New Dungeness Light
.jpg) Dungeness Lighthouse after 1927 | |
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| Location | Sequim, Washington |
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| Coordinates | 48°10′54″N 123°06′37″W / 48.181772°N 123.110305°WCoordinates: 48°10′54″N 123°06′37″W / 48.181772°N 123.110305°W |
| Year first constructed | 1857 |
| Year first lit | 1857 |
| Automated | 1976 |
| Foundation | Surface |
| Construction | Brick, Sandstone and Stucco |
| Tower shape | Conical |
| Height | 63 feet (19 m) |
| Original lens | Third order Fresnel lens (removed) |
| Range | 18 nautical miles (33 km; 21 mi) |
| Characteristic | Alternating white flash every 5-seconds |
The New Dungeness lighthouse is located on the Dungeness Spit in the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge near the town of Sequim in Clallam County in the U.S. state of Washington, on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
History
It was first lit in 1857 and was the second lighthouse established in the Washington territory. The original New Dungeness lighthouse was a 1 ½ story duplex with a tower rising from the roof. The tower stood at 100 feet (30 m) painted black on the top half and white on the lower section.
Over time, the tower developed structural cracks, most likely from a combination of earthquakes and weather erosion.[1] In 1927, the cracks in the tower were so severe that the lighthouse inspector feared that the tower would topple. It was decided that year that the tower would be lowered to its current height of 63 feet (19 m). With the new tower dimensions, the original 3rd order fresnel lens was too large for the tower. To save costs, the lantern room from the decommissioned Admiralty Head lighthouse was removed and placed atop the shorter tower. The newly painted tower was relit with a revolving 4th order Fresnel Lens.
In the mid-1970s the Coast Guard decided to remove the Fresnel lens and test a DCB airport style beacon. The beacon only lasted a few years until it was replaced by a much smaller AGA-acrylic revolving beacon that provided the same range as the DCB, but with a 150-watt bulb instead of the 1,000-watt DCB bulb. In 1998 the Coast Guard replaced the AGA with a newer Vega rotating beacon.
In 1994, the Dungeness Lighthouse was one of the few lighthouses in the United States to have a full-time keeper. Michelle and Seth Jackson and their dog Chicago were the last to hold the post of lighthouse keepers. In march of '94 the Coast Guard boarded up all the windows at the station, checked all the electrical equipment and left. Within months, the United States Lighthouse Society started the New Dungeness chapter and were able to secure a lease from the Coast Guard. Since September 1994, members of the New Dungeness Light Station Association have manned the station 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, and tours are available to the general public between 9AM - 5PM every day.[1]
Henry Blake was the first keeper of this lighthouse. The USCG coastal buoy tender WLM-563 Henry Blake based in Everett, Washington is named after him.
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to New Dungeness Lighthouse. |
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