in 1943.<ref name="specs" /> The crew complement was fourteen, to serve on a two weeks on/one week off basis.<ref name="specs" /> When the lighthouse service was merged into the coast guard in 1939, she was renumbered ''WAL 539''.<ref name="USCG"/>


''LV 118'' / ''WAL 539'' served at these stations:<ref name="USCG" />
''LV 118'' / ''WAL 539'' served at these stations:<ref name="USCG" />
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:1962-1972: [[Boston, Massachusetts]]
:1962-1972: [[Boston, Massachusetts]]


Unlike most US lightships ''WAL 539'' remained on station during [[World War II]].<ref name="NHL" /> A severe storm in December 1970 damaged the ship, leading to her decommissioning on November 7, 1972.<ref name="hist">{{cite web |url=http://www.overfalls.org/about_overfalls_history.html|title=About the Lightship Overfalls: History|publisher=Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation |accessdate=2012-09-04}}</ref> Upon retirement ''WAL 539'' was donated to the [[Lewes Historical Society]] and placed on display in [[Lewes, Delaware]], painted for the "OVERFALLS" station, though she never served there.<ref name="NHL" /> 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.<ref name="OMMF hist">{{cite web |url=http://www.overfalls.org/page.cfm?pageID=1 |title=The History of the OMMF and the Lightship's more recent adventures |publisher=Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation |accessdate=201-11-19|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20090217060110/http://overfalls.org/page.cfm?pageID=1|archivedate=2009-02-17}}</ref> She remains in Lewes and is available for tours.<ref name="OMMF hist" />
Unlike most US lightships ''WAL 539'' remained on station during [[World War II]].<ref name="NHL" /> A severe storm in December 1970 damaged the ship, leading to her decommissioning on November 7, 1972.<ref name="hist">{{cite web |url=http://www.overfalls.org/about_overfalls_history.html|title=About the Lightship Overfalls: History|publisher=Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation |access-date=2012-09-04}}</ref> Upon retirement ''WAL 539'' was donated to the [[Lewes Historical Society]] and placed on display in [[Lewes, Delaware]], painted for the "OVERFALLS" station, though she never served there.<ref name="NHL" /> 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.<ref name="OMMF hist">{{cite web |url=http://www.overfalls.org/page.cfm?pageID=1 |title=The History of the OMMF and the Lightship's more recent adventures |publisher=Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation |access-date=2010-11-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090217060110/http://overfalls.org/page.cfm?pageID=1|archive-date=2009-02-17}}</ref> She remains in Lewes and is available for tours.<ref name="OMMF hist" />


The lightship was placed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1989, and in 2011 was further designated a [[National Historic Landmark]].<ref name="NHL designation">{{cite web |title=National Register of Historic Places listings for June 24, 2011 |url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/listings/20110624.htm |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |date=24 June 2011 |accessdate=2011-06-24}}</ref>
The lightship was placed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1989, and in 2011 was further designated a [[National Historic Landmark]].<ref name="NHL designation">{{cite web |title=National Register of Historic Places listings for June 24, 2011 |url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/listings/20110624.htm |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |date=24 June 2011 |access-date=2011-06-24}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
*[[List of National Historic Landmarks in Delaware]]
*[[List of National Historic Landmarks in Delaware]]
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Sussex County, Delaware]]
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Sussex County, Delaware]]
*[[List of maritime museums in the United States]]


==References==
==References==
Line 83: Line 77:


==External links==
==External links==
*{{commons category-inline}}
*[http://www.overfalls.org/ Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation]
*[http://www.overfalls.org/ Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation]
*[http://cblights.com/lights/lightshipoverfalls.html Chesapeake Bay Lighthouse Project - Lightship Overfalls]
*[http://cblights.com/lights/lightshipoverfalls.html Chesapeake Bay Lighthouse Project - Lightship Overfalls]


