Lightship 116, Pier 3, Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Independent City, MD

Significance: Lightship 116 is one of the last extant lightships in the United States and has had few modifications during its service. Four generations of lightships were in use in the United States from 1820 to 1983, serving as an essential part of the system of aids to navigation that protected mariners and their ships by marking stations through a combination of light and sound. Lightship 116 is a well-preserved example from the third-generation of lightship design and from the vessel class of Lightship 100, whose most significant advance was the installation of a diesel-electric power plant. New technology, such as the Coast Guard's offshore light towers, eventually rendered lightships obsolete as they were replaced by other forms of navigational aids that did not require a crew. Lightship 116 was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1980.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N959
Survey number: HAER MD-133
Building/structure dates: 1929-1930 Initial Construction
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 80000349