Lightships of the World (A Checklist)

This page is a checklist of world's remaining lightships; it includes those that are well preserved, those that are in poor condition, those that are wrecked, and those that have been scrapped recently (since 2000). Also included are the light towers that have preserved from scrapped lightships. In all there are 127 vessels listed.

General Sources
Lightvessels in the United Kingdom
History and a list of decommissioned lightships.
List of Lightships of the United States
List of all known lightships.
Light Vessels in Ireland
Complete list of Irish light vessels, somewhat out of date.
Feuerschiff
Wikipedia article on German lightships with a list of surviving ships.
Danske Fyrskibe
Historical notes for all Danish lightships.
Fyrskepp
From the Swedish Lighthouse Society, with lists of lightships and lightship stations.


Lightship Nantucket (LV 112) at East Boston, December 2015
photo by Ron Janard copyright U.S. Lightship Museum, courtesy of Bob Mannino

Australia

Deactivated and Restored Lightships
CLS-2 Carpentaria
1918. Restored and maintained on display at the maritime museum in Brisbane. Owner/site manager: Queensland Maritime Museum.
 
CLS-4 Carpentaria
1917. Restored and maintained on display at the maritime museum in Sydney. Owner/site manager: Australian National Maritime Museum.

Wrecked Lightship
CLS-3 Carpentaria
1917. Drifted and beached about 100 km (60 mi) southwest of Cape York. Ruins remain on the beach.
 
 

Belgium

Deactivated and Restored Lightships
LS-1 (West-Hinder I)
1950. Restored and in municipal ownership in Rupelmonde, on the Scheldt above Antwerp.
LS-2 (West-Hinder II)
1950. Restored and dry-berthed as an attraction in a maritime theme park in Zeebrugge; a souvenir shop occupies part of the vessel. Owner/site manager: Seafront Zeebrugge.
LS-3 (West-Hinder III)
1950. Restored and maintained on display at the maritime museum in Antwerp. Owner/site manager: Museum aan de Stroom.

China

Deactivated and Restored Lightships
LS Dàgū (Taku)
1911. Restored and dry-berthed on display at a maritime museum in Qīngdǎo.
LS Yíngkǒu
About 1915. Restored and dry-berthed on display at a maritime museum in Shànghǎi. Owner/site manager: China Maritime Museum.
West-Hinder III
Lightship Westhinder III, Antwerpen, June 2010
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Marc Delforge

Denmark

Deactivated and Restored Lightships
FS-10
1878. Restored and in private ownership at Copenhagen; raised and repaired after sinking at its pier in 2013.
FS-11 Drogden
1878. Restored and in private ownership at Copenhagen; available for rental for meetings and special events.
FS-13 Læsø Rende (Ark XIII)
1880. Light tower at a museum in Esbjerg. The ship is restored and in private ownership at Copenhagen.
FS-15 HYC (Læsø Rende)
1888. Maintained as the clubhouse of a yacht club at Heikendorf, near Kiel, Germany. Owner/site manager: Heikendorfer Yacht Club.
FS-17 Gedser Rev
1895. Restored and maintained on display at a museum in Helsingør, north of Copenhagen. Owner/site manager: Værftsmuseet.
FS-18 Den Store Bjørn
1902. Converted to a 3-masted schooner operated by a maritime high school in Faaborg. Owner/site manager: Nyborg Søfartsskole.
FS-21 Skagens Rev
1911. Retired and formerly used as a restaurant in Ebeltoft, it is now under restoration in Svendborg.
MFS-1 Horns Rev
1913. Maintained on display as a museum ship in Esbjerg. Owner/site manager: Fyrskib Nr. 1 Horns Rev.
MFS-3 Donna Wood
1918. Converted to a 2-masted schooner. Since 2015 the ship has been owned by North Sailing and based in Húsavík, Iceland, for whale-watching tours of Iceland and Greenland waters.

