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Brunswick I (Light Vessel No.84)

(Lightship: dp. 671, l. 135’5”; b. 29’0”; dr. 12’9” (mean); s.10 k.; cl. Light Vessel No. 84)

 

A seaport city located on the southeast coast of Georgia.


I


Brunswick (Light Vessel No.84), a lightship built at Camden, N.J., and completed in 1907 by the New York Shipbuilding Co. for the U.S. Lightship Service, was placed in service in the waters off Brunswick, Ga., to mark the approaches to that port, lying southeasterly of Jekyll Island and 14 miles, 124 degrees from, St. Simons Light, later that same year.


During World War I, Brunswick apparently operated under the U.S. Navy but was never formally commissioned, assigned to the forces afloat in the Sixth Naval District in 1918-1919 before resuming her civil career. She operated as a lightship until the station was discontinued in 1929 when it was replaced by a lighted whistle buoy. She was acquired by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1939.


Later designated as WAL-509 in February 1942, Brunswick served on the St. John’s River (Fla.) station until 1954. Designated as a relief lightship in the 6th (1954-1960) and 3d (1960-1965) Districts, the ship was decommissioned on 26 October 1965. She was donated on 7 August 1968 to the Harry Lundeberg School, Seafarer’s International Union, Piney Point, Md., which renamed her Big Red. Ultimately, she was sold in 1987 and was towed to New York, to be fitted out as a floating restaurant.

Robert J. Cressman
25 November 2005

Published: Mon Jun 29 11:20:25 EDT 2015