List of lightships of the United States


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 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 and a few, such as the Nantucket I and Nantucket II have been given individual names.

Lightships

DesignationStart YearEnd YearStationsFate
Lightship Ac.1838c.1868
#endnote A|'
Lightship B18211861Sunk by the Confederate States Navy in 1861#endnote A|'
Lightship C1820c.1859
#endnote A|'
Lightship Dc.1854c.1860Sunk or captured by the Confederate States Navy#endnote A|'
Lightship Ec.1854c.1860Sunk or captured by the Confederate States Navy#endnote A|'
Lightship Fc.1849after1860
#endnote A|'
Lightship Gc.18651866Abandoned and sunk by December 30, 1866#endnote A|'
Lightship Hc.18281864Wrecked at Cape Poge, Martha's Vineyard in 1864#endnote A|'
Lightship Kc.1839c.1859
#endnote A|'
Lightship Lc.1835after1849
#endnote A|'
Lightship Mc.1826c.1855#endnote A|'
Lightship N1823c.1855

#endnote A|'
Lightship Oc.18351861Sunk or captured by the Confederate States Navy#endnote A|'
Lightship Pc.1848after1848#endnote A|'
Lightship Q1821c.1847#endnote A|'
Lightship R18471867#endnote A|'
Lightship S1821after1821#endnote A|'
Lightship T18561861Sunk or captured by the Confederate States Navy in 1861#endnote A|'
Lightship Uc.18341861Sunk or captured by the Confederate States Navy in 1861#endnote A|'
Lightship Vc.18631864Captured 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 her after the war.#endnote A|'
Lightship Wc.18471860Sunk by the Confederate States Navy in 1860#endnote A|'
Lightship X1823c.1845May be Lightship LV-19, which was sunk in 1900#endnote A|'
Lightship Yc.1857c.1861#endnote A|'
Lightship Z1847c.1860#endnote A|'
Lightship AAc.1825c.1841May have been converted to a bell boat in 1841, but may have been two ships. #endnote A|'
Lightship BBc.1841c.1852#endnote A|'
Lightship DDc.18251861Sunk or captured by the Confederate States Navy in 1861#endnote A|'
Lightship EEbefore1859c.1859#endnote A|'
Lightship FFc.1831after1831#endnote A|'
Lightship GGc.1863c.1863#endnote A|'
Lightship HHc.1828c.1862#endnote A|'
Lightship JJc.18251861Sunk or captured by the Confederate States Navy in 1861#endnote A|'
Lightship KKc.1864c.1867#endnote A|'
Lightship LLc.1821after1821#endnote A|'
Lightship MMc.18351861Sunk or captured by the Confederate States Navy in 1861#endnote A|'
Lightship NNc.1838c.1854#endnote A|'
Lightship PPc.1846c.1853#endnote A|'
Lightship QQc.18361861Sunk or captured by the Confederate States Navy in 1861#endnote A|'
Lightship RRc.1835c.1861#endnote A|'
Lightship SSc.18271861
Sunk or captured by the Confederate States Navy in 1861#endnote A|'
Lightship TTc.1852c.1859#endnote A|'
Lightship UUc.1851c.1870#endnote A|'
Lightship VV1823c.1829#endnote A|'
Lightship WW1839c.1854#endnote A|'
Lightship XX1849c.1870#endnote A|'
Lightship YY1832c.1851#endnote A|'
Lightship ZZ1820c.1823#endnote A|'
Lightship LV-118561930



Donated to the Sea Scouts in 1930. Later ran aground on the banks of the Merrimack River in a flood that occurred in 1936.#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-218491921


#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-318521923

#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-418561924

#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-518661930




#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-618621918

Disappeared on February 4, 1918. LV-6 was stuck in moving ice, and presumably sank with all hands.#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-718541909



#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-818601879

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.#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-918581925
#endnote B|'
18871902LV-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-1118541925


#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-12c.18351871#endnote C|'
Lightship LV-1318541913



#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-1418531872

#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-1518381879
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.#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-1618541935
#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-1718481891


Transferred to US Navy in 1891 for use as target practice, and sunk later that year.#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-1818391875
Transferred to US Navy in 1875 for use as target practice, presumably sunk.#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-19c.18451900


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.#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-2018671923







Sold in 1923 and used by rumrunners during Prohibition. She was eventually grounded, abandoned, and burned near Plymouth, Massachusetts.#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-2118641880



#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-22c.18461903






This was the only lightship to be renumbered. It is unknown what became of LV-22.#endnote C|'
Lightship LV-2318621925






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.#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-2418641869



#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-2518271884



#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-2818641906

#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-2918651915








#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-3018631871#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-3118651871Formerly 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.#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-3218631890





#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-3318571872



#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-3418661924





#endnote B|'
Lightship LV-3518581862She was originally sunk by the Confederate States Navy in the Savannah River in 1862. Four years later she was raised, and intended to be used for lightship duty as LV-35. Subsequently she was found to be too damaged so she was scrapped.#endnote D|'
Lightship LV-3718691893



Sank on station on August 4, 1893 with the loss of four crewmen.#endnote E|'
Lightship LV-3818701892




#endnote E|'
Lightship LV-3918751935


Sank in 1975 near Beverly, Massachusetts.
Lightship LV-5818941905

Sank in 1905 due to a gale.
Lightship LV-7118971918Torpedoed, and sank in 1918
Lightship LV-7319011944
Sunk on September 19, 1944 in a hurricane.
Lightship LV-7919041967



Now a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Lightship LV-8219121936Buffalo
Relief
Eleven Foot 		Scrapped in 1942, or possibly sunk by vandals in 1945.
Lightship LV-8319051960



Now a museum in Seattle, Washington.
Lightship LV-8719071966Now a museum in New York City, New York.
Lightship LV-9718951918Scrapped in 1945.
Lightship LV-10019291971



Transferred to the U.S. Navy on August 6, 1971 for further transfer to Vietnam. it is unknown what became of this ship.#endnote F|'
Lightship LV-10119161963


Now a museum in Portsmouth, Virginia.
Lightship LV-10219161963



Lightship LV-10319211970






Now a museum in Port Huron, Michigan.
Lightship LV-10519221944

Lightship LV-10619231967




Lightship LV-10719231968





Lightship LV-10819231970


Lightship LV-10919231966


Lightship LV-11019231972








Lightship LV-11119261969


Lightship LV-11219361975



Now a museum in East Boston, Massachusetts.
Lightship LV-11319301968



Sank on June 16, 1988 while being towed to Ketchikan, Alaska.#endnote F|'
Lightship LV-11419301971




Scrapped in 2007 after sinking in New Bedford, Massachusetts.#endnote F|'
Lightship LV-11519301965


Operational, and available for rent#endnote F|'
Lightship LV-11619301970



Now a museum in Baltimore, Maryland#endnote F|'
Lightship LV-11719311934Sank in 1934 after being struck by the RMS Olympic.#endnote F|
Lightship LV-11819381972

Now a museum in Lewes, Delaware.
Lightship WLV-60419511979Now a museum in Astoria, Oregon.
Lightship WAL-60519511975

Now a museum in Oakland, California.
Lightship WLV-61219501985


Sold to private owner, operational and available for charter. She is the last lightship to be decommissioned by the coast guard.
Lightship WLV-61319521983

Sold to private owner. Located in Wareham and New Bedford, Massachusetts in the 2010s.