Here’s the HURON Lightship Site Manager, Jerry Rome.

On your right is the Officers Head, that was the bathroom for the three officers. Now, the crew
had an area of their own for their bathroom, for showers, the officers had theirs. Please look
down as you step through the doorway, which we call a hatchway, you’ll see a little step over
there. Those are put aboard a ship so if somebody leaves a window open, which we call a
porthole, water doesn’t run all the way through the ship. Plus, whenever you cut an opening in
the wall, called a bulkhead, it weakens that part of the ship. So by putting something down on the
floor, and something up above, called a header and a footer, it adds strength back to your ship as
well, but every time you go through a doorway, please remember to look down.

Now on your right you’ll see the captain’s berthing compartment. Next to him on the right hand side is
for the Executive Officer, and directly across from that is the Engineering Officer. So the Officers ate,
slept, and socialized in this area here, which is referred to as the Wardroom area. Directly in front
of you, you’ll see a flashing light, that’s a Fresnel lens, named after the French inventor, Fresnel.
Aboard this ship, it was a 375 mm Fresnel lens with a 1,000 watt bulb, which was visible for
fourteen miles on a clear night. And just to the left of that, hanging underneath the TV monitor,
you’ll see a picture, and this is of the Nantucket Lightship, and the Olympic, the sister ship to the
Titanic. And in 1934 off Nantucket island, the Olympic ran into the Nantucket lightship and the
Nantucket lightship sank. The day galley is also in this area and the meals weren’t fixed in there
for the Officers, but that was the area that they had their coffee and their morning juice in there.

The ship is a National Historic Landmark, and you see that proudly displayed on the bulkhead,
and it was given that honor in 1989. Also, on the bulkhead back here, is the list of the last crew
members that served aboard this ship, and that was in 1970.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this brief audio recording. There is so much more to enjoy with a guided tour. For more information, click “PortHuronMuseums.com”.
Recorded and produced by Van Rohr.