Lantern tours shed light on surfmen and shipwrecks

The Delaware beaches offer much more than surf, sand and beautiful scenery. Besides being a vacation mecca for thousands of visitors each summer, there is also an abundance of history to be discovered along the coastline. 

Dating back to 1876, surfmen endured a variety of challenging elements to protect the coast and rescue survivors of shipwrecks.

The Indian River Life-Saving Station hosts interactive lantern tours where park interpreters expand on the life and times of the surfmen who had minimal resources to work with and did so with bravery.  

Laura Scharle, Indian River Life-Saving Station Site Manager, offers a glimpse of what visitors can expect if they take one of the lantern tours.

What is some common feedback from participants of the lantern tours?

Many people enjoy the lantern tours because it’s just “something different.” Instead of catching the latest flick at the movie theater, participants are learning about local maritime history in a fun and interactive way.

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The tours go back in time, circa 1876, revealing tales of tragedy and mystery of shipwrecks and the surfmen who protected the coastline. 

Can you provide a glimpse of the tour agenda?

Our interpreters meet the group in our gift shop and begin with an introduction to the U.S. Life-Saving Service. They get people to imagine what life was like along the Delaware coast over 100 years ago and set the mood for the rest of the tour. 

The group is then led inside the museum. Inside, our interpreters discuss what day-to-day life was like for the surfmen that served at our station, nightly beach patrols, and the various rescue techniques that were used if a ship did wreck or run aground nearby.

After touring the museum, the group heads outside. Each participant receives an oil-lit lantern, and they head for the beach to hear a few mysterious stories about sailors and shipwrecks.

How often throughout the year are the tours available?

We offer lantern tours monthly in the off-season, and weekly in the summer.

The surfmen played a significant role in the safety of the coastline long before the Coast Guard was formed. Why do you believe it is important to preserve the history of what these men achieved sans modern-day equipment combined with the elements they had to endure?

Many people come to the Delaware beaches for the resorts, the boardwalk, the outdoors, and the beach itself. We make it our mission to make sure the story of the surfmen and the Life-Saving Service is not lost.

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The Indian River Life-Saving Station is the only station in the country that is restored as a museum and still in its original location.  We would be doing a disservice to the brave surfmen of our past, and to the station itself, if we did not make every effort to tell our park visitors about the heroic rescues that took place along our coast.

What was a common way of communication among surfmen on patrol at night? How long were the shifts and how far did they have to patrol on foot?

Most stations along the Atlantic coast were 5-7 miles apart. Here in Delaware, our surfmen would typically patrol for 4-hour shifts, and cover at least 5 miles with each shift. 

The surfmen did install and maintain a telephone line between stations to communicate, but another method of communication was by means of Coston flares, which they would use to communicate with each other, as well as with ships out at sea.

Without revealing too much of a mystifying event, can you share something that occurred that might pique the curiosity of readers to want to learn more at a tour?

During the tour we tell the story of a young woman named Molly McGuinn, a woman that lived in this area long before the U.S. Life-Saving Service even existed.

I won’t tell you why, as not to reveal too much, but some locals say (and some of the surfmen said) that they still see her today, walking the beaches of Delaware Seashore State Park.

In all, how many shipwrecks have occurred within close proximity to the Delaware coastline?

The majority of the shipwrecks that occurred off the Delaware coast happened in very close proximity to land. Many ships stayed in eyesight of shore to help with navigation, but in many cases, this led them to run aground on shoals, or large sand bars. 

I can’t tell you how many wrecks occurred close to Delaware, but I can tell you that in the 37 years that our station was active (before it became a Coast Guard Station), our station alone, not counting the other five stations in Delaware, responded to 62 shipwrecks and saved 419 lives.

IF YOU GO

Lantern Tours

When: Sunday, Jan. 14, 7-9 p.m. and also throughout the year

Where: Indian River Life-Saving Station Museum, 25039 Coastal Highway, Rehoboth Beach

Cost: $10 per person. Pre-registration required.

Info: http://www.destateparks.com/park/delaware-seashore/life-saving-station.asp
or call 302-227-6991