National Historic Landmark

Lightship WLV 539

Lewes, Sussex County, Delaware
Listed
February 16, 1989
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
89000006

About this property

Lightship Overfalls (LV-118) (later renumbered WAL-539) was the last lightvessel constructed for the United States Lighthouse Service before the Service became part of the United States Coast Guard. She is currently preserved in Lewes, Delaware as a museum ship. This ship was built to replace LV-44, badly damaged in the New England Hurricane of 1938, for the Cornfield Point station. Patterned after the LV-112, she has a hull unlike that of any of her sisters; in effect, a single-ship class. She is the last riveted-hull lightship built for the United States Lighthouse Service, all subsequent ships having welded hulls. Propulsion was diesel, with a set of diesel generators and compressors providing power for the beacon and auxiliaries. The light was a duplex 375 mm (14.8 in) lantern on a single mast, at 57 ft (17 m) above the water line. Dual diaphones were provided for a fog signal, as well as a bell and radiobeacon. A radar unit was installed in 1943. The crew complement was fourteen, to serve on a two weeks on/one week off basis. When the lighthouse service was merged into the coast guard in 1939, she was renumbered WAL 539. Unlike most US lightships WAL 539 remained on station during World War II. A severe storm in December 1970 damaged the ship, leading to her decommissioning on November 7, 1972. Upon retirement WAL 539 was donated to the Lewes Historical Society and placed on display in Lewes, Delaware, painted for the "OVERFALLS" station, though she never served there. The Lightship that actually served on the Overfalls station is on display in Portsmouth, Virginia. The ship's condition deteriorated and a failed attempt in 1999 to sell her led to the formation of a separate group, the Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation, to take over the maintenance and restore the vessel. She remains in Lewes and is available for tours. The lightship was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989, and in 2011 was further designated a National Historic Landmark. National Register of Historic Places listings in Sussex County, Delaware Media related to United States lightship WAL 539 at Wikimedia Commons Chesapeake Bay Lighthouse Project - Lightship Overfalls

Location

Lewes, Sussex County, Delaware
38.77790, -75.14113

Categories

MARITIME HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Lewes Historic District
Listed
0.2 mi
Hall, Col. David, House
Industrial
0.3 mi
Lewes Presbyterian Church
Industrial
0.4 mi
Lewes Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
0.5 mi
Russell, William, House
Industrial
0.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Lightship WLV 539 listed on the National Register?

Lightship WLV 539 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 16, 1989.

What type of historic resource is Lightship WLV 539?

Lightship WLV 539 is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is Lightship WLV 539 a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Lightship WLV 539 has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Lightship WLV 539?

The period of significance for Lightship WLV 539 is recorded as the industrial era.

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