Tangier Sound Light
The Tangier Sound Light was a lighthouse located south of Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay.
 Undated photograph of Tangier Sound Light (USCG) | |
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| Location | South of Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay |
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| Coordinates | 37.7878°N 75.9740°W |
| Year first lit | 1890 |
| Deactivated | 1961 |
| Foundation | screw-pile |
| Construction | cast-iron/wood |
| Tower shape | square house |
| Tower height | 45 feet (14 m) |
| Characteristic | white 6 sec flash with red sector |
History
This light was constructed in 1890 to mark a shoal extending south from Tangier Island, delimiting the western edge of the sound. Its exposed location made it vulnerable to ice, and on February 15, 1905, the sunken pungy Mary L. Colburn was lifted up by the ice and cast against the lighthouse. The light survived when the wind changed and blew the wreck clear. In the only other incident of note, the assistant keeper was drowned in 1914 in spite of an attempted rescue by the keeper. At some later date the light was surrounded by rip rap to protect it from ice.
As with other screw-pile lights in the bay, the house was removed in 1961 and an automated light set upon the foundation.
References
- "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Virginia" (PDF). United States Coast Guard Historian's Office.
- NOAA Nautical Chart 12228 Chesapeake Bay: Pocomoke and Tangier Sounds
- de Gast, Robert (1973). The Lighthouses of the Chesapeake. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 168.
