United States Lighthouse Service
US Lighthouse Service
• Administrative History
• Lighthouse Technology
• Types of Lighthouses
• Distinct Lighthouses
• People of the USLHS
• Lightships and Tenders
• Legacy of the USLHS– Lighthouses in the USCG after 1939
AdministrativeHistory
Earliest Aids to Navigation
• Early Navigation
• Daymarks
• Fires ashore
• Emergence of maritime commerce
• Pharos of Alexandria
• PharologistsArtist’s depiction of Pharos of Alexandria
Early Lights in America• Havana, Cuba
• 1716-Little Brewster Island
• Prior to 1775
• Sandy Hook
British ship passes the light on Little Brewster Island
Light at Sandy Hook, NJ
New Nation
• 1783• Articles of
Confederation• Constitutional
Convention• Constitution• First Congress• Secretary of the
Treasury
Early Administration
• Albert Gallatin
• 1820
• Construction to 1820
Albert Gallatin
Stephen Pleasanton1820-1852
• Fifth Auditor (1820-1852)
• “Lowest Bidder”
• Predecessors
• Expanding USStephen Pleasanton
THE LIGHTHOUSE BOARD(1852-1910)
• 1851• 1852• Lighthouse
Districts• Inspectors• Instructions• Light Lists
1880 Regulations 1893 Light List
Map of 5th Lighthouse District in 1883
Bureau of Lighthouses• 1903• 1910• Organization• George R. Putnam
President Theodore RooseveltGeorge Putnam
USLHS Joins the USCG
• Reorganization Plan No. 11
• Efficiency & Economy
• Integration of 5,200 personnel and other assets
• 7 July 1939
LighthouseTechnology
Lenses to the 1800s
• Plano-Convex Lens
• Buffon Lens
Early Lamps
Spider Lamp Argand Lamp and Reflector
Kettle Lamp Pan Lamp
Illuminants• Wood & Coal
• Candles
• Oils
–Sperm Oil
–Colza Oil
–Lard Oil
–Kerosene
• Electricity
The Unveiling of the Statue of Liberty in 1886
Augustin-Jean Fresnel
• 1788
• Wave Optics
• Fresnel Lens
• Intensification of light
• 1827Augustin-Jean Fresnel
Orders of Fresnel Lenses
• First through Sixth Orders
• Original classifications
First Order Lens
Comparing Lens Orders
Fixed & Revolving Lenses
Fixed Lens Revolving Lens
Types ofLighthouses
PRE-FEDERAL ERA LIGHTHOUSES
(1716-1789)
• 12 Lighthouses
• Wood or Stone
• 90 feet
• Questions
Sandy Hook, NJ
EARLY FEDERAL ERA LIGHTHOUSES
(1789-1820) • 1789
• George Washington
• Albert Gallatin
• Cut Stones & Brick
• 11 Survive
Old Tower at Cape Henry, VA
Portland Head, ME
Georgetown Harbor, SC
THE FIFTH AUDITOR OF THETRESURY'S LIGHTHOUSES
(1820-1852)
• “Lowest Bidder”
• Matinicus Rock
• Problems
Matinicus Rock, ME
PILE FOUNDATION
• John Phillips
• Henry Whiteside
• Brandywine Shoals
• Desdemona Sands
Old Brandywine Shoal, NJ
Cover to Desdemona Sand Specifications
PROTECTED SCREW PILE LIGHTHOUSES(1850- ?)