Lightship XVII Gedser Rev at the Værftsmuseet, Helsingør, August 2018
photo copyright Heather Craven; used by permission

Recently Scrapped or Vanished Lightships
MFS-2 Vyl
1916. Sank at its berth in Gdansk, Poland, in 2009; raised and scrapped in 2018.
MFS-4 Black Swan
1918. Sold to become a faux pirate ship in Antigua, but it hasn't been seen there in years. Information needed on its status.

England and Wales

Active Lightship Stations
East Godwin
Marking the Goodwin Sands, a treacherous stretch of water off the east coast of Kent.
Foxtrot 3
On the North Sea approach to the English Channel.
Greenwich
In the English Channel on the Greenwich Meridion off Sussex.
Sandettié
Marks the Sandettié Bank north of Calais at the eastern end of the English Channel. This was formerly a French station.
Sevenstones
Marks a reef north of Land's End, Cornwall.
Sunk Inner
In the North Sea off Harwich, part of the Sunk Traffic Separation Scheme.
Varne
Marking the dangerous Varne bank nine miles southwest of Dover in Kent.

Active Lightships
Trinity House LV-2
1946. Photographed in 2002 and as Sevenstones in 2011.
Trinity House LV-5
1947. Photographed in 2009 and 2012.
Trinity House LV-6
1947. Photographed as Sandettié in 2007 and as Varne in 2012.

Trinity House Lightship 17 on the East Goodwin station east of Deal, 2008
photo copyright Haven Boat Charters; used by permission
Trinity House LV-7
Photographed as Sevenstones in 2007.
Trinity House LV-9
No photo found yet.
Trinity House LV-10
Photographed leaving the Tees in 2018.
Trinity House LV-17
1954. Photographed here and as Foxtrot 3 in 2006.
Trinity House LV-19
1958. Photographed as Varne in 2007.
Trinity House LV-20
1963. Photographed as Sandettié in 2012 and at Harwich in 2017.
Trinity House LV-22
1967. Photographed as East Godwin in 2007, in Sunderland in 2011, and at Cowes, Isle of Wight, in 2012.
Trinity House LV-23
Photographed at the Canning Dock in London in 2008.
Trinity House LV-24 (formerly Irish LV Cormorant)
1964. Photographed in 2009 and near Harwich in 2012.
Lightfloat Bar
1989. Replacement for the former Mersey Harbour Board Lightship Bar.
LV-19 Varne
Trinity House Lightship 19, on the Varne station, and White Cliffs of Dover
photo copyright Capt. Theo Hinrichs; used by permission

Deactivated and Restored Lightships
Humber Conservancy Board LV-12 Spurn
1927. Currently under restoration; regularly on display at Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire. Owner: Hull City Council. Site manager: Hull Museums (Spurn Lightship).
Humber Conservancy Board LV-14 Sula
1959. Restored and under renovation as a bed and breakfast inn at Gloucester.
Mersey Harbour Board Bar
1959. Renovated. Seized by the Canal and River Trust for nonpayment of docking fees and reported sold. Last moored at a dockyard in Sharpness, Gloucestershire. Owner: unknown.
Trinity House LV-16 (1) Inner Dowsing
1840. Stripped of its masts and renovated as a restaurant at Rochester, Kent. Site manager: Medway Bridge Marina.
Trinity House LV-50 H.Y. Tyne III
1879. Restored and in use by a yacht club at Blyth, Northumberland. Owner/site manager: Royal Northumberland Yacht Club.
Trinity House LV-55 John Sebastian
1886. Restored and maintained at a yacht club in Bristol. Owner/site manager: Cabot Cruising Club.
Lightship Spurn
Lightship Spurn, Hull, April 2007
Wikimedia Creative Commons photo by Steve Cameron
 
