LIGHTSHIP ERA 



Before light towers, lightships were the sentinels of the ocean. 



At least six lightships were in use off England's coast before the 

 United States even ventured into the concept of lightships. The first U.S. 

 "light boat" was launched in 1820 off Willoughby Split, Va., to aid Chesa- 

 peake Bay commerce, according to the Coast Guard Web site. 



Four years later, a lightship was assigned to Diamond Shoals about 

 15 miles from the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. This vessel was an extremely 

 important marker for north-south coastal traffic. 



However, it wasn't until 1 860 that a station 

 was established at Frying Pan Shoals nearly 1 7 miles |T 

 south and east of Cape Fear. The last North Carolina 

 lightship station was opened at Cape Lookout Shoals 

 in 1905, 20.3 miles from Cape Lookout Lighthouse. 



At one time, there was a fleet of more than 100 

 lightships maintained by the government. Lightships 

 satisfied multiple requirements — from day beacons 

 and light platforms at night, to sound signal stations 

 in times of reduced visibility, and around-the-clock 

 transmitters for electronic signals. 



Ivey Gaskill of Southport served on the 

 Diamond Shoals lightship for 1 8 months during the 

 mid-1960s. 



"The ship was 128 feet long and drew 15 feet 

 of water," says Gaskill. "It was like being in an auto- 

 matic washing machine. You were looking at water 

 going round and round." 



Time passed slowly on the lightships. When 

 not on watch, crews watched westerns three or four 

 times a week, according to Capt. David Melvin, who 

 maintains the Lightship Sailor Association Web site. 



"We would also enjoy the fresh taste of bread, milk and vegetables," 

 says Melvin. But at the end of the two weeks, the food got old, he adds. 



In addition to watching movies and eating, the crew did a lot of 

 bottom fishing. They ate some of the fish and gave the rest away to party 

 boats, according to Melvin. In return, the party boat would take the crew's 

 stamped mail ashore. All in all, it was not an easy life, he adds. 



The Frying Pan had a relief ship — aptly named the Relief. Life on 

 the sister ship could be quite noisy, according to Joe Floyd of Wilmington, 

 who served on the Relief 'during the 1950s. 



"In foggy weather, we had two air-operated fog horns that could be 

 heard 12 miles away," says Floyd. "I remember it running for 72 hours 

 straight. The fog horns were so powerful that they would rattle objects on a 

 desk and dishes in the galley. You would get little sleep." 



SHIPWRECKS, STORMS 



There were a number of mishaps on lightships. Mankind caused the 

 loss of the Diamond Shoals Lightship #71 in 1918 off Cape Hatteras. 



"A German submarine, provoked by the lightship's radio message 

 warning of shipping, surfaced," according to Coast Guard reports. After 

 allowing the 1 2-man crew to abandon the ship, the Germans sank it with 

 shellfire. However, the lightship's "sacrifice was not in vain though, for 

 more than 25 Allied ships had received its timely radio warning," wrote 



historian Willard Hint. 



Sixteen years later, the British luxury liner Olympic, the sister ship 

 to the Titanic, severed the lightship Nantucket in two, killing seven of the 

 11 -man crew. 



Lightship crews often endured 

 nature's fury. For example, when the 

 lights went out in bad weather, Floyd 

 had to climb a 100-foot mast to replace 

 the bulbs. 



CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: The Frying Pan Lightship 

 operated out of Southport. Mike Allen was one of the last 

 Coast Guard crews to serve on the Frying Pan Shoals Light 

 Tower. Joe Floyd served on the Relief lightship during the 

 1950s. Passengers on the SS Winner Queen get a close- 

 up view of the Frying Pan light tower. A new 3-meter disc 

 buoy transmits data to weather stations onshore. 



"We had a certain routine 

 when climbing the ladder," says 

 Floyd. "You would start on the 

 bottom rung, wait for the ship 

 to pitch forward, and climb as 

 fast as you could. When the ship 

 pitched backwards, you would 

 hold on for dear life and then 

 repeat the process up the mast." 



Floyd also endured a 

 couple of hurricanes, including 

 Hazel and Diane. During Hazel 

 in 1 954, Floyd says that he and 

 an engineman were the only 

 ones who did not get sick. 



"Everybody else was tied 

 into the bunk," he says. "If you looked out any port hole, you would only 

 see water. If you were in the wheel house or stock room, you would put your 

 arms in the holes and legs around a stool." 



Hurricane Diane that hit in 1955 caused more problems for the crew. 

 "The seas broke up, and we lost the 8,000-pound main anchor and 5,000- 

 pound spare anchor," says Floyd. "We ended up 130 miles south near South 

 Carolina." 



EARLY SUMMER 2004 



