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

The Windlass room. This area is referred to as the Windlass Room because the large device in the center of this room that lifts and lowers the anchor is referred to as a windlass device. This ship has two anchors, a 6,000 lb mushroom anchor, the main holding anchor for the ship, and a 1,300 lb starboard anchor that was lowered down in the event of a storm. So how they were lowered and raised was with the windlass device. Previous to 1948 however, with no electricity aboard the ship, that would have been a steam operated winch. After 1948, diesel’s producing electricity, the electric motor was started and that’s what would raise the anchor up.

In this area here you have some light displays. A Fresnel lens is blinking. This ship had a 375 mm Fresnel lens, with a 1,000 watt bulb in it, visible for 14 miles on a clear night. Also on display is a buoy light, and aboard those buoys out there they are lit, for the summer buoys. The winter buoys however are can marker buoys that are put out at the end of December and they are put out there because with the ice formation out there, it could push those buoys over, and that would damage a lit buoy.

In this area on the floor, called the deck, there’s an opening there, called the hole. And if you ever heard the saying, throw the man in the hole, there’s the hole. And those were aboard large Coast Guard Ships and Navy ships just in case they were needed for discipline. Now this ship was used for 50 years, during that 50 years we’re not familiar with any of its crew members being put down there, but they were aboard military ships just in case they were needed for discipline. Also the armory for this ship, the guns, service 45s and M1s, this was a military ship, so it had guns aboard it.

Directly towards the bow of the ship, you see some chickens up there. This area is referred to as the Manger area of the ship. Now back in Columbus days without electricity aboard a ship, their meat either had to be canned, salted or fresh. Aboard some of the ships you would find up in the manger area, chickens. And they would be used for chickens for eggs for breakfast as well as KFC for dinner. Coming out of this area, you’re going to see the Crews Head. So the Officers had an area they showered in, the crew had another area.

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

Recorded and produced by Van Rohr