Lilac Preservation Project

03/05/2021

As we look forward to the end of winter, a look back at the winter of 1935-36 reveals that unusually severe ice conditions caused extensive damage to aids to navigation in the North Atlantic districts of the Lighthouse Service. The resulting repairs cost the equivalent of over $7 million in today's dollars. The U.S. Lighthouse Service Bulletin reported:

"The lighthouse tenders in all five districts throughout this period
were taxed to the utmost, their crews performing extraordinary service through long hours under discouraging difficulties. The tender Lilac in the fourth district, and the tender Violet
in the fifth district, both suffered broken propellers while working in the ice, and were immediately drydocked for replacements. The total estimated cost of repair and replacement of aids to navigation, based on known losses from ice damage as of March 1, is $390,000."

02/28/2021

A delightful glimpse into history from Ray Midgett, this letter to his father indicates that the river to Philly was paved with buoys that lost their way.

02/12/2021

Video Available: Coast Guard continues ice breaking operations throughout Northeast

Back in the day, LILAC would have been out in the cold on the Delaware River and Bay, breaking ice to get to buoys and lighthouses as well as standing ready to assist vessels in trouble. The Coast Guard is still out there every day. Semper Paratus.

BOSTON — The Coast Guard is continuing ice breaking operations as colder temperatures and winter weather impact waterways throughout the Northeast.The ice breaking operations are in support of Operation Reliable Energy for Northeast Winters (OPRENEW), the Coast Guard’s region-wide effort to ensu...

01/29/2021

We are learning about a previously unknown episode in Lilac's history. In researching the career of Captain Charles L. Lewis (see update to our post of 10 January 2021), we found that Lilac was involved in interning crews from Italian ships leading up to our entry into WWII. The federal government issued orders to the Coast Guard on 29 March 1941 to seize all German and Italian vessels in U.S. ports. This was to prevent sabotage of the vessels. Lewis took into custody the officers and crew from three ships in the Port of Philadelphia and Lilac transported them to the Emigration Center in Gloucester City, NJ for trial in federal court.

01/17/2021

You Can Find These Surprising Artifacts at the Coast Guard's Museum

The Coast Guard is the only branch of the military without its own national museum. For now, the museum is little more than a room at the Coast Guard Academy. They do have some really cool stuff stowed there as these highlights reveal.

https://www.military.com/off-duty/you-can-find-these-surprising-artifacts-coast-guards-museum.html?ESRC=coastguard_210113.nl

The Coast Guard Museum opened its archives to Instagram, showing off some of it most interesting artifacts.

01/13/2021

Chief Bosn's Mate Frank Burkhardt crossed the bar on January 5th at the age of 97. He served on LILAC from 1956 until he retired from the Coast Guard in 1966. He lived most of his life in Gloucester City, NJ which was also LILAC's home base for most of her career. We are pleased to have digitized a collection of slides from his days on board where he is often seen in command of the buoy deck. He lives on here. Semper paratus.

https://www.mccannhealey.com/obituary/francis-burkhardt-jr

01/10/2021

You can still see the shadows of the emblems of the U.S. Lighthouse Service that once graced LILAC's bow. The historic photo shows the bronze emblems in place and comes from descendants of the ship's first captain, Andrew J. Davidson.

01/04/2021

This great quote from Keepers of the Lights by Hans Christian Adamson has been added to our website: “They are the tough, the trained, the seldom defeated tender boys. And never in the history of the sea have smaller ships and fewer men been entrusted with bigger jobs or performed them with greater credit.”

12/18/2020

Nonprofit New York

Thanks Nonprofit New York! Love that photo of Raisa who was one of our Stuyvesant High School volunteers.

Our December member feature is Lilac Preservation Project! Read our blog to learn more about how they are restoring a historic Coast Guard ship for educational and cultural purposes.

12/18/2020

We recently learned that volunteer Jimmy Bacolo died in June, 2020. Although he was alone when he passed away due to COVID-19, he is in the thoughts of many of us here at LILAC. Captain Mary shared the following memory of Jimmy. It's got us thinking that he is probably cracking jokes with the angels in heaven.

