United States lightship Relief (WLV-605)

For another National Historic Landmark lightvessel once called Relief, see Swiftsure.

United States lightship Relief (WLV-605) is a lightvessel now serving as a museum ship in Oakland, California. Built in 1950, she is one of a small number of surviving lightships, and one of an even smaller number built specifically for the United States Coast Guard. Along with her sister ship, the WLV-604 Columbia,^[4] she is a good example of the last generation of lightships built. She was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989.^[3]

Relief (WAL-605)

History
United States
Builder	Rice Brothers Corporation
Laid down	1 March 1949
Launched	4 May 1950
Sponsored by	Miss Elizabeth F Loughlin
Commissioned	15 February 1951
Decommissioned	1 January 1976
Out of service	1975
Identification	WAL-605 (1950–1965) WLV-605 (1965–)
Status	Museum ship
General characteristics
Tonnage	400 gross register tons (GRT)
Displacement	546 Loaded Tons
Length	128 ft (39 m) LOA 112 ft (34 m) LWL
Beam	30 ft (9.1 m)
Draught	11 ft (3.4 m)
Depth	21.4 ft (6.5 m)
Lightship WAL-605, RELIEF
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
California Historical Landmark No. 1036[1]
Serving as WLV-605 at Overfalls
Location	Oakland, California
Coordinates	37°47′44.48″N 122°16′50.13″W
Built	1950
Architect	Rice Brothers
NRHP reference No.	89002462
CHISL No.	1036[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	20 December 1989[2]
Designated NHL	20 December 1989[3]

Description and history

WLV-605 is located on the Oakland waterfront, at the far eastern end of the Port of Oakland just west of the Oakland Ferry Terminal. The ship has a welded steel hull 128 feet (39 m) long, with a beam of 30 feet (9.1 m) and a hold depth of 21.4 feet (6.5 m). She is register at 400 gross tons. Above-deck features include a steel deckhouse, a breakwater fore, and two steel masts on which its lights are mounted. She also historically carried a fog signal and bell, both operated by hand.^[5]

WLV-605 was laid down as WAL-605 in 1949 at the Rice Brothers shipyard in East Boothbay Harbor, Maine. She was launched on March 4, 1950, just sixteen days after Columbia, and was delivered, fully fitted, to the Coast Guard on February 11, 1951. She began service at the lightstation "Overfalls" at the entrance to Delaware Bay, serving until 1960, when the station was discontinued. She then sailed to the west coast, where she served at "Blunts Reef" until 1969; during this time Coast Guard lightvessels were redesignated, and she was redesignated WLV-605. She was then given the name "Relief", assigned duty to relieve other lightships on the Pacific coast. She was retired from service in 1975 and decommissioned the following year.^[5]

After several unsuccessful attempts to convert her to a museum ship, she was acquired in 1986 by the United States Lighthouse Society, which now maintains the vessel in Oakland.

See also

• List of National Historic Landmarks in California
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Alameda County, California