Old Lightship New Bedford springs a leak
By BECKY W. EVANS, Standard-Times staff writer

NEW BEDFORD — The cherry red hull of the Lightship New Bedford shone like a beacon on the waterfront yesterday after the 133-foot vessel flipped on its side because of a leak.
The city-owned lightship, berthed at Commonwealth Electric Pier near Global Petroleum Corp., could remain on its side for at least a week, said John Simpson, executive director of the New Bedford Harbor Development Commission.
The city is collecting estimates to right the vessel and lift it out of the water for examination and repair, Mr. Simpson said.
"We need to determine the cause (of the leak) and prevent it from happening," he said.
Coast Guard officials said the overturned lightship did not create any navigational or environmental hazards.
"From what we know, there is no fuel onboard," said Petty Officer Tiffany Carvalho of Marine Safety Detachment New Bedford.
A yellow containment boom was placed around the ship as a "precautionary measure," she said.
The deactivated lightship, which once served as a floating lighthouse, had been taking on water in recent weeks, Mr. Simpson said.
City officials periodically pumped out the ship, and plans were under way to apply for financial assistance from the Massachusetts Seaport Advisory Council to repair the vessel, he said.
"It's now a situation we have to deal with," he said.
The Lightship New Bedford, built in 1930, is one of 13 U.S. lightships left in the world. Lightships were anchored in coastal locations where it was either impossible or impractical to build a lighthouse.
Originally named Pollock's Rip, the Lightship New Bedford served on the East Coast until 1971, when it was decommissioned by the Coast Guard.
The ship was brought to New Bedford in 1975 and renamed. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
 

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