IAMPE PRESENTS LIGHTSHIP PICTURE TO US COAST GUARD SECTOR NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND
The International Association of Maritime and Port Executives (IAMPE) presented a historic picture of the Lightship Nantucket to US Coast Guard Sector Northern New England on August 19th at the USCG Base in South Portland, Maine. The lightship, which is a National Historic Landmark, served at the head of the traffic lanes off Nantucket Island connecting to and from New York Harbor, and New England. The ship was built to replace LV-117 which had been sunk in a collision with the ocean liner RMS OLYMPIC. It is the largest light vessel ever built in the United States. The vessel served at the Nantucket station from 1936 except for the war years of 1942-1945 where she served as an Examination Vessel in Portland, Maine and 1958-1960 when assigned as the relief vessel for the USCG 1st District. The lightship was decommissioned on 28 March 1975 at Chelsea, Massachusetts. The vessel was then moved to Nantucket Island as a static museum ship until 1984 when she was restored by a civilian crew to operational status.
The vessel was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989 and was transferred to Lightship Nantucket Inc., and was moved to Portland, Maine, as an active museum ship, where it toured along the New England Coast and was an attraction vessel and museum. She hosted thousands of visitors during her time in Portland and ran regular school programs while berthed in Portland. She was later moved to the USS INTREPID Museum, and later to Oyster Bay, Long Island. In October 2009 the United States Lightship Museum (USLM) took over the vessel and she was moved to Boston Harbor in May 2010. The vessel is open to the public at Boston Harbor Shipyard and Marina at 256 Marginal Street in East Boston, Massachusetts and is now operated as a museum and historic attraction vessel by the U.S. Lightship Museum.
The historic picture and plaque were presented to Captain Matthew Baker, Sector Northern New England's new Sector Commander and his staff as a memento of her time here in Portland and as a tribute to the volunteers and Coast Guard personnel who helped maintain the vessel and ran programs while the ship was in Maine. Presenting the picture was Capt. Jeffrey Monroe, Director of Education programs of the IAMPE. Capt. Monroe was also one of the captains of the ship when she was here in Portland. Also participating was Robert Mannino, Jr., President of the US Lightship Museum who owns and manages the vessel in East Boston, and Fr. Gary Drinkwater, Anglican Port and Maritime Chaplain.
The IAMPE is a South Portland based non-profit industry association that provides professional development and certification for professionals at every level of their careers working in and around the port industry worldwide. Programs are reviewed and approved for certification by the IAMPE’s Board of Advisors, comprised of industry professionals. The Association offers professional and accredited programs in Coastal and Inland Port Management and Executive Management, as well as certification programs for Marine Terminal Operator and IMDG/Hazardous Awareness. Over 140 US Coast Guard personnel are certified alumni of IAMPE programs.
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