Great Point Light

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Great Point Light ( also Nantucket Light) is a lighthouse on the northern tip of the island of Nantucket in the area of the State of Massachusetts in the United States. It is administered by the Coast Guard of the United States.

History

The city fathers of Nantucket commissioned in 1770 their representatives in the Massachusetts General Court to make its local influence and to strive for the establishment of a lighthouse on the island. In fact, the court erließt on February 5, 1784 a corresponding resolution to establish as quickly as possible to the intended place a lighthouse. On 11 November of the same year, the state approved funding of nearly 1,090 British pounds (equivalent to a modern-day equivalent of approximately 110,000 pounds ), and the lighthouse was built in the same year. On June 10, 1790, the building was overridden on the basis of a corresponding law of 7 August 1789 in the ownership of the United States.

In November 1816, the lighthouse was completely destroyed by a fire, the cause could never be solved. On 3 March 1817 the United States Congress approved funding in the amount on 7,500 U.S. dollars (today about $ 140,000 ) to fund a new building that was completed in 1818. 1857 a Fresnel lens was installed 3rd order in 1882 replaced the lard oil previously used as fuel.

Between 1863 and 1890 it came within reach of the lighthouse to a total of 43 maritime accidents, as many captains of the lighthouse with the lightship confused, which warned Rip shallows in front of the cross, and ran aground. 1889, the lens of the Great Point Light was finally added a red sector to warn the shallows at Cross Rip and in Tuckernuck and to make it distinguishable from the lightship.

In 1982 the building as Nantucket Light under number 82005272 was registered as a National Historic Landmark on the National Register of Historic Places ( NRHP). In March 1984, the lighthouse was completely destroyed by a storm in 1986 and replaced by a new building; in the same part of the entry in the NRHP has been deleted. With the support of then- Senator Edward Kennedy 2 million U.S. dollars were provided to re- build the lighthouse can. The new building was built on the basis of the original plans of 1818 as a replica and cost over a million dollars. The remaining funds were used for the reconstruction of Cape Poge Light and Monomoy Point Light. Today the lighthouse is part of the reserve Coskata - Coatue Wildlife Refuge.

Architecture and Technology

The lighthouse is built cylindrical and tapers upwards. The lens of the type currently used VRB -25 produced every five seconds a white flash of light ( 25.9 km ) should be interpreted broadly 14 sm. In the sector of 84 ° to 106 °, a red flash is generated with a range of 12 nautical miles ( 22.2 kilometers ). The lighthouse does not have a fog horn.