United States Merchant Marine Academy - Midships Yearbook (Kings Point, NY)

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 AMERICAN SHOALS: One of the most impressive looking light structures in the world, American Shoals is typical of the skeleton structures along the coast of Florida. Frail as they look, they have constantly proved themselves against the annual hurricanes that devastate the region. 10 MILE ROCK LIGHT: One mile west of the Golden Gate Bridge, Mile Rock Lighthouse is typical of a cylindrical masonry' tower, secured to the bedrock by long iron stanchions. Perhaps the most impressive of the wave-swept lighthouses is St. George Reef, as indicated by George A. Putnam: The foundation of the structure is a pier, an irregular oval in plan, eighty-six feet in longest diameter, faced with cut granite and filled with concrete, except for service rooms. Horizontal ter- races were cut in the rock for the footing of the pier, and in order to obtain sufficient area for the structure. The top of the pier is seventy feet above the water, and above this is a square granite tower, with projecting stair cylinder, the top of the lantern being one hundred and thirty- four feet above the base of the pier. The light is shown one hundred and forty-six feet above the sea. The stone was quarried from granite boulders found on Mad River near Humbolt Bay, nearly one hundred miles from the site. In the face of the tower were used 1339 dressed granite blocks averaging two and one half tons each; these were so finished and placed that the last stone of each course slipped into place with joints on each side three-sixteenths inch, as required. The blocks were landed in rope nets so that none were chipped. The station was first lighted October 20, 1892, ten years after it was begun, and the total cost was $702,000, making it one of the most costly lighthouses. Fortunately, not all lighthouses are as difficult and time consuming to construct as St. George Light. One of the most interesting lighthouse structures in the world today can be found along the coast of Florida. Here such lights as American Shoals, Som- brero Key, and Fowery Rocks consist of an openwork iron structure, the base of which is literally “screwed” into the coral foundation. Time and again these light structures have withstood the violent tropical cyclones which plagued the area each year. ?

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in actual use for over fourteen hundred years, for in 1154, the Arabian geographer Edrisi writes: ‘'This structure is singularly remarkable, as much of its height as of its solidity . . . During the night it appears as a star, and during the day it is distinguished by the smoke.” So famous was the Pharos of Alexandria that it became one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and so synonymous did the name “Pharos” become for “lighthouse,” that it was adopted by the Romance languages as the word for “lighthouse.” During the fourteenth century, the Pharos was found in ruins, its destruction a veiled, dubious mystery. For over three hundred years after the destruction of the Pharos, lighthouse construction and develop- ment remained in an obscure null. With the increase in exploration and trade, the lighthouse flourished, playing a vital role in the development of commerce and the world. Shipping spread from the Mediter- ranean Area around the Iberian Peninsula to northern Europe and England, and as it did, the lighthouse followed. The old fragile structures of Messina and Mitylene gave way to the more complex engineered towers of such lights as Ramsgate, Eddystone, Long- ships, and South Stack, each serving the sole purpose of guiding ships and saving lives. It is no small wonder that Boston Lighthouse was established in 1716, early in the history of our country—the importance and need of lighthouses being firmly established by the maritime nations of the world. “Nothing indicates the liberality, -prosperity, or in- telligence of a nation more clearly than the facilities which it affords for the safe approach of the mariner to its shores.” The most desirable and ideal realization of the above quotation (which is of unknown origin) would be a continuous line of lights along the coast, so constructed that the arcs of each light overlap. Such a realization is, however, restricted by many limita- tions, for the distribution of lighthouses along a coast depends upon three basic factors: the physical con- ditions of the coastline, the meteorological conditions in the area, and the volume of shipping requiring the aid of a light. Alaska, for example, is in many areas almost void of a large volume of water borne com- merce, leaving long stretches of rock}- coastline hidden in the veil of darkness. The northeast coast of the United States, on the other hand, is heavily traversed and well suited for lighthouse construction. Xo matter where a lighthouse is finally placed, the completed structure will be a masterpiece in engineering skill, often of dignified and simple design, and yet con- structed to withstand the most strenuous rages of the wind and sea. Each lighthouse is constructed to meet the particular conditions of the locality. Some structures are unique. One such edifice is that of Mile Rock Lighthouse. Mile Rock Lighthouse is located approximately one mile west of the Golden Gate Bridge. It serves to usher vessels away from the infamous Mile Rock, which although visible during low water, is hidden from view with each incoming tide. Cylindrical in shape, this masonry tower has been anchored with great labor and pain to the bedrock of the sea. As with the cases of Minots and Eddystone Lights, numerous bores were driven in a circular pattern about a large center perforation on the protruding rock, which was cut to fit such a base. Into these bores, iron stanchions were cemented forming the skeleton of the structure. The framework having risen to its desired height, the thick rigid masonry was added, giving the tower stability and forming a barrier to the sea. SOUTH STACK LIGHT: In use for over one hundred-fifty years, this striking beautiful light structure on Holyhead still steers mariners away from the jagged rocks along the English coast. 9

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With all the variations in lighthouse structure, the one most familiar to the layman is the land masonry beacon, and it is no wonder that such lights as Mon- tauk, Tybee, Cape Hatteras, and the Old Sands Point Light have for years been a subject for artists. Con- structed on a solid foundation, the walls at the base are often greater than five feet thick, adding weight and strength where it is most needed. Sturdy and bold these lights are often subjected to the ceaseless erosion of the savage sea, resisting its every motion with all their might. “Safety is only to be found in certainty, and any- thing which does not secure the latter condition is a foe rather than a friend to the mariner,” is a slogan of Trinity House, the British Lighthouse Agency. An early report of the Lighthouse Board mentions: One maxim should ever be observed, namely, perfect regularity of exhibition of every signal from night to night and from year to year. A light, for example, which has been regularly visible from a tower, it may be for years, cannot be suffered to fail for a single hour, without danger of casualties of the most serious character. The approach to land is one of the most fascinating aspects of any ocean voyage. Having traversed thou- sands of miles of open seas, guided solely by the movements of the heavens and the wondrous elec- tronic marvels of our times, the navigator feels a sense of accomplishment upon first sighting his destination. As the lights of the land first bob and then finally settle upon the horizon, great care must be taken in selecting the proper lights to determine precisely the vessel’s position. The reliance the mariner places in the light demon- strating its own characteristic visual signals is without ST. GEORGE REEF: Taking over ten years to construct, St. George Light is one of the most expensive American lighthouses in existence. TYBEE LIGHTHOUSE: This masonry land situated structure is symbolic of all such similar lighthouses. Best known to lavmen, the land structure is one of the artist’s favorite subjects, Tybee Light being no exception. 11