Tour Nantucket Lightship/LV-112 this summer and fall

Zampitella family reunites on LV-112.

Now is a perfect time to visit Nantucket Lightship/LV-112, an important and unique National Historic Landmark and National Treasure. Although LV-112 is undergoing restoration, this historic floating lighthouse is open to the general public for tours on Saturdays, 10am-4pm, through the last Saturday in November. In addition, LV-112 is open other days by appointment (individuals, groups, schools, etc.).

 

School teacher John Rogers and his fourth-grade students from Curtis Guild School, East Boston, break for lunch in LV-112's galley.

It has already been a busy and productive summer. With volunteer help, we continue to move forward with LV-112's restoration. Among the list of projects, we are presently restoring the Commanding Officer's quarters to depict the 1970-75 period, the final years that LV-112 was in service as a U.S. Coast Guard-commissioned lightship. This was an era when the

Doug Hatch from Boss-Tin sheet metal fabricators, East Boston, helping with restoration of the Captain's Quarters on LV-112.

average U.S. income was $9,350, a new Dodge Colt cost $4,785, bell-bottoms and leisure suits were in fashion, and gasoline was 36 cents per gallon. Restoring Nantucket/LV-112 is about more than preserving a historic structure. It also is about celebrating and learning about our nation's cultural history from 1936-75, the entire span that LV-112 was in service, and having fun at the same time. To arrange a visit, please contact us via email or phone 617.797.0135.

Cameron International helps with LV-112's restoration 

Joe McCluskey from Cameron International, standing next to the Cooper-Bessemer engine in LV-112 engine room.

One of the USLM's goals is to restore the massive 6-foot-tall propulsion unit, which has not run in almost 10 years. Recently, one of Cameron's Cooper-Bessemer Power Systems technicians, Joe McCluskey, visited LV-112 to survey the main engine, the first step in getting it operational again.

Strategic importance of the former Nantucket Shoals Lightship Station

Argo Merchant breaking up on Nantucket Shoals and spilling its cargo of fuel oil, 1976.

Lightships stationed all around the U.S. from 1820 to 1983 were all vital navigational aids for ships at sea. However, Nantucket Shoals lightship station guided the most transatlantic shipping to and from the United States. Dubbed a "graveyard of the Atlantic," the treacherous and remote and expansive Nantucket Shoals area was plagued with inclement weather and blinding fog. Before lightships were assigned in 1854 off Nantucket Shoals to help guide and warn transatlantic commerce to and from Europe, more than 700 shipwrecks were documented in the surrounding waters. Nantucket Lightship was the last lightship and U.S. landmark seen by vessels departing the United States, as well as the first beacon seen on approach. Even with the aid of an anchored floating lighthouse, equipped with a powerful fog horn, a flashing warning light and radio beacon signal that could be seen and heard for many miles at sea, shipwrecks near Nantucket Shoals and within the main shipping lanes still occurred, albeit much less frequently.  

In December 1976, the Argo Merchant, a Liberian oil tanker laden with 7.6 million gallons of No. 6 fuel oil, heading to Massachusetts Bay and searching for the guidance of Nantucket Lightship, missed the navigational aid and became lost at sea. The marine environment paid a heavy price. The oil tanker grounded out on an area of the shallow Nantucket Shoals, 26 miles from Nantucket Island, broke up and caused the third worst coastal oil spill in U.S. history to date. The book "Hard Aground" is a suspenseful action-packed story that reveals the facts behind this horrific environmental disaster, which could have been avoided. At the time, Peter A. Brunk (USCG CWO4 Ret.), a former Commanding Officer of Nantucket/LV-112 (1970-71), was on the U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Strike Team (specifically trained to fight oil spills) as Chief Warrant Officer, assigned to this incident. Previously, a commercial fisherman, he enlisted in the USCG in 1954 and retired from active duty in 1980. Subsequently, Peter

Peter Brunk stands in front of LV-112 in dry dock at the Fitzgerald Shipyard, located in Chelsea, MA, 2012.

has been piloting tugboats and other commercial vessels and remains working in the maritime industry. Since 1992, Peter has been employed by one of the top environmental and emergency response companies in America, IMS Environmental Services (now HEPACO). as Senior Training Supervisor, Oil Spill Response and Training.

Peter Brunk's USCG service included active duty assignments as Commanding Officer on several Coast Guard vessels and other high-profile positions. As a result of his exceptional service, the U.S. Coast Guard has established the annual PETER A. BRUNK Award in recognition of his outstanding leadership and devotion to duty during his career. This award is a lasting tribute to his continuous efforts to improve the USCG service and to inspire the quality leadership he practiced throughout his career. Peter currently lives in Portsmouth, VA, and serves on the U.S. Lightship Museum's Board of Directors and as an active volunteer. At age 76, Peter's lifelong passion and love for the sea motivates him to fill his spare time as a crab fisherman. Thank you, Peter, for your volunteer efforts and service to our nation!