preview

Ambrose's Shipping Channel

Better Essays
Open Document

The main shipping channel into and out of the Port of New York and New Jersey is known as the Ambrose Channel. The channel starts several miles off the coast of Sandy Hook, New Jersey and was marked by the Ambrose Lightship, later replaced by the Ambrose Tower in 1967.

The channel is named after the late John Wolfe Ambrose, an Irish immigrant that came to New York at a young age. After college, Ambrose became involved in large-scale construction projects around New York City.

During the 1880s, Ambrose focused his attention on the Brooklyn waterfront and its development. Through his companies, he became aware of the inadequacies of the channels of the Port of New York. With that, he spent much of his time lobbying Congress for improvements to New York Harbor.

Over the years John Ambrose’s work resulted in more than $8 …show more content…

The first such ship to mark “SANDY HOOK” was lightship “VV” in 1823. It would serve for six years until the station’s decommissioning in 1829. No lightship would mark the channel for the next nine years.

In 1839, the station would be reestablished with Lightship “WW.” Outfitted with two 4-sided lanterns, it was said to be visible for four miles under ordinary conditions. This vessel would serve “SANDY HOOK” (Ambrose Channel) until 1854.

LV-16 would take over the location in 1854. On February 15, 1873, the light color was changed from white to red. A year later, the vessel was involved in a collision with the steamer Charleston.

By 1883, LV-16 was listed as “decayed and unserviceable” in the Annual Report of the Lighthouse Board. On September 15, the vessel was pulled from her station and taken to New Bedford, Massachusetts to be overhauled and repaired.

On May 2, 1888, while heading out of New York Harbor, the British bark Star of the East ran into LV-16 severely damaging it. It would be repaired and placed back into service later that year, continuing at the SANDY HOOK post until

Get Access
Related
Get Access