Aug 26, 2012 : Jimmy the Rigger forgot his work clothes today. I offered him an old pair of cargo shorts I had on board. (They looked better on him.) He said it took him only two months to get into my pants! He often makes me laugh, but that remark had me absolutely helpless with laughter.

12/07/2020

media.defense.gov

Lest we forget, on this day in 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japanese forces. We remember those who gave their lives and those who risked their lives that day and in the following days to protect us and our country. Semper paratus.

https://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2014/12/pearl-harbor-5-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-coast-guard-that-day/

https://media.defense.gov/2017/Jul/01/2001772263/-1/-1/0/PEARLHARBOR.PDF

11/21/2020

Historic Ship Lilac Shoves Off from Its Tribeca Home at Pier 25 | Tribeca Trib Online

Thanks to Tribeca Trib for the excellent coverage. As noted, we will be returning to Pier 25 on Monday, November 23rd. ETA 11:30 AM.
http://tribecatrib.com/content/historic-ship-lilac-shoves-its-tribeca-home-pier-25

Lilac is tugged away from Pier 25. Pushed by one tug, the former lighthouse tender is accompanied by a second. Both are needed to move the ship into its narrow, temporary berth in Staten Island. Photo: Carl Glassman/Tribeca Trib

11/20/2020

Webb Institute students conducted an inclining experiment on Lilac. This will assist us in planning modifications for future passenger service. It was a fascinating all-day process.

11/18/2020

LILAC is at Caddell Dry Dock and Repair Co. Yesterday the propellers were freed from bo***ge and lifted off for storage. Today, fuel tanks will be cleaned.

11/17/2020

Steamer Lilac Sighted

Thanks to Tugster for the great coverage of LILAC's temporary move to Staten Island. https://tugster.wordpress.com/2020/11/16/steamer-lilac-sighted/

It’s been a while since Lilac appeared here, but this illusion of the steamer under way on her own power was thrilling. I’m not adept enough at photo manipulation to add the right meas…

11/11/2020

Thank you to all our veterans, especially the fellows who kept LILAC afloat. We remember and salute you today and every day.

11/04/2020

With the help of a friendly workboat crew, we recently put the removable bulwark back into place on the starboard side. This makes the buoy deck safer for visitors and clears space on the deck.

10/28/2020

Maritime Heritage Accolades for LILAC!

Maritime Heritage Accolades for LILAC!

10/26/2020

We are working on moving our emergency diesel generator off the deck to the locker long used for a rectifier. We believe the old rectifier was added by the Coast Guard at Curtis Bay for use of Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO when the ship was decommissioned and transferred to the Harry Lundeberg School-Seamanshp. They used electric heat pumps for heating since the boilers were shut down and steam was not available for the radiators. The rectifier had a long life and has been replaced by a smaller modern one installed in the Engine Room. The generator itself is secondhand, found years ago on eBay. We hope to keep it going a while longer.

10/16/2020

Rust never sleeps. This is a pile of it that we removed from on top of the water tank in the "lazarette." That is the belowdecks space at the stern where the steering gear is. Our marine surveyor told us that was what to call it, but there is some disagreement over it. Anyone know what they called it back in the day?

10/10/2020

You haven't heard from us in a while. We've been busy painting!

09/23/2020

SUBMERGE: (Virtual) Marine Science Festival, September 24th

SUBMERGE marine science festival goes virtual September 24th - https://mailchi.mp/lilacpreservationproject/submerge-virtual-marine-science-festival-september-24th

09/15/2020

Junction box rises to deck level

One of the junction boxes for the degaussing system going up the ladder from the Petty Officers' Quarters.

09/11/2020

Remembering the largest sea evacuation in history

Remembering the largest sea evacuation in history - https://mailchi.mp/lilacpreservationproject/remembering-the-largest-sea-evacuation-in-history

09/05/2020

New Missions Push Old Coast Guard Assets To The Brink

"Service life extension" means keeping machinery running beyond its expected lifespan. The Coast Guard are masters of this, embodied by LILAC which was in service for 40 years and still running on reciprocating steam engines when retired in 1972. She was and is not alone, as recognized in this article from Forbes.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2020/09/03/new-missions-push-old-coast-guard-assets-to-the-brink/amp/

For the U.S. Coast Guard, years of underfunded toil is now paying off in new ships and influence. In a risky strategy, the Service is pushing their oldest assets to the absolute limits, paving the way for new, more capable ships—and more complex missions—to follow.

