View source for Lightship Ambrose

{{See also|Ambrose Channel}}
[[Image:WTM tony 0114.jpg|right|thumb|275px|The Lightship ''Ambrose'' (LV87) is open to visitors at the [[South Street Seaport]].]]
'''Lightship ''Ambrose''''' was the name given to multiple [[Lightvessel|lightships]] that served as the sentinel beacon marking [[Ambrose Channel]], [[New York Harbor]]'s main shipping channel.

The first lightstation was established south of the [[Ambrose Channel]] off of [[Sandy Hook, New Jersey|Sandy Hook]], [[New Jersey]], in 1823. From 1823 through 1967, several ships served the Ambrose Channel station; each was referred to as Lightship ''Ambrose'' and bore the station's name being painted on her side. In 1906, the lightship serving this station was relocated closer to the center of the Ambrose Channel.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uscg.mil/history/articles/h_NEcoast.asp |title=U.S. Coast Guard History |website=www.uscg.mil |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917163252/http://uscg.mil/history/articles/h_NEcoast.asp |archive-date=2008-09-17}} </ref> On  24 August 1967, the Ambrose station lightship was replaced by a [[Texas Tower (lighthouse)|Texas Tower]], the [[Ambrose Light]].

== United States Lightship LV-16 (''Sandy Hook'') ==
[[File:Stebbins-50-International races, (1887) Volunteer.jpg|thumb|''LV-16'' served as a mark in the 1887 [[America's Cup]] race.]]

The first lightship on station in the Ambrose Channel was the ''Sandy Hook'', which marked its south edge for 37 years from 1854 to 1891. A [[schooner]] built of [[white oak]] with copper and brass fastenings, she was assigned the number 16 in 1862. The ship was equipped with two [[lantern]]s, each with eight [[oil lamp]]s and reflectors, as well as a hand-rung bell for a [[fog]] warning.  A Thiers automatic [[bilge pump]], ventilator, and fog signal were installed in 1872, but the fog signal was found to be "unsatisfactory" and was removed.<ref>[http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblightships/LV16.asp uscg.mil LV-16]</ref> Two collisions were recorded during her time in service, the first in 1874 with the [[steamboat|steamer]] ''Charleston'', and the second in 1888 with the British [[barque]] ''Star of the East''.

==United States Lightship LV-51 (''Sandy Hook'')==

[[File:Sandy Hook Lightship.jpg|thumb|left|Sandy Hook Lightship]]
[[Image:Jsj-380-Light Ship Sandy Hook.jpg|thumb|right|237px|''Sandy Hook'' (LV 51) in the late 1890s]]

Lightship ''Sandy Hook'' (LV-51) was built in 1892 and served the post from 1894 to 1908. She was renamed Ambrose Lightship in 1907. Pilots would deliver mail to the vessel.<ref name="Lore">
{{cite book|last=Allen|first=Edward L.|date=1922|title=Pilot Lore From sail to Steam|url=https://archive.org/stream/pilotlorefromsai00unit/pilotlorefromsai00unit#page/75/mode/1up/search/%22Sandy+Hook+Lightship%22|location=New York|publisher=The United New York and New Jersey Sandy Hook Pilots Benevolent Associations|page=75}}
</ref>

A [[steamship]], she was the first U.S. lightship to have an all-[[steel]] [[Hull (ship)|hull]] and fastenings, and the first to use electric lights; she was also the last ship to hold the post on the southern side of the channel, near Sandy Hook. After 1908, she was reassigned to relief duty. On 24 April 1919, she was rammed and sunk by a [[Standard Oil]] barge while relieving the [[List of lightships of the United States|Cornfield Point Lightship (LV-14)]].  As a result of this incident, [[Standard Oil]] was forced to pay for the construction of LV111, which served as the Lightship ''Ambrose'' from 1932 to 1952.

==United States Lightship LV-87 / WAL-512 (''Ambrose Channel / Ambrose'')==
{{Main|United States Lightship LV-87}}

The Lightship ''Ambrose'' (LV87) was built 1908 and served her station until 1932, when she was reassigned to serve as the Lightship ''Scotland'' much closer to Sandy Hook.  She was the first lightship to serve in the relocated position nearer the center of the channel, and in 1921 received the first [[radio beacon]] in the [[United States]], greatly assisting navigation of the congested channel in dense fog.  She also was the last steam-powered vessel to hold this post.  She moved around to various stations, but has kept the name of her most famous station, ''Ambrose''.

