Historic Ships of Baltimore

A walk around Baltimore’s Inner Harbor is a lesson in nautical history.

You can glimpse the USCGC Taney, the only surviving Coast Guard ship from the World War II attack on Pearl Harbor. By the late 1960s, TANEY had become the last United States vessel still in commission that had seen action during the 7 December 1941 Japanese attack on Hawaii. Consequently, from that time on she was often referred to as “The Last Survivor of Pearl Harbor.” On 7 December 1986, after more than 50 years of continuous service, TANEY was decommissioned at Portsmouth, Virginia, and donated to the City of Baltimore to serve as a memorial and museum.

The USS Constellation – US Frigate Constellation (1797-1853) was built at the Sterrett Shipyard, Baltimore, Md., and launched on 7 September 1797. In the late 1700’s the Constellation was engaged in multiple fiery battles in the West Indies and around the world and now rests peacefully near the Inner Harbor amphitheater.

USS Torsk – Commissioned on 16 December 1944, USS TORSK was built at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and was one of only ten Tench Class fleet type submarines to see service in World War II. Decommissioned on 4 March 1968, with an impressive record of over 10,600 career dives, TORSK arrived in Baltimore to serve as a museum and memorial in 1972.

LV 116 Chesapeake – When Lightship 116 “Chesapeake” was completed in 1930, she was among the most modern and capable ships in use with the US Lighthouse Service. With her bright red hull, beacon light and “Chesapeake” station designation guided maritime traffic in and out of the Chesapeake Bay for the over 20 years.
After being relieved at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, Lightship 116′s final duty station was marking the approaches to Delaware Bay until replaced there by a large automated light buoy in 1970. Since 1982, the ship has been part of the Baltimore Maritime Museum, now Historic Ships in Baltimore, and has continued to serve as an important link with the history of American aids to navigation.

Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse – The duties of keepers were often routine but were nonetheless essential. Each night at sundown the beacon lamp was lit and had to remain so until sunrise the following morning – a task which required vigilance and regular maintenance. Each morning, the beacon lens and lamp were thoroughly cleaned and made ready for use that evening. In times of fog, the fog bell had to be sounded continuously which required winding the station’s bell machine every 45 minutes until the fog lifted.

USS