Spring Point Ledge Light
 Spring Point Ledge Light | |
 | |
| Location | Portland harbor |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 43°39′08″N 70°13′25″W / 43.65222°N 70.22361°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1897  |
| Foundation | Brick/ Iron caisson |
| Construction | Cast iron with brick |
| Automated | 1934 |
| Height | 54 feet |
| Shape | Conical "Spark Plug" |
| Markings | White on black pier with black lantern |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1897 |
| Focal height | 16.5 m (54 ft) |
| Lens | Fifth order Fresnel lens |
| Range | White 12 nmi, Red 10 nmi |
| Characteristic | Flashing white 6s with two Red sectors. White from 331° to 337° covers fairway entrance, white from 074° to 288°; red in intervening sectors. Lighted throughout 24 hours. Emergency light of reduced intensity when main light is extinguished. HORN: 1 blast ev 10s (1s bl). |
Spring Point Ledge Light is a lighthouse in South Portland, Maine USA, and marks a dangerous obstruction on the west side of the main shipping channel into Portland Harbor.
History
The lighthouse was constructed in 1897 by the government after seven steamship companies stated that many of their vessels ran aground on Spring Point Ledge. Congress initially allocated $20,000 to its construction, although the total cost of the tower ended up being $45,000 due to problems with storms and poor quality cement. The lighthouse featured a fog horn that sounded every 12 second, and a lantern fitted with a fifth order Fresnel lens first lit by Keeper William A. Lane on May 24, 1897.
Improvements were made to the lighthouse throughout the 20th century. It was electrified in 1934, and in 1951, a 900-foot breakwater made from 50,000 tons of granite was constructed in order to connect the lighthouse to the mainland. The lighthouse was originally owned and operated by the United States Coast Guard. However, on April 28, 1998, the Maine Lights Selection Committee approved a transfer of ownership of the tower to the Spring Point Ledge Light Trust. The light and fog signal are still owned and operated by the United States Coast Guard. On May 22, 1999, Spring Point Ledge Light was opened to the public for the first time in its history. It is a popular spot on any summer day for families to picnic and boat-watch on the breakwater or for fisherman to spend an afternoon catching fish. Adjacent to the lighthouse, visitors may also tour the old Fort Preble, the Southern Maine Community College Campus, and visit a small gift shop.
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Undated photo of Spring Point Ledge Light -
Spring Point Ledge Light with SCF Khibiny -
An aerial view from the USCG
Further reading
- Caldwell, Bill. (1986) Lighthouses of Maine (Portland, ME: Gannett Books).
- Clifford, J. Candace, and Clifford, Mary Louise, (2005) Maine Lighthouses: Documentation of Their Past (Alexandria, VA: Cypress Communications). ISBN 0963641263; ISBN 978-0963641267
- Crompton, Samuel Willard & Michael J. Rhein, The Ultimate Book of Lighthouses (2002) ISBN 1592231020; ISBN 978-1592231027.
- Great Lakes Light Keepers Association, List of Resources.
- Jones, Ray & Bruce Roberts, American Lighthouses (Globe Pequot, September 1, 1998, 1st Ed.) ISBN 0762703245; ISBN 978-0762703241.
- Jones, Ray,The Lighthouse Encyclopedia, The Definitive Reference (Globe Pequot, January 1, 2004, 1st ed.) ISBN 0762727357; ISBN 978-0762727353.
- Noble, Dennis, Lighthouses & Keepers: U. S. Lighthouse Service and Its Legacy (Annapolis: U. S. Naval Institute Press, 1997). ISBN 1557506388; ISBN 9781557506382.
- Putnam, George R., Lighthouses and Lightships of the United States, (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1933).
- Roberts, Bruce & Jones, Ray, (2006/05/01) Lighthouses of Maine: A Guidebook And Keepsake ISBN 0762739665; ISBN 9780762739660 Paperback Globe Pequot Press, 96 pages.
- United States Coast Guard, Aids to Navigation, (Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1945).
- United States Coast Guard, Aids to Navigation Historical Bibliography.
- U.S. Coast Guard, Historically Famous Lighthouses (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1957).