In 1964, she was retired from the [[United States Coast Guard]], and in 1968, she was given to the [[South Street Seaport Museum]] in [[Lower Manhattan]] in [[New York City]] and moored at Pier 16 on the [[East River]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/nhl/ltship87.htm |title=  Lightship No. 87 "Ambrose" National Historic Landmark Study |accessdate= 2008-10-08}}</ref>  In 1989, she was declared a [[National Historic Landmark]].<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceID=1878&resourceType=Structure|title=Lightship No. 87 "Ambrose"|date=2007-09-14|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929192238/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceID=1878&resourceType=Structure|archivedate=2012-09-29}}</ref><ref name="nrhpinv">{{Cite web|title=National Register of Historic Places Registration: Lightship No. 87 "Ambrose"|url={{NHLS url|id=84002758}} |format=pdf|author=Kevin Foster|date=5 August 1988 |publisher=National Park Service}} and {{NHLS url|id=84002758|title=''Accompanying 5 photos, exterior and interior, from 1908-1988''|photos=y}}&nbsp;{{small|(540&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]])}}</ref>

==United States Lightship LV-111 / WAL-533 (''Ambrose'')==
Lightship ''Ambrose'' (LV111) staffed the station from 1932 to 1952, a period of time encompassing all of [[World War II]].  She was the first [[Diesel engine|diesel]]-powered ship to mark the Ambrose Channel.  Although the station was active throughout World War II, ''Ambrose'' was never armed,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblightships/LV111.asp |title=USCG: Lightships |website=www.uscg.mil |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081009061218/http://uscg.mil/history/weblightships/LV111.asp |archive-date=2008-10-09}} </ref> but did gain a [[radar]] in 1945.

''Ambrose'' was involved in a number of collisions.  In September 1935, she was rammed by the Grace Liner ''Santa Barbara'', with both ships sustaining heavy damage.  In January 1950, she was "brushed" in heavy fog by an unidentified vessel, suffering damage to her radio antenna and losing her spare [[anchor]].  Eleven weeks later, in March 1950, ''Santa Monica'', another Grace Line vessel, rammed ''Ambrose'' in a dense fog, rupturing her hull.  She was later repaired, and redeployed to [[Portland, Maine]]. Retired from lightship duty in 1969, she passed through several owners before being sold for scrap in 1984.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.uscglightshipsailors.org/portland_lightship_lv111wal533.htm|title = Portland Lightship LV111/WAL533}}</ref>

==United States Lightship WLV-613 (''Ambrose'')==
[[File:Ambrose Lightship.jpg|thumb|Lightship WLV-613]]
{{main|United States Lightship WLV-613}}
The Lightship Ambrose (WLV-613) was commissioned in 1952 and became the last lightship to mark the Ambrose Channel when she was replaced by a [[Texas Tower (lighthouse)|Texas Tower lightstation]] on 24 August 1967. She was reassigned as a relief ship on the [[Massachusetts]] coastline from 1967 to 1975. After being renamed ''Relief'' (1967 to 1980) and then ''Nantucket II'' (1980 to 1983), she was reassigned to [[Nantucket Shoals]]. She alternated with her sister ship, the [[Lightship Nantucket|Lightship ''Nantucket'']] (WLV-612), on station, relieving each other approximately every 21 days, and was retired in 1983 after 31 years of service. WLV-613 had various assignments following her retirement including use in [[public relation]] events and [[law enforcement]] missions. She was sold to [[New England Historic Seaport]] on 7 July 1984 and was present for the rededication ceremony for the [[Statue of Liberty]] in 1986. By 2006 she had been sold to the [[Wareham Steamship Corporation]] and was berthed on Main Street in [[Wareham, Massachusetts|Wareham]], Massachusetts. <!--Note for further editing: I was on the 613 from Sept 1975 to Sept 1977 and it was still named the RELIEF, Nantucket-II name was definitely later than 1977.-->

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commonscat|Lightship Ambrose}}
*[http://www.uscg.mil/history/Lightship_Index.asp U.S. Coast Guard] - Information on lightships

{{Lightvessels}}
{{New York City Historic Sites}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ambrose}}
[[Category:Museum ships in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Lightship stations]]
[[Category:1952 ships]]
[[Category:South Street Seaport]]