You’ve seen this vessel before here.  Last night I saw the inside and heard the narrative of its service life (California, Maine, Massachusetts) as well as the three-year process of its adaptive reuse, the basics of which you can read on its own website.  The minutiae of its size, equipment, and propulsion, again, check  here.

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(No, this isn’t a duplicate foto. Notice the Statue of Liberty–itself a beacon– just forward the bow in the lower foto.)  What I found most compelling about last night’s slide/lecture was the role of vision that brought the vessel to its current incarnation.  No matter that it almost went for scrap or that it might have capsized or sunk on its way to the yard, the current owners aka stewards maintained their gaze on what it could turn into.   Vision fuels discipline.  Vision led to its reconstruction, and vision is what it can provide, both literally and figuratively.

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According to Bill Golden, only 12 lightships remain today.  Four are in (or relatively near) sixth boro waters.  Can anyone comment on where the others are?

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Excuse this wheelhouse pic taken sans wide-angle lens.  Interesting about the controls is that the wheel, binnacle, and engine order telegraph though present are disconnected.  Hidden beneath the wood panels below the portholes are throttle/transmission control levers and joystick steering as well as electronics.  While in Coast Guard service, the ship had no wood surfaces.

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Nantucket WLV-612 will remain in North Cove until mid-spring, at least.  Need a unique space for a function?  It’s  $4000 for four hours.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.  Thanks to New York Ship Lore and Model Club for organizing the event.