{{Lightvessels}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Delaware}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Delaware}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:WAL 539}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Overfalls (LV-118)}}
[[Category:1938 ships]]
[[Category:1938 ships]]
[[Category:Lightships of the United States]]
[[Category:Lightships of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built in Maine]]
[[Category:Ships of the United States Lighthouse Service]]
[[Category:Ships built in Boothbay, Maine]]
[[Category:Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in Delaware]]
[[Category:Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in Delaware]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in Delaware]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in Delaware]]
[[Category:Museum ships in Delaware]]
[[Category:Museum ships in Delaware]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Lewes, Delaware]]
[[Category:Museums in Sussex County, Delaware]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Sussex County, Delaware]]
[[Category:Ships built by Rice Brothers Corporation]]

Latest revision as of 00:23, 3 December 2023

US lightship WAL 539
WAL 539 painted for "OVERFALLS" station, docked in Lewes, Delaware in 2015
History
United States
NameLV 118
OperatorUnited States Lighthouse Service/United States Coast Guard
BuilderRice Brothers Corporation, East Boothbay, Maine
Cost$223,900
Launched4 June 1938
Commissioned11 September 1938
Decommissioned7 November 1972
Renamed
StatusMuseum Ship in Lewes, Delaware
General characteristics
TypeLightvessel
Displacement412 short tons (374 t)
Length114 ft 9 in (34.98 m)
Beam26 ft (7.9 m)
Draft13 ft 4 in (4.06 m)
Installed powerCooper-Bessemer 8 cylinder air-start Diesel engine, 400 bhp (300 kW)
PropulsionSingle shaft, reduction gear, 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) propeller
Speed9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph)
Crew14
Lightship WAL-539
United States lightship Overfalls (LV-118) is located in Delaware
United States lightship Overfalls (LV-118)
LocationLewes, Delaware
Coordinates38°46′40.5″N 75°8′28″W / 38.777917°N 75.14111°W / 38.777917; -75.14111
Built1938
ArchitectRice Brothers
NRHP reference No.89000006
Significant dates
Added to NRHP16 February 1989[1]
Designated NHL14 June 2011

Lightship Overfalls (LV-118) (later renumbered WAL-539) was the last lightvessel constructed for the United States Lighthouse Service before the Service became part of the United States Coast Guard.[2] She is currently preserved in Lewes, Delaware as a museum ship.

History

[edit]

This ship was built to replace LV-44, badly damaged in the New England Hurricane of 1938, for the Cornfield Point station.[3] Patterned after the LV-112,[2] she has a hull unlike that of any of her sisters; in effect, a single-ship class.[4] She is the last riveted-hull lightship built for the United States Lighthouse Service, all subsequent ships having welded hulls. Propulsion was diesel, with a set of diesel generators and compressors providing power for the beacon and auxiliaries.[2][5] The light was a duplex 375 mm (14.8 in) lantern on a single mast, at 57 ft (17 m) above the water line.[5] Dual diaphones were provided for a fog signal, as well as a bell and radiobeacon.[2] A radar unit was installed in 1943.[5] The crew complement was fourteen, to serve on a two weeks on/one week off basis.[5] When the lighthouse service was merged into the coast guard in 1939, she was renumbered WAL 539.[2]

LV 118 / WAL 539 served at these stations:[2]

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.[4] A severe storm in December 1970 damaged the ship, leading to her decommissioning on November 7, 1972.[6] Upon retirement WAL 539 was donated to the Lewes Historical Society and placed on display in Lewes, Delaware, painted for the "OVERFALLS" station, though she never served there.[4] 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.[7] She remains in Lewes and is available for tours.[7]

The lightship was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989, and in 2011 was further designated a National Historic Landmark.[8]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Vessel Designation: LV 118/WAL 539". U.S. Coast Guard Lightships & Those of the U.S. Lighthouse Service. United States Coast Guard. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
  3. ^ "U.S. Coast Guard Lightships: LV 44". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  4. ^ a b c "National Historic Landmark nomination" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d "Specifications and Other Facts". Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  6. ^ "About the Lightship Overfalls: History". Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  7. ^ a b "The History of the OMMF and the Lightship's more recent adventures". Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation. Archived from the original on February 17, 2009. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  8. ^ "National Register of Historic Places listings for June 24, 2011". National Park Service. June 24, 2011. Retrieved June 24, 2011.
[edit]
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