You may have been driving along Pilottown Road in Lewes, passed the large red-and-white ship with Overfalls painted on the side, and wondered what the heck it was. It’s a floating lighthouse, known as a lightship.
Before GPS and depth finders, lightships helped ships navigate tricky waters like the entrance to Delaware Bay. They provided light to aid navigation, a horn to warn mariners in fog, and a radio beacon for longer range navigation.
Begin your tour of the Lightship Overfalls by walking up the gangplank to the main deck, where a guide will show you the air funnels, windlass, and what is surely the world’s largest wrench. Then, climb below to see where eight crewmen (including a cook) and four officers, working two weeks on and one week off, ate, slept, and passed the time. Two men stood watch 24/7.
After decades of service and years of neglect, it took more than 16,000 hours of labor to restore Lightship Overfalls.
From there it’s up to the wheelhouse. This area also contains radio equipment, a speed indicator you’ll recognize from movies, and an alert bell the guide may let you ring—1 for fire, 2 for man overboard, 3 for collision, and 6 for abandon ship.
The Lightship Overfalls was built in 1938, but after decades of service and years of neglect, it took more than 16,000 hours of labor by a team of volunteers to restore it. The ship, museum, and gift shop are now under the care of the Overfalls Foundation and run by volunteers. They are open 10 – 4, Thursday through Sunday, through Labor Day weekend. The cost is $5 (children 14 and under are free). The full tour involves steps up to see the wheelhouse and a somewhat tricky ladder to get below deck.
Nancy Sakaduski is a local award-winning writer and editor who finds inspiration in the natural world.
