Rickmond steamship tentatively identified

Erik Ledbetter · **Posted:** Sat Feb 15, 2003 9:12 am

I had to drive down I-95 today so I kept my eyes peeled for the black-hulled steamship. Got a good look at her--she bore the name Lilac and looked to me like a large Coast Guard buoy tender. She has a black hull, single buff or beige funnel, hold and derrick forward, bridge amindships with a continuous superstructure extending to the stern.

Some quick research this morning came up with this info--

"Lilac (WAGL-267 WLM 267) decommed Feb 03 1972 and then donated to the Harry Lundenberg International Seafarers Union seamanship school in Maryland where she served to about 1988. Last known (1999) she was up for bid at Richmond VA "

So I'm pretty sure we have an ID.

Olaf the Red · **Posted:** Sat Feb 15, 2003 9:49 am

> I had to drive down I-95 today so I kept my
> eyes peeled for the black-hulled steamship.
> Got a good look at her--she bore the name
> Lilac and looked to me like a large Coast
> Guard buoy tender. She has a black hull,
> single buff or beige funnel, hold and
> derrick forward, bridge amindships with a
> continuous superstructure extending to the
> stern.

> Some quick research this morning came up
> with this info--

> "Lilac (WAGL-267 WLM 267) decommed Feb
> 03 1972 and then donated to the Harry
> Lundenberg International Seafarers Union
> seamanship school in Maryland where she
> served to about 1988. Last known (1999) she
> was up for bid at Richmond VA "

> So I'm pretty sure we have an ID.

Thank You now I know her story it is all I wanted to know because as I look for trains all the time I also look for ships and this one caught my eye

BEDT15@aol.com

Tom Gears · **Posted:** Sat Feb 15, 2003 11:49 am

A quick search of the Coast Guard found that LILAC was built in 1933 and carried the id; WAGL-227; WLM-227

Tom Gears

USCG Cutter List
tom@forgottendelaware.com

ge13031 · **Posted:** Sat Feb 15, 2003 12:46 pm

> A quick search of the Coast Guard found that
> LILAC was built in 1933 and carried the id;
> WAGL-227; WLM-227

> Tom Gears

As a former Hooligan I always marvel at the sweet names that series of Buoy Snatchers had! Can you imagine sidling up to a cutie at a bar, in uniform, and things are going well whe she asks you what ship you were on and you reply; "lilac" or "cowslip" ... really impressive.

lamontdc@adelphia.net

Ted Miles · **Posted:** Sun Feb 16, 2003 11:00 pm

folks.

That name is not at all strange. All the tenders in the old Lighthouse /Service were named after trees and flowers TheUSCG still kept the tradition going.

The Lilac is the only twin screw steam powered vessel of her kind left! I saw her years at the Lundeburg School. I am hearing that she is in for better times in the near future. A permit has been issued for her to be dredged out of the mud and then taken up to New York Harbor.

There was a failed attempt to preserved the FIR a Diesel powered Lighthouse tender that was built in Oakland in 1939 and operated out of Seattle.
She has been returned to the USCG

ted_miles@nps.gov

survivingworldsteam · **Posted:** Mon May 10, 2010 4:01 pm

Does anyone have an update on what happened to the Lilac? As of late 2004; she was being restored for operational use as a museum ship; I even had two redundant steam pumps shipped to them for use as fuel oil pumps (turned out they were too big.)

I have lost touch with my contact, and the Lilac since. Anyone have the latest news?

Gary Gray · **Posted:** Mon May 10, 2010 4:19 pm

http://hnsa.org/ships/lilac.htm

rjenkins · **Posted:** Mon May 10, 2010 4:54 pm

She's at Pier 40 in New York, or at least that's where she was last time I was down there, about a year ago. Here's a link to the Lilac Preservation Project website: http://lilacpreservationproject.org.