 
Trinity House LV-78 Calshot Spit
1914. Restored and on display, dry berthed, at a museum in Southampton. Owner/site manager: Solent Sky Museum.
Trinity House LV-80 Orwell
1914. Maintained in fair condition as a private residence on the Medway at Hoo, Kent.
Trinity House LV-86 Nore
1931. Maintained (but in poor condition) under private ownership on the Medway at Hoo, Kent.
Trinity House LV-87 Haven Ports
1932. Maintained in use by a yacht club at Ipswich, Suffolk. Owner/site manager: Haven Ports Yacht Club.
Trinity House LV-88 Lord Nelson (?)
1936. Light tower transferred to LV-87. Last photographed in 2009 on the Medway at Hoo, Kent. Current status unknown.
Trinity House LV-91 Helwick
1937. Restored and maintained on display at a museum in Swansea, Wales. Owner/site manager: Swansea Museum.
Trinity House LV-93
1939. Maintained by a photographer as his studio at the Trinity Buoy Wharf in Blackwall, London. Owner/site manager: Lightship 93.
Trinity House LV-94
1939. Since 2018 in Marseille, France, where it was to be converted to serve as a live music venue. This project failed. In 2020 the ship was still moored in Marseille but its current situation and location are unknown.
Trinity House LV-95 Inner Dowsing
1939. Maintained in use as a music recording studio at the Trinity Buoy Wharf in Blackwall, London. Owner/site manager: Lightship 95.
Trinity House LV-1 Haslar Marina
1946. Restored and maintained as a marina restaurant at Gosport, Hampshire. Owner: Dean & Reddyhoff Ltd. Site manager: Trinity's at the Lightship.
Trinity House LV-4 Scarweather
1947. Restored and maintained on display at a museum in Douarnenez, Finistère, France. Owner/site manager: Port-Musée de Douarnenez.

Lightship LV-1 Haslar Marina, Gosport, October 2009
Geograph Creative Commons photo by Christine Matthews
 
Trinity House LV-8 Radio Waddenzee
1949. Maintained as a radio station at Harlingen, Friesland, Netherlands. Owner/site manager: Radio Waddenzee.
Trinity House LV-11 Breeveertien
1951. Renovated as a restaurant associated with the maritime museum in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Owner/site manager: Lichtschip V11.
Trinity House LV-12 Amsterdam
1952. Restored and maintained in private ownership in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In 2020 it opened as a bed and breakfast. Owner: Lightship Amsterdam.
Trinity House LV-13 Das Feuerschiff
1952. Renovated as a floating restaurant, pub, and hotel in Hamburg, Germany. Owner/site manager: Das Feuerschiff.
Trinity House LV-15 Trinity
1955. Maintained by a Christian organization for adventure and exploring the environment at Tollesbury, Essex. Owner/site manager: Fellowship Afloat Charitable Trust.
Trinity House LV-16 Colne Light
1954. Restored and maintained as a conference facility and party venue at Hythe, Essex. Owner/site manager: Colchester Sea Cadets.
Trinity House LV-18
1958. Maintained on display on the waterfront at Harwich, Essex. Owner/site manager: Pharos Trust.
Trinity House LV-21 Seven Stones
1963. Renovated as "a floating cultural facility" for meetings and events. Moored on the Thames at Gravesend, Kent. Owner/site manager: Light Vessel 21.
Lightship Colne Light
Trinity House Lightship 16 Colne Light, Colchester, May 2011
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Carron Brown

Abandoned or Wrecked Lightships
Trinity House LV-38 Gull
1860. Abandoned on the lower Thames in Grays, Essex. The light tower was salvaged and restored onshore. Owner/site manager: Thurrock Yacht Club.
Trinity House LV-44 Newarp
1869. Abandoned in a creek near Pitsea, Essex. Owner: unknown.
Trinity House LV-72 Juno
1903. Beached in the River Neath near Port Talbot, Wales. Owner/site manager: Sims Metal Management.
Trinity House LV-14 Helwick
1953. Sold in 2015 and towed to Newnham-on-Severn, Gloucestershire, where it is currently beached. Owner: unknown.

