U.S. Coast Guard Lightship Sailors ‘Drop
Anchor’ at the Coast Guard Heritage Museum
On October 18, 2008, an important part of
our nation’s lighthouse and Coast Guard history – the lightship, gained
a permanent ‘mooring station’ ashore at the Coast Guard Heritage Museum
in Barnstable, Massachusetts with the creation of an exhibit honoring
this courageous aspect of America’s maritime history.
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
The USCG Lightship Sailors Association at
the Coast Guard Heritage Museum on 10/18/08
The October 18th dedication ceremony held at the Coast Guard
Heritage Museum on Cape Cod exuded a heartwarming reverence for the service
of lightships and their crews, as well as a feeling of great satisfaction
that this unique story will now shine on brightly for future generations to
understand and appreciate.
USCG Lightship Sailors Association (LSA) president Larry Ryan, Jay McCarthy,
LSA 1st vice-president, William Collette, president of the Coast
Guard Heritage Museum, Francis Broadhurst, historian for the Coast Guard
Heritage Museum and David Neal of the Barnstable Sheriff’s Office each
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
(L to R) Larry Ryan, USCG Lightship
Sailors Association, William Collette, Coast Guard Heritage Museum & Bob
Trapani, Jr.,
American Lighthouse Foundation
spoke about facets of lightship history, the association,
museum and the historical significance of the new exhibit.
American Lighthouse Foundation executive director Bob
Trapani, Jr. served as the keynote speaker for the dedication ceremony.
To read Trapani’s remarks,
click here
The USCG Lightship Sailors Association
understands that when it comes to
preserving our maritime past, two things are critical to its success, which
include, one, quantifying the need itself, and two, acting in the present to
help transform this noble notion into vivid reality.
LSA president Larry Ryan is keenly aware of this when it comes to over 200
years of lightship history, noting, “Some of us felt since no effort had
been
attempted to preserve information from this era, nothing would be done in
the future unless we did it ourselves – and now! Except for the lightship
sailors memorial in New Bedford, MA and the exhibit we've opened in
Barnstable, MA, there is no official recognition for what we did”
Ryan goes on to say, “The average age of the members of our organization is
68, which does not give us a lot of time to collect and preserve this
history. There was no central clearing point for contacts
or information dedicated just to lightship sailors. Several resources
existed for lightships, but virtually none for the crews. Nearly all
documents and pictures remained in the private hands of the sailors
themselves.”
“I wanted to reach out to each one, establish
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
Larry Ryan, president,
USCG Lightship Sailors Association
credibility that we would
preserve this history in a public setting if they would share their private
lives with us. The first step was to establish a newsletter, sharing stories
and pictures on a very limited basis. Our collection has grown primarily as
a result of our newsletter, The Fog Signal.”
The efforts of the USCG Lightship Sailors Association indeed brought
together timeless memories, stories and artifacts that would have otherwise
been forever lost, but one last action was required – to find a permanent
home to display and preserve this information since the lightship sailors
themselves are physically scattered throughout the United States.
The nation’s rich lightship history was finally able to ‘drop anchor’ once
and for all at the Coast Guard Heritage Museum at the Trayser, in
Barnstable, MA, thanks to a unique partnership whose roots share an
inseparable common bond – the legacy of the United States Coast Guard.
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
U.S. Coast Guard color guard
from Station Chatham
The Coast Guard Heritage Museum
interprets the history of the U.S. Coast Guard, from its founding as the
Revenue Cutter Service in 1790, right up through the 21st
century where the Coast Guard continues to help safeguard America’s
waterways. The history of the lightship, which was directly connected to
the Coast Guard from 1939 through 1983
when the last
lightship station was decommissioned, was thus a natural fit at the Museum.
In closing, Ryan noted, “I will quote our chaplain, Reverend Adrian Van
Houten, ‘Work is love made visible.’ Creating this permanent Lightship
Sailors Museum has indeed been a work of love.”
To learn more about the U.S. Coast Guard Lightship Sailors Association,
visit:
To learn more about the Coast Guard Heritage Museum, visit:
Adrian & Sharon Van
Houten lead the audience in singing patriotic music
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
Jay McCarthy, 1st
vice-president, USCG Lightship Sailors Association
William Collette,
president, Coast Guard Heritage Museum
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
Francis Broadhurst,
historian, Coast Guard Heritage Museum
David Neal, Barnstable
Sheriff's Office
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
Bob Trapani, Jr.,
executive director, American Lighthouse Foundation
10/18/08 was a
historic day for the USCG Lightship Sailors Association, Coast Guard
Heritage Museum and the overall history of the United States Coast Guard
