Portsmouth City Lighthouses Lighthouse

Built in 1916, this steel lightship measures 30.8 meters in height. Originally serving at critical offshore locations, it marked waters off Cape Charles, Virginia, then moved to the Overfalls station near Cape Henlopen, Delaware, and later the Stonehorse Shoal off Nantucket, Massachusetts. The vessel features a red-painted hull with white superstructure. Decommissioned in 1962, it was towed to Portsmouth in 1964 and opened as a museum in 1967. Extensive restorations were completed in 2004 and again between 2020 and 2023. The lightship is now permanently moored on land at the Portsmouth waterfront.

Why it matters: Its preservation as a museum ship offers a rare opportunity to experience the operational demands and living conditions of a lightship crew.