LV-71
Lightship · Lost 1918 · The Outer Banks
The Diamond Shoals lightship LV-71 was shelled by U-140 in 1918 after radioing a warning that saved more than 25 ships.
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The Vessel and Her Loss
Launched by Bath Iron Works in 1897, the two-masted, steam-powered light vessel LV-71 marked Diamond Shoals off North Carolina for over 20 years. On August 6, 1918, she radioed that a ship was being shelled nearby as U-140 attacked the steamer Merak. The U-boat turned on the lightship, destroying her wireless room and sinking her. Her 12 crew rowed ashore near Cape Hatteras. She is the only U.S. lightship sunk by enemy action in the twentieth century.
Vessel
- 1897
- Light Vessel 71 (Diamond Shoals)
- Bath Iron Works
- Bath, Maine
- Composite
- 122 ft
- 28.6 ft
- Not established
- Steam
- Not established
Loss
- August 6, 1918
- Enemy action
- Diamond Shoals, off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
- Atlantic Ocean
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 200 ft
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
No pin: NOAA does not publish the wreck position.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Well documented (90/100)
Built for the U.S. Lighthouse Board; not a naval vessel.
NOAA Monitor National Marine Sanctuary — LV-71 (Diamond Shoals Light Vessel)
Ship stats, survey and loss narrative read; 1919 Lighthouse Service Bulletin not independently inspected.
