Old Orchard Shoal Light

Old Orchard Shoal Light was a sparkplug lighthouse in lower New York Bay marking a large shoal area. It was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012.[2][3][4]

Old Orchard Shoal Light
Lighthouse at Old Orchard Shoal
Map
LocationNew York City, US
Coordinates40°30′44.272″N 74°5′55.369″W / 40.51229778°N 74.09871361°W / 40.51229778; -74.09871361
Tower
ConstructedApril 5, 1893 (1893-04-05)
FoundationConcrete/Cast Iron Caisson
ConstructionCast iron
Automated1955 (1955)
Height35 feet (11 m)
ShapeConical "Spark Plug"
MarkingsLower half brown, upper half white, on black pier
HeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place Edit this on Wikidata
Fog signalAir siren and horn
Light
First litApril 5, 1893 (1893-04-05)
DeactivatedOctober 29, 2012 (2012-10-29) (destroyed)
Focal height51 feet (16 m)
LensFourth Order Fresnel lens (original), 9.8 inches (250 mm)
RangeW 7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi)
R 5 nautical miles (9.3 km; 5.8 mi)
CharacteristicFl W 6s Edit this on Wikidata
Orchard Shoal Light Station, Old
Nearest cityStaten Island, New York
Arealess than one acre
ArchitectUS Lighthouse Board
NRHP reference No.06000864[1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 20, 2006

History

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The ruins of the Old Orchard Shoal Light after being destroyed by Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012.

Old Orchard Shoal Light was completed and lit on April 25, 1893.[5] The Fresnel lens was removed in 1950.

Before moving on to Governor's Island and then finally Coney Island Light, Frank Schubert, said to be the last civilian lighthouse keeper in the United States, was stationed at Old Orchard Shoal Light.

Old Orchard Shoal Light is listed on the National Park Service's Maritime Heritage Program as Lighthouse to visit[6] and as one of New York's Historic Light Stations.[7]

On May 29, 2007, the Secretary of the Interior identified Old Orchard Shoal Light Station as surplus under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000. The property was described as

Gedney Channel/Lower New York Bay, 3.5 miles south of New Dorp Beach. Remote 35 ft. conical, 3-story "spark plug" style light (1893) with keeper's quarters (approx. 1000 SF). Interior lined in brick up to 3rd floor. On 0.72 acre submerged land. Constructed of cast iron on concrete/cast iron caisson. Markings: white upper/black. Protective riprap and breakwater sheltering light's boat basin. Accessible by boat only.[8]

No group was identified under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act as willing and able to preserve the Old Orchard Shoal Light, and on June 5, 2008, the General Services Administration placed the light up for sale via an auction. The initial bid was $10,000 and the light finally closed on August 27, 2008 at a final bid of $235,000.[9]

The lighthouse was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012.[10][11]

References

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2009. p. 297.
  3. ^ "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: New York". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
  4. ^ "ARLHS World List of Lights". Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
  5. ^ Annual report of the Light-House Board to the Secretary of the Treasury for the Fiscal Year ended June 30, 1893, Treasury Department, Document No 1647
  6. ^ "Maritime Heritage Program". Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  7. ^ "Maritime Heritage Program". Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  8. ^ "Maritime Heritage Program". Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  9. ^ GSA listing (1-PR-08-005) for Old Orchard Shoal
  10. ^ "Old Orchard Shoal Light Is No More", Mai Armstrong for Working Harbor Committee, blog post November 9, 2012. Archived November 16, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ USCG 'Local Notice to Mariners" week 44/12, LLNR 35395 states "Structure Destroyed" Archived 2012-11-19 at the Wayback Machine