• 1850
• Alexander Mitchell
• Iron Stilts
• Technology
Drum Point, MD
EXPOSED, SCREW-PILE LIGHTHOUSES(1852-1880)
• 1852
• Florida reefs
• Carysfort Reef
• Civil War
Carysfort Reef, FL
Fowey Rocks, FL
Sombrero Key, FL
Straight-Pile Tubular Skeletal Towers
• Cast & Wrought Iron Piles
Southwest Reef, LA
WAVE-SWEPT LIGHTHOUSES(1850-1906)
• John Smeaton
• Minots Ledge
• “I Love You” Light
• St. Georges Reef & Mile Rock
Plan of Minots Ledge, MA
St. Georges Reef, CA
Mile Rock, CA
TALL BRICK TOWERS(1857-1876)
• Cape Hatteras
• 1859
• Conical
• Construction techniques
• Suggestions
• 14 of 15
Fire Island, NY
Pensacola, FL
Cape Hatteras, NC
CAST IRON LIGHTHOUSES
• Late 1830s
• Light & inexpensive construction
• Destruction Island
Destruction Island, WA
CRIB LIGHTHOUSES
• 1870s
• Great Lakes
• White Shoal
Spectacle Reef, MI
Poe Reef, MI
White Shoal, MI
COFFERDAM LIGHTHOUSES
• Dry site
• Shallow water
• Wooden walls
Robbins Reef, NY
Craighill Channel Upper Front Range, MD
UNDER-WATER FOUNDATION LIGHTHOUSES
• Man-made foundations/Underwater ledges– Race Rock– Stratford Shoal– New London Ledge
Race Rock, NY
Stratford Shoal, CT
New London Ledge, CT
CAISSON LIGHTHOUSES • Iron technology• Lawrence Potts• Expense• Duxbury
Duxbury, MA Bloody Point, MD
SUBMARINE SITE (PNEUMATIC CAISSONS) LIGHTHOUSES
• Special Preparation
• Double bottom
• Cellar
• Caissons vs. Screw-Piles
Wolf Trap, VA
BREAKWATER LIGHTHOUSES
• Unique challenges
• Light, but sturdy
• Keeper’s Quarters
• Great Lakes
Cleveland Harbor East Pierhead , OH Grand Haven South Pierhead Rear Range, MI
SKELETON TOWER LIGHTHOUSES
• Pre-fabricated
• Low wind resistance
• Coney Island
Coney Island, NY Hog Island, VA
REINFORCED CONCRETE LIGHTHOUSES
(1908-1948) • Superior to metals
• Replace brick
• Point Arena
• Oak Island
Point Arena, CA Oak Island, NC
Distinct Lighthouses
Navesink Twin Lights
Split Rock
Makapuu Point
Jeffrey’s Hook
Point Fermin & Hereford Inlet
Point Fermin Hereford Inlet
Sabine Pass
Cape St. Elias
Oyster Bayou
Statue of Liberty
Alcatraz
Minot’s Ledge
Tillamook
Point Reyes
Point Bonita
Cape Sarichef
Southwest Pass
Toledo Harbor
People of the Lighthouse
Service
Duties of a Lighthouse Keeper
• Light & Extinguish
• “Wickie”
• Shine and Polish
• Maintain the log
• Fog Signal
Keeper inspects the lens
Ida Lewis• Lime Rock Lighthouse
• 24 Rescues
• Presidential visit
• Ida Lewis RockIda Lewis
Ida Lewis rescues two soldiers on 29
March 1869
Marcus Hanna
• Medal of Honor & Gold LSM
• 4 July 1863
• 28 January 1885
Frederick T. Hatch
• Twice Awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal
• 1884--USLSS
• 1890--USLHS
Frederick T. Hatch
Samuel Amalu
• Dean’s of Hawaii’s Keepers
• Joined LHS in 1906
Samuel Amalu
Others Who Served
Keeper and his LightCrew of a lighthouse tender
Keepers
Lighthouse Families
Keepers and their families
Lightships &Tenders
Evolution of Lightships• Ancient Rome• Great Britain
King George IIMap of Italy during the Roman Empire
First US Lightships
• Willoughby Spit
• Sandy Hook
Development of Lightships
• 116 Stations
• 1909
• 1927
Plan ofLV-1
Satisfying Multiple ATON Requirements
• Shallow Water
• Deep Water
• Multiple roles
• Highly efficient ATON
Merrill's Shell Bank Lightship, 1847
Life on a Lightship• Inadequate
• Poor light platforms
• “Similar to a barrel”
• Accommodations
Maintaining the Lights
Relaxing in the Wardroom LV 1
Lightship Losses• Cross Rip
• Diamond Shoals
• Nantucket
Lighthouse Tenders
• Commissioned vessels
• Logistical support
Tenders performing logistical support for the lighthouses
Lighthouse Tenders
USHLT Columbine
USHLT Goldenrod
USHLT Shubrick
Legacy of the USLHS in the
USCG
LORAN• Long Range Navigation=
LORAN• Pulse transmission• Range• March 1942• Lawrence Harding• Practical system• Stations built throughout the
world• Civilian applications
LORAN Station
Scotch Cap
• 1903
• 1940
• Tsunami
• 1950
• 1971
1940 Lighthouse Before and After the 1946 Tsunami
1903 Tower Current Light
OFF-SHORE "TEXAS TOWER" STRUCTURES
• Post-World War II
• Oil Industry
Ambrose Lightship passes by the Ambrose Offshore Light Tower
THE ALUMINUM LIGHTHOUSE(1960-??)
• Lantern Room
• Charleston Light
• Elevator
Charleston Light, SC
FIBERGLASS TOWERS
• British Innovation
• Little metal
• 1960s & 1980s
• Plastic Lighthouse
Deer Island, MA
End of the Lightships• LNB
• 29 March 1985
• Nantucket 1
ADM James GraceyLNB on Station with 44-ft. patrol boat (foreground)
New Technologies & Lighthouses
• GPS
• Boston Light
Satellites are vital to the Operation of GPS