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History
Built in 1908, the steel-hulled Ambrose
Lightship was stationed at the mouth of lower New York Bay between
Coney Island,
Brooklyn, New York and Sandy Hook, New Jersey. From this station, she
was able
to safely guide shipping in and out of this busy harbor through an area
filled
with invisible navigation hazards such as sand bars and shoals. The
Ambrose
lightship station was one of the two markers which were used to gauge a
transatlantic liner's travel time to determine if it would hold the
Blue Riband.
The Ambrose was stationed in the Ambrose Channel until 1937 and then
served as the Scotland Lightship close to Sandy Hook until 1963. The
U.S. Coast Guard donated her to the South Street Seaport Museum in
1968. The last official designation for this vessel was WAL-512.
The Ambrose Channel's last lightship was replaced in 1964 by a tower
built in four tall legs anchored to the sea bottom. The tower has
comfortable quarters for Coast Guard personnel and a helipad for
resupplying but the living spaces have been vacant since 1988 when the
station was fully automated.
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