Discover Delmarva: Lightship Overfalls
LEWES, De- Lightship Overfalls in Lewes helps teach the public about the often lost history of lightships! Curator John Bolster welcomed us aboard the ship that first set sail almost-
90 years ago. Bolster tells us, “The Overfalls is a retired Coast Guard lightship. She was launched in 1938 and was used as a light ship right up until 1972”.
So, a lighthouse and a lightship are different? But why would you choose a lightship over a lighthouse? According to Bolster, a lot of these decisions depended on the underwater geography. “A lightship is nothing more complicated than a floating lighthouse. Places where they wished they could build a lighthouse, but the water was too deep, the bottom wasn’t right, they would use lightships instead.”
Make sure to duck on board with these low ceilings and tight quarters. However, this was the reality of life for the crew from varying backgrounds – assigned on board. “On our ship, we had 14 people assigned to the ship. At any given point and time, there were about 10 onboard officers and crew members. There were engineers, radio operators, and maintenance people.” We got a peek at an old menu, and I must say I’m jealous! The technology on board pales in comparison to what we use today, but it offers a unique journey on how quickly we have advanced every day telecommunication on ships. Bolster says this was common for a lot of Coast Guard ships. “This ship was launched in 1938, and every few years the Coast Guard would update the ship, obviously. But they wouldn’t always take away the old technology. So we have an interesting mix of technology from the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and into the early 70s.”
As for how the ship ended up in Lewes? It’s quite similar to many people’s stories in Sussex County- she decided to retire here! “This particular ship. The ship we call Overfalls was never stationed in Delaware. She spent almost 20 years off the coast of Connecticut a place called Cornfield Pointe. Spent a couple of years between Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, and then the last 10 years of her service life she was Boston lightship.”
She has been resting here since 1973 and was re-christened Overfalls in honor of a light station that stood near Cape Henlopen until 1961.
John tells us they’re currently working on an additional space to help tell the story. That is scheduled to open next year. They welcome tour groups and have special events throughout the year.To plan your visit, you can visit their website.
