Chesapeake Light
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| Chesapeake Light | |
|---|---|
 Undated photograph of Chesapeake Light (USCG) |
|
| Location: | 16 mi east of Cape Henry, Virginia |
| Coordinates WGS-84 (GPS) |
|
| Year first lit: | 1965 |
| Automated: | 1980 |
| Foundation: | steel tower |
| Construction: | prefabricated modules |
| Tower shape: | square platform with tower at one corner |
| Height: | 120 ft |
| Range: | 24 miles |
Chesapeake Light is an offshore lighthouse marking the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. Once considered for decommissioning, it remains active and supports a NOAA weather data site.
[edit] History
This station was first established in 1930 using a lightship, since lighthouse construction technology at the time was not adequate to the task of supporting a light in such waters. It remained on station (excepting during World War II) until it was replaced by the present light, built in 1965 as one of six nearly identical "Texas Tower" lights on the East Coast. The light was automated in 1980, though it was used in 2002-2003 by University of Maryland Baltimore County students for research projects. The following year it was inspected by the Coast Guard with an eye toward dismantling it, as had happened earlier to the Ambrose and Savannah lights, both of which had been struck by ships. The inspection showed the light to be sound, and the light remains in active service.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Chesapeake “Texas Tower” Timeline. United States Lighthouse Society, Chesapeake Chapter. Retrieved on 2008-01-16.
- Virginia Light Stations. United States Coast Guard. Retrieved on 2008-01-16.
- National Data Buoy Center: Station CHLV2 - Chesapeake Light, VA. NOAA. Retrieved on 2008-01-16.
