U.S. Coast Guard Lightships
& Those of the U.S. Lighthouse Service
VESSEL DESIGNATION: LV 44
"NORTHEAST END LIGHT-VESSEL, NO. 44, N.J." Scanned from the 1901 Light List, Plate XX. Photographer unknown, no date listed (circa 1900).
Office of the Lighthouse Board. List of Lights and Fog Signals on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States. Corrected to June 30, 1901. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1901.
YEAR BUILT: 1882
BUILT AT: Wilmington (DE)
APPROPRIATION: $50, 000
CONTRACT PRICE: $49,999.58
BUILDER: Pusey & Jones Co.
SISTER VESSELS: None
DESIGN: Iron hull; 2 masts, each with lattice daymark surmounted with ball;
stack ahead of mainmast; 2 boilers 40"dia x 136" long; steam
auxiliary machinery
LENGTH: 115'6" (loa); BEAM: 25'; DRAFT: 10'6" (depth); TONNAGE: 197 gross measurement
PROPULSION: Sail-schooner rig, fore and main carried on Spencer masts
ILLUMINATING APPARATUS: 2 lanterns, each with 8 oil lamps and reflectors
FOG SIGNAL: 12" steam whistle; hand operated 1000-lb bell
CONSTRUCTION NOTES - MODIFICATIONS - EQUIPMENT CHANGES & IMPROVEMENTS: LV 44
First US lightship designed and built with an unsheathed, all-metal hull
Because of evidence of corrosion, vessel was painted annually until about
1890 and thereafter at 2 year intervals. Many different paints were
experimented with including red and white lead mixed, "germicide"
paint, Williams submarine anti- corrosive, and antifouling bottom paint; all
these being mixed in some cases.
Boilers were perennial problem; complete replacement 3 times between
1882-1899
189?: Daymark removed from mainmast
1910: Equipped with submarine bell signal.
1912: Both masts replaced with steel skeleton towers; larger stack
installed; converted from oil to acetylene lens lanterns; fog signal changed
to steam siren
1919: Equipped with radio
1927: Fog signal changed to air siren
1931: Fitted with electric lens lanterns
STATION ASSIGNMENTS:
1882-1926: Northeast End (NJ)
1926-1938: Cornfield Point (CT)
(1882: Positioned 9 1/4 mi NNE of Five Fathom Bank lightship station)
(1894: Position moved 2 mi E 1/2 S in 84 ft)
HISTORICAL NOTES:
1882: Jun 1, placed on Northeast End (NJ)
1883: Jun 14, parted chain while sighting the anchor, losing anchor and
chain
1884: May 10-Jun 24 relieved for repair after 2 years on station. Pitted
plates and corroded rivets indicated need for annual painting. "Cost of
taking her from station so frequently.. . having a relief lightship during
her absence... and rapid deterioration of the iron raise question as to the
wisdom of building more iron lightships without (wood) sheathing"
1889: Aug 8-Sep 18, relieved for painting and boiler repairs (by LV 24)
1890: Sep, both boilers failed, whistle disabled, bell used for fog signal
1890: Dec 10-Feb 15 1891, withdrawn for installation of new boilers and
repainting; initially replaced by whistle buoy, then schooner SS HUDSON
placed on station as temporary lightship
1893: May 3-Jun 13, relieved (by LV 37) for boiler repairs and repainting
1894: Jul 25-Aug 5, relieved by whistle buoy for repainting
1894: Sep 1, position moved 2 mi E 1/2 5 in 84 ft
1895: Jul 29-Aug 15, withdrawn for painting; whistle buoy substituted
1896: Jul 20-?, withdrawn for repair, painting & installation of new
stack
1897: Jul 15-?, withdrawn for installation of automatic steam whistle
More notes: LV 44
1899: Aug 1-Sep 28, relieved (by LV 16) for boiler repairs and
installation of 2 new masts
1901: Aug 24-Oct 3, relieved (by LV 11) for boiler repairs and repainting
1904: May 8-Jun 24, relieved (by LV 16) for repairs
1906: Aug, relieved (by LV 16) for repairs
1918: Aug 14, crew placed lantern in rigging of 5 masted schooner sunk
nearby
1926: Placed on Cornfield Point (CT)
1936: During severe winter storms, dragged off station by moving ice on 4
occasions; ice from 4 to 15 inches thick collected on the vessel in one
storm
1938: Badly strained during hurricane, and withdrawn for retirement This was
the last lightship in service without propelling machinery, except for the
radio controlled LV 75 on the Great Lakes
SUBSEQUENT DISPOSITION: RETIRED FROM LIGHTSHIP DUTY: 1938
SUBSEQUENT DISPOSITION: ?
AGE: 56
COMMANDING OFFICERS:
1881-1884: Josiah C Falkinburg, Asst Keeper
1884-1915: Josiah C Falkinburg, Master
1893-1897: Horatiow C Pierson, Mate
1897-1915: Ingvald Pedersen, Mate
1915-1922: Ingvald Pedersen, Master
1915-1920: John Carr, Mate
1920-1921: Charles Peterson, Mate
1921-1922: Andrew Tarr, Mate
1922-1924: Martin Berg, Master
1923 -1924: Peter Shea, Mate
1924: Alfred K Haynes, Mate
1924-1925: Alfred M Haynes, Master
1925: Carl Lindberg, Mate
1925-1929: Hugh Donovan, Master
1936-1937: Justin C. Luick, Mate
1938-1938: George W Oat, Mate
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