Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay, a most important key to the success of Newport, has always been the site of constant ship traffic. An essential link in British and West Indies trade, Newport's deep water harbor remains a busy port today.
     This Newport harbor scene, taken from Goat Island, captures the Lightship Nantucket, one of the last lightships to mark the dangerous Nantucket Shoals in Massachusetts. Last of a dying breed, the career of the WLV 612 began in 1950, with service on both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Stationed three miles from the Golden Gate Bridge, initial service used the ship to highlight Blunts Reef. After a brief stint, the ship was transferred to New England, spending the majority of her years off the coast of Nantucket.
     Following its decommission, the lightship was purchased by the Boston Marine Exchange. The Friends of Lightship Nantucket went to work, hoping to restore the ship for public tours. Support quickly vanished and the Friends were shocked to find the ship's destiny was lift to the whims of a buyer on e-Bay. Won with a last minute bid of $126,100 dollars, Bill Golden made history with the largest purchase ever from the e-Bay auction site. The ship was stripped down to the bare hull, retaining only a few original artifacts for display. Today, the ship's interior has taken on the appearance of a first class hotel, with an elegant dining area and salon, six guest cabins, a rec room, and the latest navigational equipment and power plants. It may not be what the Friends of Lightship Nantucket envisioned, but at the very least, its destiny to the scrape yard was thwarted.