WWII Spotlights from Cincinnati Come Full Circle

I found these two vintage spotlights in a pile at the monthly Nashville (TN) flea market. (Picture) The dealer said they came from a fire engine and with the handle in the back, it made sense. As a matching pair with sequential serial numbers, I had to have them.

I researched the Carlisle & Finch plate and found out the company was founded in Cincinnati (OH) in 1894 and was known for manufactiring metal toy trains - currently a hot collectable - and is the premier manufacturer of spotlights for luxury yachts, military and commercial applications. They were located less than mile from my home, so. I took the lights to their office and connected with their historian. He pulled an old ledger out of their vault and copied the entry in the picture - the original production order, including the buyers name and address.

The spotlights were ordered in January 1941 by Robert Wolfe , the publisher of the Columbus Dispatch, for his 127' yacht Seawolf. Sea Wolf was built in 1926 and bought by Wolfe in 1940. Shortly after purchasing the lights, Wolfe sold the Seawolf to the Navy and it was renamed USS Aquamarine (PYc-7). It served as a patrol craft, research vessel, and tender to the Presidential Yacht till decommissioning in 1946. It then passed through private hands, was renamed Miss Ann and is currently serving as a charter vessel in Colonial Beach, Virginia.

The loop closed when I returned the lights to Carlisle & Finch and sold them back to the current owner, a son of the original founder. They will be restored and one will remain in the office museum and the other will be returned to the family. If you're interested in more of the yacht's history, I refer you to this website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Aquamarine_(PYc-7)