Baltimore Maryland Museums and Attractions - Baltimore Maritime Museum featuring the Torsk and Taney

Mascots

It's not known whether crewmen on Lightship 116 ever kept pets aboard during the ship's 40 year active career. One thing that is certain, however, is that the "Chesapeake" lightship is now home to over 30 seagoing dogs - at least in two-dimensional form.

On Saturday October 16, the Baltimore Maritime Museum unveiled a new and exciting exhibit which is sure to appeal to a wide segment of the visiting public: "Mascots - Seagoing Dogs of the Navy and Coast Guard." In a specially prepared exhibit gallery, visitors to Lightship 116 can now take in a remarkable historic photo exhibit which highlights dogs kept aboard Navy and Coast Guard vessels from the 1880s to the 1950s.

Generous support for "Mascots" was provided by Anne Galeone Photo Lab and CAM Signs provided donations and discounted pricing of several exhibit and promotional signs. Also, The Bay Dog of Harborplace loaned several life-sized dog figures which do much to finish out the exhibit gallery.