Historic Nantucket Lightship WLV-612: Fully Restored, Operational and For Sale
The WLV-612 is the second of the 12 Nantucket Lightships built since 1854 and the only one remaining fully operational. Carefully restored and converted into a luxury floating venue, this historic lightship is now on the market and available for purchase or charter.
Bill Golden, the vessel’s owner, says selling the ship is bittersweet: “It’s with a lot of regret, but this ship has many adventures ahead of her.” Golden, now in his sixties, and his wife Kristen have invested years of time and resources to preserve the lightship’s legacy while adapting it for modern use.
Built in 1950, WLV-612 has a storied operational history. The lightship stood watch three miles off San Francisco’s Golden Gate until 1969, when 40-foot unmanned buoys replaced manned lightships. After serving Cape Mendocino, California, for two years and then Portland, Maine, for four years, she was reassigned as the Nantucket Lightship in 1975. A decade later, the Coast Guard decommissioned WLV-612, making it the last active lightship in the United States at the time.
In 2000, Bill and Kristen Golden purchased WLV-612 on eBay with a winning bid of $126,000. Over the next two years they stripped and rebuilt the 128-foot steel vessel with its 30-foot beam, transforming her into an elegant, mobile platform for events and charters while preserving the ship’s important historical features.
Today the Nantucket Lightship serves as a unique venue for corporate receptions, weddings, formal dinners, celebrations, photo shoots and weeklong charters. Dockside, the ship can accommodate up to 144 guests, and her Caterpillar D379 diesel engine provides reliable passage between ports throughout Southern New England and Long Island Sound.
Golden explains his preservation approach: “What we’re trying to create is a new paradigm for saving old ships like this by fixing them up and giving them value—enough value that people want to experience the ship.” That blend of historic preservation and commercial viability has helped support the vessel through economic ups and downs. According to the owner, 2011 was shaping up to be one of the ship’s best charter seasons, with scheduled visits planned for Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard and multiple ports in Long Island Sound.
The ship offers an interior rich in classic materials and maritime character. There are approximately 4,000 square feet of interior and covered deck space finished with mahogany, cherry and oak paneling. The walls and floors display original oil paintings, oriental rugs and carefully chosen artifacts that evoke the vessel’s seafaring past. An additional 2,000 square feet of open exterior deck space provides room for gatherings and scenic viewing.
Accommodations include five staterooms with en suite baths that sleep up to 10 guests. The restored layout also features a formal dining room, a modern galley, a library and an entertainment room. All onboard systems have been updated to modern standards, while the ship retains specialized historic equipment—lights, gongs, bells and horns—that reflect life aboard a working lightship.
Complementing the main vessel is a fully restored tender, a 26.5-foot motorized whale boat, maintained as part of the historic ensemble.
Charter and rental rates are published as daily figures: weekly charters are listed at $5,000 per day, and a summer dockside vacation rental is listed at $2,500 per day. For charter inquiries, interested parties can call (617) 905-9540 or visit the vessel’s website: www.nantucketlightship.com (website provided for reference).
The Nantucket Lightship is also offered for sale with an asking price of $4,950,000. For purchase inquiries contact Cannell, Payne & Page (attention: Chris Harris) at (401) 808-4548.
This restored and operational lightship represents a rare opportunity to own a fully functional piece of maritime history that doubles as a lucrative event venue and distinctive private yacht alternative. Whether preserved as a museum-quality exhibit or continued as a commercial charter platform, WLV-612 remains a tangible link to the era of manned lightships.
This article originally appeared in the April 2011 issue.