Diamond Shoal Lightship No. 71 (LV-71)
Encyclopedia
Diamond Shoal Lightship No. 71 (LV-71) was a lightship
of the United States Lighthouse Service
. She is most remembered for her sinking in 1918 during World War I
when a German U-boat
attacked her off North Carolina
.
in Maine
with a wooden hull and a steel keel and braces. She also had a cluster of 3 - 100cp electric lens lanterns mounted in a gallery at each masthead, a twelve inch steam chime whistle and a hand operated fog bell weighing 1,000 pounds. The ship's propulsion was supplied by a single surface condensing engine and a scotch fired boiler, with a four bladed propeller eight inches in diameter. She was 122 feet long with a beam width of twenty-eight feet and a draft of thirteen feet, weighing 590 tons. LV-71 had a speed of 8.5 knots and was equipped with telegraph in 1904, and an eighteen inch searchlight in 1905.
near Hatteras
, North Carolina on March 9, 1898 though she was originally intended to patrol Overfall Shoal in Delaware Bay
. For the next twenty years until her sinking LV-71 remained at Diamond Shoals, alternating out with LV-69. In 1912 LV-71 was modernized again and was fitted with a two-way radio.
SS Merak. The Merak had been sailing off Diamond Shoals from New York
to the West Indies when Commander Waldemar Kophamel
, of the submarine U-140
, attacked her with torpedoes. One of Meraks crewmen spotted the wake of a torpedo so the ship took to evasive maneuvers and grounded in the process. The Germans then surfaced and began bombarding the Americans with a deck gun
, but the ship's crew successfully escaped without being harmed. A little later the LV-71 arrived and rescued the survivors; her skipper Master Walter Barnett then sent out a warning to alert friendly ships in the area of a U-boat's presence. The signal was intercepted by U-140 which quickly returned to the scene and sank the LV-71 with gunfire after letting her twelve-member crew and the survivors of the Merak row to shore in a lifeboat. The two sinkings occurred about twelve miles off the coast; residents of the nearby town of Hatteras could hear the sounds of the naval gunfire. LV-71 was the first and only United States lightship sunk by enemy action.
Lightvessel
A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship which acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction...
of the United States Lighthouse Service
United States Lighthouse Service
The United States Lighthouse Service, also known as the Bureau of Lighthouses, was the agency of the US Federal Government that was responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of all lighthouses in the United States from the time of its creation in 1910 until 1939...
. She is most remembered for her sinking in 1918 during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
when a German U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
attacked her off North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
.
Design
LV-71 was built in 1897 by Bath Iron WorksBath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works is a major American shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, United States. Since its founding in 1884 , BIW has built private, commercial and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy...
in Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
with a wooden hull and a steel keel and braces. She also had a cluster of 3 - 100cp electric lens lanterns mounted in a gallery at each masthead, a twelve inch steam chime whistle and a hand operated fog bell weighing 1,000 pounds. The ship's propulsion was supplied by a single surface condensing engine and a scotch fired boiler, with a four bladed propeller eight inches in diameter. She was 122 feet long with a beam width of twenty-eight feet and a draft of thirteen feet, weighing 590 tons. LV-71 had a speed of 8.5 knots and was equipped with telegraph in 1904, and an eighteen inch searchlight in 1905.
Career
The ship was assigned to Diamond Shoal LightDiamond Shoal Light
Diamond Shoal Light was an off-shore lighthouse marking Diamond Shoals off Cape Hatteras.-History:Diamond Shoals, which extend many miles out from Cape Hatteras, is considered to be one of the most dangerous spots on the Atlantic seaboard. While a light was exhibited from the cape itself from 1804,...
near Hatteras
Hatteras, North Carolina
Hatteras is an unincorporated community in Dare County, North Carolina, United States, on the Outer Banks island of Hatteras. North Carolina Highway 12 passes through the community linking it to Frisco and Ocracoke . It is south of the famous Cape Hatteras and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton...
, North Carolina on March 9, 1898 though she was originally intended to patrol Overfall Shoal in Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay is a major estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the Northeast seaboard of the United States whose fresh water mixes for many miles with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It is in area. The bay is bordered by the State of New Jersey and the State of Delaware...
. For the next twenty years until her sinking LV-71 remained at Diamond Shoals, alternating out with LV-69. In 1912 LV-71 was modernized again and was fitted with a two-way radio.
World War I
Upon America's entry into World War I on August 6 of 1917, LV-71 continued to operate as she had for the past several years. On August 6, 1918, exactly one year and a month after the United States' declaration of war on Germany, the lightship was patrolling off North Carolina when she came across the sinking American cargo shipCargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
SS Merak. The Merak had been sailing off Diamond Shoals from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to the West Indies when Commander Waldemar Kophamel
Waldemar Kophamel
Commander Waldemar Kophamel was a successful and highly decorated German U-boat commander in the Kaiserliche Marine during World War I....
, of the submarine U-140
SM U-140
SM U-140 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I.U-140 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.-References:...
, attacked her with torpedoes. One of Meraks crewmen spotted the wake of a torpedo so the ship took to evasive maneuvers and grounded in the process. The Germans then surfaced and began bombarding the Americans with a deck gun
Deck gun
A deck gun is a type of artillery cannon mounted on the deck of a ship or submarine.The deck gun was used as a defensive weapon against smaller boats or ships and in certain cases where torpedo use was limited. Typically a crew of three; gunner, loader, and layer, operated the gun, while others...
, but the ship's crew successfully escaped without being harmed. A little later the LV-71 arrived and rescued the survivors; her skipper Master Walter Barnett then sent out a warning to alert friendly ships in the area of a U-boat's presence. The signal was intercepted by U-140 which quickly returned to the scene and sank the LV-71 with gunfire after letting her twelve-member crew and the survivors of the Merak row to shore in a lifeboat. The two sinkings occurred about twelve miles off the coast; residents of the nearby town of Hatteras could hear the sounds of the naval gunfire. LV-71 was the first and only United States lightship sunk by enemy action.
See also
- List of lightships of the United States
- United States Navy operations during World War IUnited States Navy operations during World War IUnited States Navy operations during World War I began on April 6, 1917 after the formal declaration of war on Germany. The American navy focused on countering enemy U-boats in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea while convoying men and supplies to frontlines in France and Italy...
- Torpedo Alley (North Carolina)Torpedo Alley (North Carolina)The Torpedo Alley, or Torpedo Junction, off North Carolina, is one of the graveyards of the Atlantic Ocean, named for the high number of attacks on Allied shipping by German U-boats in World War II. Almost 400 ships were sunk, mostly during the Second Happy Time in 1942, and over 5,000 people were...
- American Theater (1914-1918)