The Lightship Nantucket 112~Now at NLM!

The Lightship Nantucket 112 became an important part of the National Lighthouse Museum on March 30, 2002. On that day it berthed at a temporary location—Red Hook Terminal, Brooklyn. The ship was now a part of our museum!

It should be in Brooklyn just long enough to get maintenance and repair completed on the ship and to allow time for the repair of its final location, the Lighthouse Museum Pier. (Borough President James Molinaro has allocated funds and the pier repair has been scheduled.)   

“A lot of people are to be congratulated for the effort to obtain this ship and then sail it down to New York” said NLM Director Lewis Johnson, “but a major part of the effort was donated by Ben Butler who has worked on this project for the past year.” Butler is owner of Cymeon Shipping Corporation and has been helping the NLM on various projects as a member of the Advisory Committee.

According to Butler, “Rick Taleilnelli of K Sea Marine along with Lt. Donna Leoce of the US Coast Guard were instrumental in the success of the voyage of the lightship from the berth in Bridgeport Connecticut,” and “we secured the temporary berth in Red Hook thanks to the good offices of Mr. Sal Catucci, CEO of Red Hook Terminal and American Stevedoring Inc.”  It helps to have friends in high places. 

The Nantucket 112 was built in 1936 at Wilmington, Delaware. She is the largest lightship ever built in the United States, an ocean going ship with a long range capability. The displacement capacity is 1100 tons—by no means a small vessel.

Butler has began the survey of the ship’s present condition to determine what work and maintenance has to be done. He will be working with the ship’s Captain, Bill Shepherd and Chief Engineer, Willie Prage and others.  Once the initial survey is  complete they can make immediate corrections to insure safety standards and formulate a maintenance program. Sometime in the near future they will arrange a bottom survey to determine the condition of the hull and its plating. The bottom survey should indicate if dry-docking will be necessary.

The lightship will have a major role in initial museum programs and should be a feature of NLM for years to come. It has adaptable space for exhibits, meetings and other uses. As Ben Butler says, “If we all get behind this effort, the Nantucket will be an educational tool, a real attraction and a solid fundraiser.”  (He’s also thinking about the maritime community in the Port of New York and its peripheral businesses.)

Thanks to Ben and his associates, this is a time for celebration at the National Lighthouse Museum.

  Volunteers Needed for a Lively, Exciting Museum

Join the Friends of the National Lighthouse Museum The NLM promises good times, good companionship and a lighthouse learning experience. Enjoy sea breezes, sunny days and a feeling of accomplishment while helping to establish the National Lighthouse Museum—right here at Lighthouse Plaza in the Staten Island Community. The National Lighthouse Museum is located south of the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in St. George. We are seeking to form a large group of volunteers to help us with our new education program, programs aboard the NANTUCKET, public relations, events, flea markets, art sales, boating events, docent programs and more. Please consider signing up now! We are planning a grand get-together and party with the Friends in the near future.

Additional information is available:

About the Hudson River Lighthouse Coalition

 On October 5, 2001 a historic meeting was held at the Boscobel Restoration in Garrison, N.Y., when representatives from the seven remaining Hudson River Lighthouses signed the Official Charter of the Hudson River Lighthouse Coalition (HRLC). Also in attendance were members of the Hudson Mohawk Resource, Conservation & Development Council, the Lower Hudson-Long Island RC&D Council, the Hudson River Valley Greenway Council and the American Heritage Rivers Initiative. To strengthen the individual resources of each light, it was decided that strength in numbers was needed, so the idea to form the Hudson River Lighthouse Coalition emerged.

The Coalition was created to unite the multiple organizations that oversee the lights; to promote architectural preservation and explore opportunities to utilize available resources and to work together as a wnited front to educate, interpret, protect, restore, coordinate and speak out on behalf of all the Hudson River Lighthouses. The collaborative support and clout of the American Heritage Rivers Initiative, Hudson Mohawk RC&D, Lower Hudson-Long Island RC&D and the Hudson River Greenway Council is essential in securing desperately needed state and federal grants to achieve these goals. The Coalition continues to look for public, private, and business sponsorships to help support these historic lighthouses. The Coalition wants to connect tourism, historical and lighthouse trails, educational interpretive centers and materials to promote, protect, restore and preserve the lighthouses of the Hudson River. For information, contact Dee Jensen, USDA, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Project Manager, at 518-828-4385, ext. 105.

By Jim Crowley

NLM Launches Pilot Program in Elementary Schools  

  by Gayle Haines, ED.D.

 Thanks to the Caulder Foundation for giving the NLM seed money to develop and initiate an original off-site educational program for elementary school children. Using an interdisciplinary approach with a focus in the areas of science, math and social studies, Mark Perrier and I visited two elementary schools to field test a script written for children between the ages of 7 and 11.

 The first school welcoming our arrival in May on a newly acquired van, handsomely painted with a nautical design portrayed in the photo below, was located in Tottenville on Staten Island. Visits to  four second grade classes were arranged with the help of their teachers and our own manager in the NLM office. Having taught elementary school children for more years than I want to admit, I found this experience inviting with a feeling I'd like to return to the classroom. Watching Mark relate to four groups of enthusiastic second, almost third graders, was rather amusing. The children related to him like water on a duck. Carrying our carefully packed prop box with surprises for everyone created an atmosphere of mystery. A short film was prepared from video clips that gave all who saw them a notion of what boaters and passengers must have lived through before lightouses were constructed in the world. Months of work put into this project became an act of play with academic concepts the children readily accepted, especially after role playing situations that involved students in problem solving situations experienced by boaters and lighthouse people. Several classes sent letters home with us to express their appreciation for coming to their classrooms to share our lighthouse knowledge. What fun we had!

