Frying Pan (lightship)

Frying Pan Shoals Station

In 1854, because of complaints from mariners that the height of the existing Bald Head Lighthouse was inadequate, and the light of its Third-order Fresnel lens wasn't bright enough to warn mariners of the shallow waters of the treacherous Frying Pan Shoals off the coast of Cape Fear in North Carolina, United States, the first lightship was stationed on the shoals, cite web|url=http://www.itpi.dpi.state.nc.us/caroclips/FRYINGPAN.html
title=TITLE HERE|date=2007-09-15|work=|publisher=PUBLISHER HERE] in lieu of a proposal to improve Bald Point Lighthouse. Lightships remained on station for 110 years.

The Bald Point lighthouse, and others, were turned off during the Civil War to avoid aiding the Northern ships.

The ship was replaced by a lighttower in 1964. [http://books.google.com/books?id=Qppzt4OYsdcC&pg=PA417&lpg=PA417&dq=frying+pan+lightship&source=web&ots=Mrhrezuzt0&sig=w-AnxaE8CySoXRMbV4TnPipv-gk#PPA417,M1 Naval Records] The lighttower, a Texas tower, was manned until 1979, is a great diving spot and still stands to this day.

This ship, LV-115, was the last of 9 ships that served in succession, with some alternation, at the Frying Pan Shoals station during and since the American Civil War.cite web|url=http://www.uscglightshipsailors.org/frying_pan_shoal_lightship_station_history.htm |title=Frying Pan Shoal Lightship Station History|date=2007-09-15|work=|publisher=United States Coast Guard Lightship Sailors Association, Inc.] .

Construction and Features

LV-115 was built in 1929-1930 by Charleston Drydock and Machine Co. for a contract price of $274,434.cite web|url=http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblightships/LV115.html |title=USCG LV-115 / WAL 537|date=2007-09-15|work=|publisher=United States Coast Guard] .cite web|url=http://www.uscglightshipsailors.org/frying_pan_shoal_lightship_lv115_wal537.htm |title=Frying Pan Shoal Lightship Station History: LV-115 WAL 537|date=2007-09-15|work=|publisher=United States Coast Guard Lightship Sailors Association, Inc.] .

ervice

It served at Frying Pan Shoals from 1930 to 1942, and again from 1945 to 1964. During World War II the ship was used as an examination vessel, as part of training.

FRYING PAN was retired from duty at Frying Pan Shoals in 1964. It served briefly as a relief ship at Cape May, New Jersey, and then was decommissioned in 1965.

The ship sank in 1984 or 1986. Photos of the sinking in progress, and description here.citehttp://www.uscglightshipsailors.org/frying_pan_lightship_lv115_wal537_the_sinking.htm
title=Frying Pan Shoal Lightship Station History: LV-115 WAL 537: the sinking|date=2007-09-15|work=|publisher=United States Coast Guard Lightship Sailors Association, Inc.] .

Having been underwater for three years, it was raised in 1987.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

Frying Pan is one of about 13 surviving American lightships, out of about 100 built. Two other lightships, AMBROSE (lightship) at South Street Seaport and NANTUCKET (lightship) at Oyster Bay, Long Island, became National Historic Landmarks and are open to the public as museum ships.

Party Ship

"Unlike the staid Ambrose lightship at the South Street Seaport Museum, the Frying Pan lightship is now used basically as a bar.)" -- [http://brianflocablog.blogspot.com/ Blog of Brian] .

Frying Pan can be rented for events and functions. It became known as a party site in NYC.

Infobox_nrhp | name =FRYING PAN SHOALS LIGHTSHIP NO. 115 (lightship)
nrhp_type =
locmapin = New York


caption =
location= Pier 63, Chelsea, New York, New York
lat_degrees = 40 | lat_minutes = 44 | lat_seconds = 59.57 | lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 74 | long_minutes = 0 | long_seconds = 36.7 | long_direction = W
area =
built =1929
architect= Charleston Dry Dock and Machine Co.
architecture=
added = January 28, 1999cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]
governing_body = Private
refnum=98001615

"FRYING PAN (lightship)" LV-115 is a lightvessel moored at Pier 66a in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It served at Frying Pan Shoals, off Cape Fear in North Carolina.

References

External links

* [http://www.fryingpan.com/ Welcome Aboard the Lightship "Frying Pan"]
* [http://www.tug44.org/tugboats.trawlers/lightship-frying-pan/ Two photos of Frying Pan at Pier 63]
* [http://www.nightbeacon.com/zlightships/LV115_(FryingPan)_Lightship.htm Frying Pan at another website]
* [http://wirednewyork.com/piers/pier63maritime/ Pier 63 Maritime information, including another photo of Frying Pan at Pier 63, in WiredNewYork]
* [http://www.harbourlightsarchives.com/lightships/ls_fryingpan.htm Last of the Lightships: Frying Pan, sympathetic account of refurbishing]
* [http://www.nrhss.org/boat_fryingpan.htm Lightship Frying Pan, at North River Historic Ship Society]
* [http://www.rickslighthouses.com/bald_head.htm |Bald Point Lighthouse describes 1854]
* [http://home.comcast.net/~debee2/NNNS/BaldHead.html]