Finland

Deactivated and Restored Lightships
MK Relandersgrund
1888. Restored and on display at a maritime museum in Helsinki. Owner/site manager: Majakkalaiva Relandersgrund.
MK Kalbådagrund
1891. Restored and maintained as a restaurant in Vaasa. Owner/site manager: Faros Restaurant.
MK Kemi
1901. Restored and on display at a maritime museum in Kotka. Owner/site manager: Finnish Maritime Museum.
MK Hyöky
1912. Restored and maintained as a restaurant in Hamina. Owner/site manager: S.S. Hyöky.

France

Deactivated and Restored Lightships
BF Le Havre III
1935. Restored and maintained by a maritime museum in Le Havre. Owner/site manager: Musée maritime et portuaire du Havre.
BF-6 Sandettié
1949. Restored and maintained on display at a maritime museum in Dunkerque. Owner/site manager: Musée portuaire de Dunkerque.

Lightship Kemi, 2006?
Wikipedia Creative Commons photo by Trainthh

Germany

Active Lightship Stations
GW/Ems (German Bight Western Approach)
On the western approach to the Elbe about 65 km (40 mi) north of Borkum.
GB (German Bight)
About 25 km (15 mi) west of Helgoland and 50 km (30 mi) north northeast of the Jade entrance.

Active Lightships
FS-1
Photographed in Wilhelmshaven in 2006.
FS-2
Photographed in Wilhelmshaven in 2014.
FS-3
Photographed in Wilhelmshaven in 2013.

Deactivated and Restored Lightships
FS Elbe 3
1888. Operational. Restored and maintained on exhibit at a historic ship harbor in Hamburg. Owner/site manager: Förderkreis Elbe3.
FS Außenjade II) (Sunthorice)
1903. Converted to a 3-masted schooner based in Rostok. We need current information on its status.
FS Elbe V (Atlantis)
1905. Converted to a 3-masted barkentine based in Harlingen, Netherlands. Owner/site manager: Tallship Company.
FS Kiel III (Alexander von Humboldt)
1906. Converted to a tall ship in 1988 but now retired and serving as a boutique hotel and event space in Bremen. Owner/site manager: Alexander von Humboldt, das Schiff.

Lightship Elbe 3, Hamburg, September 2008
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Hans-Jürgen Becker
FS Weser (Norderney I)
1907. Retired from many years as a restaurant in Wilhelmshaven and now under a new restoration. Owner/site manager: City of Wilhelmshaven.
FS Fehmarnbelt
1908. Operational. Maintained in running condition, based in Lübeck. Owner: Feuerschiff für Lübeck e.V. Site manager: Museumshafen Lübeck.
FS Elbe 3 (Eiderlotsgaliot IV)
1909. Restored and maintained on exhibit at a maritime museum in Bremerhaven. Owner/site manager: Deutsches Schiffahrtsmuseum.
FS Flensburg (Noorderlicht)
1910. Converted to a 2-masted schooner, based at Muiden, Netherlands. Owner/operator: AdventureSmith Explorations (Noorderlicht).
FS Deutsche Bucht (Amrumbank II)
1915. Operational. Restored and maintained on exhibit at a maritime museum in Emden; currently under a new restoration. Owner/site manager: Museums-Feuerschiff Amrumbank/Deutsche Bucht e. V.
FS Elbe 1 (Bürgermeister O'swald II)
1948. Operational. Maintained in running condition, based in Cuxhaven.
FS Borkumriff IV
1956. Operational. Maintained as an exhibit in a national park at Borkum. Owner/site manager: Nationalpark Niedersächsisches Wattenmeer.
Feuerschiff Weser
Feuerschiff Weser, Wilhelmshaven, August 2009
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Christian (cvknet.de)

Ireland

Deactivated and Restored Lightships
LV Cormorant I
1878. In private ownership and only partially restored at Hoo, Kent, England; information is needed on its status.
LV Penguin
1910. In private ownership and under conversion in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England, to a 3-masted yacht to be called HMY Britain.
LV Petrel (Ballydorn)
1915. Restored and maintained as a cruising club headquarters at Ballydorn, Co. Down, Northern Ireland. Owner/site manager: Down Cruising Club.
LV Albatross
1925. Partially restored in private ownership and for sale at Hoo, Kent, England.
LV Gannet
1954. Restored and dry-berthed at a cultural venue at Basel, Switzerland.
LV Osprey (Batofar)
1955. Restored and converted to use as a nightclub and pub on the Seine in Paris. Owner/site manager: Batofar.
LV Kittiwake
1959. Moored and awaiting restoration in Dublin. Owner: Dublin Port Company.

