The Lightship Chesapeake is one of the four ships featured in the Historic Ships in Baltimore. The downtown harbor is a crowded place, so the ship is not the easiest to spot.
Lightships wers used as a floating lighthouses. The US Lighthouse Service used such ships from 1820 to 1939, when the US Coast Guard took over the Lighthouse Service. The Coast Guard used them until 1983. The ships served as beacons in dangerous waters where a lighthouse couldn't be built. These ships were replaced by lighthouses or buoys when the technology became available.
The Chesapeake served in the Chesapeake Bay. It was built in 1930 and served in the bay until 1971. After decommissioning, the ship was given to the National Parks Service which opened it to the public at a Potomac River berth until 1982. Then it was loaned to the City of Baltimore and became part of the Historic Ships in Baltimore.
The ship was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989 and is quite fun to tour.
Like most ships, space is at a premium, so the stairways are steep. The ticket taker said adults should go first and guide younger visitors down. I dutifully went first.
The ship has narrow passageways that lead into larger rooms. The first room we found was the Officers Wardroom. It looked very comfy, with a large table and a plush couch at the back. We couldn't sit on the couch since it still has original upholstery. It served as the officers' mess or dining area.
The ship typically had a crew of seventeen, with individual rooms for the officers and two-man staterooms for the regular sailors.
The ship has plenty of historical information on display. I enjoyed reading what I could as the kids looked at what caught their interest.
I saw a porthole with a view of the harbor and downtown Baltimore.
The engine room was off-limits to visitors but we could peek in and see the heavy equipment and some of the diesel-electric propulsion plant (including a nifty diagram) which was state-of-the-art back in the day.
Further back in the ship is the crew's mess with the kitchen.
The ship had two anchors, the main and a spare, to keep it on location. In 1936 and 1962, it had to ride out hurricanes powerful enough to break the anchor chain, requiring the crew to drop the spare anchor and run full ahead into the winds to stay on station.
I was less fastidious about the "adults first" rule when it came to going up stairs.
The kids enjoyed pretending to steer, check the radar, and the compass in the pilothouse.
The harbor looks nice from the deck of the Chesapeake.
Our next visit was to the USS Torsk, a World War II submarine! Coming to the blog soon...
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| The Chesapeake hiding in the harbor near the Aquarium |
Lightships wers used as a floating lighthouses. The US Lighthouse Service used such ships from 1820 to 1939, when the US Coast Guard took over the Lighthouse Service. The Coast Guard used them until 1983. The ships served as beacons in dangerous waters where a lighthouse couldn't be built. These ships were replaced by lighthouses or buoys when the technology became available.
The Chesapeake served in the Chesapeake Bay. It was built in 1930 and served in the bay until 1971. After decommissioning, the ship was given to the National Parks Service which opened it to the public at a Potomac River berth until 1982. Then it was loaned to the City of Baltimore and became part of the Historic Ships in Baltimore.
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| Ready to visit the Chesapeake |
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| Close up |
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| Going up the gangway |
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| On board |
The ship was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989 and is quite fun to tour.
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| NPS plaque |
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| Diagram of the ship |
Like most ships, space is at a premium, so the stairways are steep. The ticket taker said adults should go first and guide younger visitors down. I dutifully went first.
 |
| The way down |
The ship has narrow passageways that lead into larger rooms. The first room we found was the Officers Wardroom. It looked very comfy, with a large table and a plush couch at the back. We couldn't sit on the couch since it still has original upholstery. It served as the officers' mess or dining area.
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| Officers Wardroom |
The ship typically had a crew of seventeen, with individual rooms for the officers and two-man staterooms for the regular sailors.
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| Officer's room |
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| Crew's quarters |
The ship has plenty of historical information on display. I enjoyed reading what I could as the kids looked at what caught their interest.
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| History of the boat |
I saw a porthole with a view of the harbor and downtown Baltimore.
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| Porthole |
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| View with nose pressed up against the porthole |
The engine room was off-limits to visitors but we could peek in and see the heavy equipment and some of the diesel-electric propulsion plant (including a nifty diagram) which was state-of-the-art back in the day.
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| Engine room |
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| Engine design |
Further back in the ship is the crew's mess with the kitchen.
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| Messing around in the mess hall |
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| The on-board kitchen |
The ship had two anchors, the main and a spare, to keep it on location. In 1936 and 1962, it had to ride out hurricanes powerful enough to break the anchor chain, requiring the crew to drop the spare anchor and run full ahead into the winds to stay on station.
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| The anchor windlass |
I was less fastidious about the "adults first" rule when it came to going up stairs.
 |
| Climbing up to the pilothouse |
The kids enjoyed pretending to steer, check the radar, and the compass in the pilothouse.
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| Turning the big wheel |
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| Doing a Spock impression |
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| Checking the compass bearings |
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| The pilothouse seen from below |
The harbor looks nice from the deck of the Chesapeake.
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| Downtown |
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| Federal Hill |
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| Ship's bell |
Our next visit was to the USS Torsk, a World War II submarine! Coming to the blog soon...
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