Fourteen Foot Shoal Light

The lighthouse at Fourteen Foot Shoal was named to note that the lake is only 14 feet (4.3 m) deep at this point, which is a hazard to navigation, ships and mariners.

Fourteen Foot Shoal Light
The light in 2001 (note the solar panels that provide the current power)
LocationLake Huron, Michigan
Coordinates45°40′47.3″N 84°26′6″W
Year first constructed1929
Year first lit1930
Automated1930
FoundationPneumatic/sub[1]
ConstructionReinforced concrete and steel
Tower shapesquare building; frustum of a cone tower
Markings / patternWhite with red trim
Tower height36 feet (11 m)[2]
Focal height55 feet (17 m)[3][4]
Original lensFourth-order Fresnel lens[5]
Current lens9.8-inch (250 mm) Tidelands acrylic optic Fresnel lens
Range9 nautical miles (17 km; 10 mi)[6]
Characteristic0cculting W 4 seconds Operates year round.
Fog signalHORN: 1 blast ev 15 s (2s bl)[6] Diaphone
ARLHS numberUSA-306[7][8]
USCG number7-11765
Heritageplace listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
Fourteen Foot Shoal Light Station
NRHP reference No.05000742[9]
Added to NRHPJuly 27, 2005

This light is located at the northern end of Lake Huron, Michigan, US, where it is necessary for boats heading to Chicago to pass through a narrow strait and still avoid shallow water. The most common path is to go south of Bois Blanc Island (Michigan). In this channel, the Poe Reef Light marks the northern end of the safe channel and the Fourteen Foot Shoal light marks the southern side of the channel.

History
Fourteen Foot Shoal Light ca. 1950

The United States Lighthouse Service intended from the time of design that this light would be automated (possibly the first such instance)[10] and operated by radio control[11] from the nearby Poe Reef Light which is 3.5 miles (5.6 km) away; the keeper's house was never intended to be used as a residence.[12] In 1925 a temporary acetylene buoy was installed there and construction of the permanent light began in 1929 such that the light could begin operation in 1930.[13]

The original light was a fourth-order Fresnel lens.[14] The focal plane is 56 feet (17 m). It now has a 9.8-inch (250 mm) acrylic optic Fresnel lens, and assuming it is properly installed and adjusted, has a maximum visible range of 9 nmi (17 km).[15] A diaphone fog horn is attached.[3]

Current status and getting there

It is in U.S. Coast Guard District 9, and is still an active aid to navigation.[16]

In 2002 the crew of the Cutter USCGC Mackinaw (WAGB-83) painted and refurbished the light.[17]

The light has been added to the National Register of Historic Places; but is not on the state registry, although it was determined to be eligible by the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office.[18]

A private boat is, of course, the best way to see this light close up. Short of that, Sheplers Ferry Service out of Mackinaw City offers periodic lighthouse cruises in the summer season. Its "Eastbound Tour" includes passes by Round Island Light, Bois Blanc Island and Light, Poe Reef Light and Fourteen Foot Shoal. Schedules and rates are available from Shepler's.[13][19] Boat narration is provided by the Great Lakes Lightkeepers Association.[20]

A distant view can be had from the Cheboygan Crib Light[21] and the Cheboygan State Park.[20]

On May 15, 2012, the National Park Service made the light available for ownership transfer under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act.[22]

On September 30, 2017, the GSA ended its public auction transferring ownership to the Lake Huron Lighthouse Preservation Society Inc., a Michigan nonprofit organization managed by Jerry Persons and Joseph Niewiek.

References
  1. "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Michigan". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
  2. "Seeing The Light - Lighthouse Tower Heights". web.archive.org. September 18, 2000.
  3. National Park Service, Maritime Heritage Program, Inventory of Historic Lights, Fourteen Foot Shoal Light.
  4. Pepper, Terry. "Database of Focal Heights". Seeing the Light. terrypepper.com. Archived from the original on August 30, 2008.
  5. Pepper, Terry. "Database of Original Lenses". Seeing the Light. terrypepper.com. Archived from the original on September 18, 2000.
  6. Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard.
  7. "Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society, Fourteen Foot Shoal (Lake Huron) Light, ARLHS USA-306".
  8. "Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society, World List of Lights (WLOL)".
  9. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  10. "The Lighthouses of Lake Huron". Lighthouses R Us. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  11. Fourteen Foot Shoal LIghthouse at U.S. lighthouses.com.
  12. Edin, Colt, and Wobser, David, Fourteen Foot Shoal Light at Boatnerd.com.
  13. "Seeing The Light - Fourteen Foot Shoal Lighthouse". web.archive.org. March 10, 2002.
  15. 250 mm acrylic optic lens, Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light.
  16. "Fourteen Foot Shoal Lighthouse - Sheboygan, MI". www.michiganlights.com.
  17. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Michigan's Eastern Lower Peninsula". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  18. National Park Service, Maritime Heritage Project, Inventory of Historic Lights, Fourteen Foot Shoal Light.
  19. Sheplers Ferry Service. Archived 2008-05-17 at the Wayback Machine
  20. West Michigan Tourist Association, Fourteen Foot Shoal Light. Archived 2011-07-26 at the Wayback Machine
  21. "Fourteen Foot Shoal Lighthouse". LighthouseFriends.
  22. "NATIONAL HISTORIC LIGHTHOUSE PRESERVATION ACT NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY – Fourteen Foot Shoal Light" (PDF). U.S. National Park Service.

Further reading
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