ALERT: City of New Bedford to Auction off the Lightship New Bedford TOMORROW
This is a little outside our usual aegis, but….
The National Trust’s Northeast Office just received word that the City of New Bedford, MA has surplused the 1930 Lightship New Bedford (LV 114/WAL 536) and intends to put her up for auction tomorrow morning at the City’s yard. The National Trust is deeply concerned that the City, which has been steward of this historic vessel for 30 years, is auctioning the lightship without effort to assure that it gets into the hands of a preservation-minded buyer. The only advertisement seems to have been a legal notice in the 9/11/2006 edition of the New Bedford Standard Times. Please help spread the word to people and organizations that might have an interest.
PUBLIC AUCTION OF THE LIGHTSHIP NEW BEDFORD
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2006
10:00 A .M .
CITY YARD, SMITH AND LIBERTY STREETS, NEW BEDFORD, MA
The City of New Bedford, MA plans to auction off the Lightship New Bedford tomorrow morning, 10AM, at the City yard. With little more announcement than a legal advertisement placed in the New Bedford Standard-Times on 9/11/2006, the City plans to surplus this historic vessel which it acquired from the US Coast Guard 30 years ago with intention of creating a lightship museum. If you don’t want to see the ship sold for scrap, place your bid tomorrow. Help spread the word to maritime preservationists and other interested parties, as well.
The Terms/Conditions for the auction are: Cash or check at time and place of sale including 5% MA Sales Tax. All material purchased must be removed from the premises within five (5) days from the date of sale. The rights to reject any and all bids is hereby reserved.
For more information, contact the office of Mayor Scott Lang, 508-979-1410 or the Committee on City Property: Councilor Joe F. DeMedeiros, Chairman , 508-979-1482.
Listed in the National Register, the Lightship New Bedford was built in 1930 by the Albina Iron Works of Portland, Oregon, and served at Diamond Shoals NC ; Fire Island, NY ; Portland ME ; and at Pollock Rip, Cape Cod, MA, under the name Pollock Rip or LV 114/WAL 536. Decommissioned by the Coast Guard in 1971, it was acquired by the City of New Bedford in 1975. Reportedly one of only 13 lightships left in the country, the New Bedford needs your help tomorrow morning. In the words of Bob Trapani of the American Lighthouse Foundation, “With so few lightships left in the country, we can ill-afford to lose this treasure.”
For more information on the ship, see http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/lighthouse/ma.htm
http://www.feuerschiffseite.de/SCHIFFE/USA/WAL536/wal536gb.htm