Lightship Petrel, Ballydorn, February 2008
Geograph Creative Commons photo by Albert Bridge

Recently Scrapped or Vanished Lightships
LV Guillemot
1923. Displayed for many years on land as a maritime museum at Kilmore Quay, Co. Wexford. Scrapped in 2011.
LV Skua
1960. Deactivated in 2004 the ship languished at Arklow, Co. Wicklow, and was scrapped in 2012.

Netherlands

Deactivated and Restored Lightships
LS-3 Mayflower
1884. Stripped of its light tower but maintained as a bar and restaurant in Brugge, Belgium. Owner/site manager: Mayflower Restaurant.
LS-10 Texel
1952. Restored and maintained on display as a museum ship in Den Helder. Site manager: Stichting Museumhaven Willemsoord.
LS-12 Noord-Hinder
1963. Restored and maintained on display as a museum ship in Hellevoetsluis. Owner/site manager: Museumlichtschip Noord-Hinder.

Abandoned Lightship
LS-9 Terschellingerbank
1933. Light tower on display at Monnickendam, north of Amsterdam. Hull moored at Walsoorden, apparently abandoned.
Lightship Texel
Lightship Texel, Den Helder, August 2011
Wikimedia Creative Commons photo by Wistula

Russia

Deactivated and Restored Lightship
PM Irbensky
1962. Restored and on display at a maritime museum in Kaliningrad. Site manager: Museum of the World Ocean (Muzey Mirovogo Okeana).

Recently Scrapped Lightship
PM Astrakhanskiy Priemnyi
Early 1960s. Scrapped in 2007; the light tower is on display at the Russian Hydrographic Service Base in Volga-Kaspiysiy on the south side of Astrakhan.

Scotland

Deactivated and Restored Lightship
Northern Lighthouse Board Lightship North Carr
1932. Has been on display in Dundee, but much in need of restoration. Owner/site manager: Taymara.

Surinam

Abandoned or Wrecked Lightship
LS Suriname 1 (Suriname Rivier)
1911. Beached beside the Surinam River opposite Paraimaribo. In recent years the ship has been righted and partially restored.

Sweden

Deactivated and Restored Lightships
FS-5 Svenska Björn
1866. Privately owned and renovated as a residence; moored at Västerås on
FS-10B Fladen
1892. Privately owned and renovated as a residence; moored in Stockholm.
FS-2B Almagrundet
1896. Privately owned, restored by its owner, and moored most recently at Gävle.
FS-21 Biskopsudden
1899. Modified and maintained as a place for meetings, events, and parties at a marina in Stockholm. Owner/site manager: Fyrskeppet Biskopsudden.
FS-23 Västra Banken
1901. Light tower on display at Öresund. The rest of the ship renovated as a restaurant on the Caribbean island of Grenada. Owner/site manager: Le Phare Bleu Marina and Resort.
FS-25 Finngrundet
1903. Restored and maintained on display at a maritime museum in Stockholm. Owner/site manager: Sjöhistoriska Museet.
FS-29 Fladen
1914. Restored and maintained on display at a maritime museum in Göteborg. Owner/site manager: Maritiman Museum.
FS-32 Vinga
1926. Privately owned and reported for sale in Stockholm. Current information is needed.

Recently Scrapped Lightship
FS-28 Falsterborev
1910. Sank at its berth in Le Havre, France, in 2007; raised and scrapped in 2012.

