Location | 16 mi east of Cape Henry, Virginia |
---|---|
Coordinates | 36°54′16.7″N 75°42′45.82″W / 36.904639°N 75.7127278°W[1] |
Tower | |
Foundation | Four black piles |
Construction | prefabricated modules |
Automated | 1980 |
Height | 120 feet (37 m) |
Shape | White square platform with blue tower at one corner |
Fog signal | HORN: 1 blast ev 10s (1s bl) |
Racon | N (– •) |
Light | |
First lit | 1965 |
Deactivated | 2016[2] |
Focal height | 117 feet (36 m) |
Range | 19 miles (31 km) |
Characteristic | Fl (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.