Huron Lightship Museum – Port Huron, Michigan
Lightships were like floating lighthouses anchored in areas where it was too deep, expensive or impractical to construct a lighthouse. The Huron Lightship Museum is the last lightship on the Great Lakes and has now been converted into a museum for the public to see.
The lightship was stationed at different locations on Lake Michigan until 1935 when it was transferred to Lake Huron. The next 35 years it was a guide ship for mariners into the narrow dredged channel of lower Lake Huron leading to the St. Clair River.
These floating lighthouses displayed a light at the top of a mast to guide the ships. During times of fog they also sounded a fog signal and radio beacon to assist in the safe passage of the ships. Fog signals have been of many different types over the years from bells, whistles, trumpets, sirens and horns. The Fog horns were powered by steam in the early days and then by the modern air compressors. The Huron Lightship sounded its horn in 3 second blasts every 30 seconds and was known locally as “Old B.O.” because of the familiar sound of its horn.
A story of how things really were on the ship is about how during storms the sailors placed their plates on wet rags on the table which created a suction to hold their food in place even as the ship moved all over with the waves.
The Lightship is open Memorial Day to Labor Day, 7 days a week from 11 am to 5 pm. September through December it is open Thursday through Monday and from April through May it is open Thursday through Monday. January through March it is CLOSED.
Location: Pine Grove Park, 1115 Sixth Street, Port Huron, Michigan 48060
Phone: 810-982-0891
Email: lightship@phmuseum.org