Nantucket Lightship LV-117
Lightvessel · United States · Lost 1934 · Cape Cod & Nantucket Shoals
A U.S. lightship on Nantucket Shoals was rammed and sunk in fog by the liner Olympic, sister ship of Titanic.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
LV-117 marked the dangerous Nantucket Shoals, the first light met by transatlantic liners approaching New York. On May 15, 1934, dense fog put her directly in the path of the inbound RMS Olympic, which struck and sank her. Four crew died in the sinking and three more of the seven rescued later succumbed to their injuries. The disaster led to design changes in later lightship construction.
Vessel
- 1930
- LV-117
- Charleston Dry Dock & Machine Co.
- Charleston, South Carolina
- Steel
- 135.25 ft
- 30 ft
- 630
- Diesel-electric, single screw
- United States Lighthouse Service
Loss
- May 15, 1934
- Collision
- Nantucket Shoals station, south of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts
- Atlantic Ocean
- Not established
- Not established
- 11
- 7
- George Braithwaite
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 40.617° N 69.618° W
- Surveyed position
- Nantucket Shoals, Massachusetts
On-station position published by the U.S. Lighthouse Society and Wikipedia sourcing from official records.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (88/100)
United States Lighthouse Society
Loss narrative, casualty figures, and station history.
United States Coast Guard historical lightship records
Vessel specifications and station assignment history.
