Chesapeake Light

Chesapeake Light
Undated photograph of Chesapeake Light (USCG)
Map
Location16 mi east of Cape Henry, Virginia
Coordinates36°54′16.7″N 75°42′45.82″W / 36.904639°N 75.7127278°W / 36.904639; -75.7127278[1]
Tower
FoundationFour black piles
Constructionprefabricated modules
Automated1980
Height120 feet (37 m)
ShapeWhite square platform with blue tower at one corner
Fog signalHORN: 1 blast ev 10s (1s bl)
RaconN (– •)
Light
First lit1965
Deactivated2016[2]
Focal height117 feet (36 m)
Range19 miles (31 km)
CharacteristicFl (2)W 15s
  0.1s fl 2.9s ec.
  0.1s fl 11.9s ec.

Chesapeake Light is an offshore lighthouse marking the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay.[1] The structure was first marked with a lightship in the 1930s, and was later replaced by a "Texas Tower" in 1965. The lighthouse was eventually automated and was used for supporting atmospheric measurement sites for NASA and NOAA. Due to deteriorating structural conditions, the lighthouse was deactivated in 2016. At the time, it was the last remaining "Texas Tower" still in use due to obsolescence.

  1. ^ a b Light List, Volume II, Atlantic Coast, Shrewsbury River, New Jersey to Little River, South Carolina (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2012. p. 3.
  2. ^ "Station CHLV2 - Chesapeake Light, VA". NOAA. Retrieved October 17, 2017.