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![[photo]](buildings/114_1.jpg "[photo]")
Lightship No. 114
Photo from NPS Maritime Heritage Program collection |
Built in 1930 at Albina Iron Works in Portland, Oregon, Lightship No. 114 was part of a six-vessel contract with the U.S. Lighthouse Establishment. Lightship No. 114 is a steel-hulled vessel with steel deckhouses and two masts with lantern galleries, measuring 133.2 feet in length and displacing 630 tons of water. A diesel-electric engine propelled the vessel. Lightship No. 114 became the first lightship to complete a 5,892-mile, west-east passage via the Panama Canal. The lightship first served off Fire Island guiding mariners into the Nation's busiest port, New York Harbor, from 1930 to 1942 and then served for five years at Diamond Shoals, another important lightship station off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. From 1947 to 1958, Lightship No. 114 functioned as a relief vessel off the New England coast before being stationed at Pollock Rip off Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In 1969, the vessel served in the harbor of Portland, Maine, before retiring from duty in 1971. Possession of Lightship No. 114 was transferred from the U.S. Coast Guard to the City of New Bedford and it was marked with the pseudonym "NEW BEDFORD."
![[photo]](buildings/114_2.jpg "[photo]")
Lightship No. 114
Photo from NPS Maritime Heritage Program collection |
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Lightship No. 114, which served for more than 40 years, is quite a different vessel from those that came before it. The first lightship was a small wooden schooner moored on Chesapeake Bay in the early 1800s. From this design, the lightship type developed through the 19th century from sail to steam, from wood to iron to steel hulls, and to more powerful optics. The development of the lightship was also marked by changes in hull design, the development of direct diesel and diesel-electric propulsion, changes in sound signals and locating devices. Only a dozen or so lightships survive today, and none date to earlier than 1904. Two of Lightship No. 114's sister ships are Lightship No. 116 in Baltimore, Maryland and Lightship No. 118 in Lewes, Delaware.
Lightship No. 114 is berthed at the Commonwealth Electric Pier in New Bedford. It is owned by the City of New Bedford. In June 2006, the vessel rolled on its side due to a leak in the hull. The vessel has been righted, and the City of New Bedford is currently considering various options.
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