United States lightship Swiftsure (LV-83)
Lightship No. 83, painted with the station name SWIFTSURE, in 2013 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Builder | New York Shipbuilding Co. |
| Cost | $85,000 |
| Launched | 1904 |
| Acquired | 1905 |
| Decommissioned | 18 July 1960 |
| Out of service | 1960 |
| Fate | Museum ship |
| Status | Under restoration, on display |
| Notes | Oldest lightship afloat in the United States |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Lightship |
| Displacement | 668 tons unloaded |
| Length | 129 ft 6 in (39.47 m) |
| Beam | 28 ft 6 in (8.69 m) |
| Draft | 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) |
| Decks | 4 |
| Installed power | 2 Babcock & Wilcox sectional headed watertube boilers arranged for oil firing |
| Propulsion | 1 double expansion 325 IHP reciprocating steam engine; auxiliary sail (pre-1931) |
| Sail plan | Schooner rig on wood spencer masts (pre-1931) |
| Speed | 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) |
| Crew | 11-15 (5 officers and 6-10 men) |
| Notes | Only preserved lightship retaining its steam machinery and a wooden deck |
Lightship No. 83 "SWIFTSURE" | |
| Location | Historic Ships Wharf, Lake Union Park, Seattle, WA |
| Coordinates | 47°37′41.31″N 122°20′12.72″W / 47.6281417°N 122.3368667°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1904 |
| Architect | New York Shipbuilding Co.; US Lighthouse Establishment |
| Architectural style | Riveted steel hull with wooden decks |
| NRHP reference No. | 75001852 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | 23 April 1975 |
| Designated NHL | 11 April 1989 |
| Designated SEATL | March 7, 1977 |
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Light Vessel Number 83 (LV-83) Swiftsure is a lightship and museum ship owned by Northwest Seaport in Seattle, Washington. Launched in 1904 at Camden, New Jersey and in active service until 1960 after serving on all five of the American west coast's lightship stations, it is the oldest surviving lightship in the United States, the only one still fitted with its original steam engine, and the last lightship with wooden decks. LV-83 was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989, and has been undergoing major restoration since 2008.