Fyrskepp 25 Finngrundet, Stockholm, July 2007
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Henrik Ismarker

United States

Deactivated and Restored Lightships
LV-83 (WAL-513) Swiftsure
1904. Under restoration and on display at the maritime museum in Seattle, Washington. Owner/site manager: Northwest Seaport Maritime Heritage Center.
LV-87 (WAL-512) Ambrose
1907. Restored and on display at the South Street Seaport in New York City. Owner/site manager: South Street Seaport Museum.
LV-101 (WAL-524) Portsmouth
1916. Restored and on display, dry berthed, on the waterfront of Portsmouth, Virginia. Owner/site manager: Lightship Portsmouth Museum.
LV-103 (WAL-526) Huron
1921. Restored and on display, dry berthed, on the waterfront of Port Huron, Michigan. Owner/site manager: Port Huron Museum.
LV-107 (WAL 529) Winter Quarter
1923. Maintained as a marina office. Moored at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey. Owner/site manager: Liberty Landing Marina.
LV-112 (WAL 534) Nantucket
1936. Operational; under continuing restoration and on display at the Boston Harbor Shipyard and Marina in Boston, Massachusetts. Owner/site manager: U.S. Lightship Museum, Inc.
LV-115 (WAL-537) Frying Pan
1913. Operational. Privately owned and available for special functions. Moored at Pier 66 in Hudson River Park, New York City. Owner/site manager: Frying Pan Lightship Restoration.
LV-116 (WAL 538) Chesapeake
1930. Operational. On display on the waterfront of Baltimore, Maryland. Owner: U.S. National Park Service. Site manager: Historic Ships in Baltimore.
Lightship Chesapeake
Lightship 116 Chesapeake, Baltimore, October 2007
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Bill McChesney
 
LV-118 (WLV-539) Overfalls
1938. Restored and on display in Lewes, Delaware. Owner/site manager: Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation.
WLV-604 Columbia
1950. Currently under restoration in Portland; regularly on display at the maritime museum in Astoria, Oregon. Owner/site manager: Columbia River Maritime Museum.
WLV-605 Relief
1951. Restored and in use by a program that uses the vessel to train underprivileged youth and young adults in maritime trades. Moored at Jack London Square in Oakland, California. Owner/site manager: The Anchor Program.
WLV-612 Nantucket I
1950. Operational. Privately owned and currently for sale; moored at the Boston Yacht Haven in Boston, Massachusetts.
WLV-613 Nantucket II
1952. Operational. Privately owned. Moored at a shipyard in New Bedford, Massachusetts, since 2014, and still there as of November 2019.

Abandoned or Wrecked Lightships
LV-79 (WAL 506) Barnegat
1904. Rotting away at its berth at the Pyne Point Marina in Camden, New Jersey.
LV-106 (WAL-528) Relief
1923. Sold to Suriname in the 1960s. Beached with LV-109 on the Suriname River about 50 km (30 mi) south of Paramaribo.
LV-109 (WAL-531) Savannah
1923. Sold to Uruguay in 1968 and then to Suriname in 1970. Beached with LV-106 on the Suriname River about 50 km (30 mi) south of Paramaribo.

Lightship WLV 604 Columbia, Astoria, March 2015
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Neal Wellons
 

Recently Scrapped or Vanished Lightships
LV-75 St. Clair
1902. Last seen in 2008 at a shipyard in Staten Island, New York City. Vanished and apparently scrapped.
LV-76 (WAL-504) Relief
1904. Sunk at its mooring in the Fraser River, British Columbia, in 2017. Vanished and apparently scrapped.
LV-84 (WAL-509) St. Johns
1907. Sunk at its berth in Brooklyn, New York City, in 1997. Masts were visible above water as recently as 2008, but the wreck has apparently been removed.
LV-114 (WAL 536) New Bedford
1930. Neglected by the City of New Bedford, Massachusetts, it capsized in 2007 and was scrapped.
WLV-196 Umatilla
1946. Last reported at Ketchikan, Alaska, around 2010. Scrapped sometime before 2016.

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Created September 19, 2020. Site copyright 2020 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.