Lightships, or lightvessels, are ships that acted as lighthouses. When a lighthouse could not be built at a specific location or the water too deep, lightships were stationed to aid in coastal ship navigation. Lightships have been used on both coasts of the USA, the Great Lakes, and in Europe. The last lightship built in the USA was the Ambrose, WLV-613, launched September, 1952. Along with the Nantucket, WLV-612 (shown here), she was assigned to be one of the two Nantucket lightships until they were replaced by a buoy in December, 1983. Crewmen were assigned to the lightships for weeks at a time and making baskets for their spouses and sweethearts helped them to pass away the long hours on board. The earliest Nantucket lightship baskets can be traced to the early and mid-1800s. Lightship basket purses first became popular in the 1900s. Jose Reyes is credited with inventing the “Friendship Basket” to be given as a gift signifying long term friendship. These baskets are still popular today.