United States lightship Buffalo (LV-82)

United States lightship Buffalo (LV-82) was a lightship built in 1911 for the United States Lighthouse Service and stationed off Point Abino, Ontario, Canada to help guide vessels heading for the harbor at Buffalo, New York. During the Great Lakes Storm of 1913, LV-82 stayed at its assigned station and was sunk with the loss of all six crew members.^[3]

United States lightship Buffalo (LV-82)
History
United States
Name	Buffalo LV-82
Owner	United States Lighthouse Service
Builder	Racine-Truscott-Shell Lake Boat Company (Muskegon, Michigan)
Cost	$42,910[1]
Launched	1911
Commissioned	1912
Out of service	1936
Renamed	Relief LV-82 (1916-1925) Eleven Foot LV-82 (1926-1936)
Fate	Burned by vandals and then scrapped in the 1940s
General characteristics
Tonnage	187 [2]
Length	95.2 ft (29.0 m)
Beam	21 ft (6.4 m)
Height	10 ft (3.0 m)
Draft	7.2 ft (2.2 m)
Installed power	14 ft (4.3 m) diameter 120 psi boiler 90 HP steam engine
Propulsion	5 ft (1.5 m) Cast iron propeller with a 7.2 ft (2.2 m) pitch
Complement	Six

On May 13, 1914, the wreckage of LV-82 was located two miles from its assigned location in 63 feet of water. Following two failed salvage attempts, LV-82 was raised from the bottom using pontoons and sent to be refurbished.^[3] She served as a relief ship from 1916 to 1925, and was stationed as the Eleven Foot Shoals Lightship from 1925 up to her decommissioning.

Lightship Buffalo (LV-82) after it was raised in 1915

The Buffalo was in service until 1936 when she was decommissioned. After decommissioning, papers were signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to have her moved to a VFW post in Massachusetts. However, this never happened as she was burnt at the dock by random vandals, and was considered a total loss, so she was scrapped.