08/31/2020

We got a wonderful box of gifts from veteran Conrad Sirco a few days ago. He was a crewmember when LILAC was decommissioned and had saved several items, including the last ensign that flew from her mast. We had planned to have a ceremony in May to accept these items from him in person, but the pandemic canceled that. He decided that we shouldn't wait any longer and put them in a box, along with other artifacts he'd collected from a friend in the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and a photo of himself surrounded by the collection. It was like Christmas! We will post about each item over the coming weeks. Special thanks to our friend @Paul Farace at the USS Cod for putting us in touch and reuniting Conrad with his old ship.

08/28/2020

The Long Blue Line: The attack on Pearl Harbor—“a date that will live in infamy” « Coast Guard COAST GUARD COMPASS

It is just a few days to the The 75th Commemoration of the End of WWII. The Coast Guard was active in all the battles of the Pacific, including Pearl Harbor. Lest we forget. https://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2017/12/the-long-blue-line-the-attack-on-pearl-harbor-a-date-that-will-live-in-infamy/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheCoastGuardCompass+%28The+Coast+Guard+Compass%29

This blog is part of a series honoring the long blue line of Coast Guard men and women who served before us. Stay tuned as we highlight the customs, traditions, history and heritage of the Coast Guard.

08/25/2020

Coast Guard WWII hero laid to rest

Lest we forget, as the anniversary of the Japanese surrender approaches. the Coast Guard was an integral part of the War in the Pacific. Few Americans know that Coastguardsmen served in foreign waters, far from the coasts of home.

https://compass.coastguard.blog/2013/06/06/coast-guard-wwii-hero-laid-to-rest/

Retired Coast Guard Cmdr. Ray Evans, 92, was laid to rest June 5, with full military honors. Evans, who passed away May 30, was the final survivor of a dramatic rescue of a group of Marines pinned …

08/24/2020

A delayed departure from NYC brought some of the USS Slater crew to LILAC for a tour. They have always been really welcoming to us and we were glad to have the chance to return the favor.

08/20/2020

A powerful moment in history approaches. In just under two weeks, events commemorating the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII will be underway. Imagine standing on the decks of the Battleship Missouri Memorial witnessing General Douglas MacArthur presenting The Instrument of Surrender to the Japanese. Imagine that celebratory moment when WWII was finally over. Join The 75th Commemoration of the End of WWII livestream on September 2 to honor the WWII Veterans and relive that moment with them. #wwii2020

08/15/2020

Our volunteers use their elbow grease to make the ship shine. The ventilators are definitely getting shinier.

08/04/2020

Coast Guard Birthday

Happy Coast Guard Day! On this birthday, we usually get special visits from our veterans who share their memories of service on LILAC. With the ship closed, we are missing these visits, but you can hear some of the recorded stories on our website. Semper paratus.
https://www.military.com/coast-guard-birthday

The Coast Guard is one of America's five armed forces and traces its founding to Aug. 4, 1790, when the first Congress authorized the construction of 10 vessels to enforce tariff and trade laws, prevent smuggling, and protect the collection of federal revenue.

07/29/2020

Why would we be interested in a lighthouse on Long Island sound? Because Bill Heisig, one of our veterans, included it in a painting of LILAC that now hangs in her Ward Room. She never visited that light, but he lived near it and fancifully put his tender and his lighthouse together.

https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2020/07/stepping-stones-light/

07/24/2020

Last Sunday, we cleared old ventilating pipe from the hold. It had been stored in the ammo (later canned goods) locker since before any of us can remember. From the stenciling on it, it was clearly original to the ship and probably removed when SIU put in the electric heat pumps and ducting for forced air heat. We moved it out on deck and took photos before sending it off to the scrapper. One section was too long to move up the ladder without cutting it. Another was so heavy that Captain Mary joked that maybe there was a body inside. When we tipped it, a pile of rust fell out and it got a lot lighter. We discovered a cute cartoon figure on the diffuser. Anyone remember that?

07/17/2020

Shopping for parts to get the old Webb Perfection stove working again and Augie showed us a 1940s ledger entry for Lilac--perhaps from the last time she needed stove parts.