On June 13, we did it again, only this time our subjects were a well informed group of fourth graders in Mrs. Conroy-teri's class at the Pulaski Elementary School in E. Northport on Long Island. This class spent a good part of the school year researching the 17 lighthouses on Long Island. They actually visited five, two by land and three by sea on the LI Sound on three separate trips with LI Lighthouse Safaris, Inc. Mark was able to cover more sophisticated concepts with this group, but he enjoyed both experiences equally. I have a strong feeling that these children will remember their lighhtouse lessons for many years to come.

The next step is to work with Schools of Education at several colleges and universities to give students and teachers a unique opportunity to learn more about their own maritime heritage, lighthouses, life saving, keepers and their families and the forces of nature. For more information, or ideas on how you can be a part of this effort, contact the NLM by phone, letter or e-mail.

From the Director's Chair:

  From our point of view there never seems to be a quiet period in our daily activities. So much to do and so little time is a definite slogah, which we could readily adopt.

Fund development still remains high on our list of things to accomplish. We are constantly on the alert for new ideas, new business contacts and the ever present need for organizations interested in aiding the National Lighthouse Museum in its search for capital support.

Our programs, local, regional and eventually national will give us the visibility essential in achieving a balanced museum operation. At present our mobile school van is not only attracting attention, but it allows us the opportunity to take our message into the classrooms.

To date we have received the best reviews from a critical audience. “The kids love the program.” It's a learning experience delivered in a most understandable fashion.

While our Lightship “Nantucket 112” is tied up in Red Hook Marine, Brooklyn, we have just received good news on our Pier in Staten Island. The Borough President, Jim Molinaro, has approved a sum of money necessary to restore the Pier. Work will be starting in a short time and we will have the added attraction of the “Nantucket 112 “ near our museum site, all within the next several months.

Building funds to close in our museum building are not readily available. This, as you might imagine creates a difficult hurdle, especially in these not so normal times.

A possible solution has been developed and it will be submitted to the city operated Economic Development Corporation (EDC). Our approach is to use portable buildings positioned adjacent to the pennanent structures now on the site. With this idea moving ahead, the first series of exhibits and programs could be in place within six to nine months. In appearance the portable buildings would be much like the permanent structures complete with identity graphics.

The Borough executives like the concept and are waiting to see our final designs.

This will be done in the next week or so.

Back to the schools! Our classes seemed to be filled with budding artists, all wanting to sketch lighthouses. A select number of these will be printed in this newsletter.

We at the office of the NLM are constantly impressed by the support you, the members, continue to give us. Your belief in the success of the Museum is a driving force, which will help us attain the objective. We thank you very much!

  U. S. COAST GUARD is seeking any Costie who served at Erie PA Lifeboat Station Buffalo Base, Fort Niagara LBS, Rochester LBS. Sodus Pt. (AUX OP), Oswego LBS, Big Sandy  Life Saving Station, Galloo Island LBS, Sackets Harbor (AUX OP), Cape Vincent Light Attendant Station, Station Clayton, WW II CG Station Alex Bay, MSD Massena Burlington Base, VT, ATON, Saugerties, Reserve Unit (PSU) Buffalo/Syracuse, Loran Station Seneca.  Also any Lighthouse. small unit or C.G. Cutter that was home ported or worked in the above area. Any year, regular reserve, auxilary and civilian C. G. including M & R teams and Ets.

Contact: NORTH COAST NEW YORK COAST GUARD ASSN., 4712 Glenwood Drive, Mantua, OH 44255. Tele. (330) 274-2927. Reunion Sept. 2003 in Sackets Harbor. NY.

 SANDY HOOK LIGHTHOUSE

By Daniel Paolillo

PS #1 – 2nd Grade

It was a stormy night and there was at least twenty boats out at sea.  Sandy Hook just put its light on.  A few boats could see it, but some boats were too far out so they used the foghorn, “brrrerr!”  All the boats heard it but two didn’t know where it was coming from.  They tried it again “brrrerr!”  Now the two boats knew where it was.  When all the boats were on the shore the sailors went home.

  On the Lighthouse Plaza

  On June 27th we hosted a small reception on the Promenade of Light-house Plaza a for the benefit-opening preview entitled Artfront /Waterfront: Artists Explore the Staten Island North Shore.

The Newhouse Gallery of Snug Harbor Cultural Center developed this project to explore the distinct character, profile and stories of SI Waterfront. They brought together artists from Staten Island and internationally from the European Artist Forum.

Artist Anna McCleod sited totemic sculptures on the Lighthouse Plaza, made from salt obtained from the salt depot on Richmond Terrace. She believes that salt symbolizes the importance of the sea and other metaphorical archetypes.

Meadowfair was Meadowfun!!!
The NLM Education Program praticipated in Meadowfair with the SI CHildren's Museum on the grounds ofSnug Harbor Cultural Center. Children filled their own small lighthouse models with different colors of sand to create Castles by the Sea. Fun was had by all.