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.

Old Orchard Shoal Light
LocationNew York City, US
Coordinates40°30′44.272″N 74°5′55.369″W
Year first constructed1893
Year first lit1893
Automated1955
Deactivateddestroyed 2012
FoundationConcrete/Cast Iron Caisson
ConstructionCast Iron
Tower shapeConical "Spark Plug"
Markings / patternlower half brown, upper half white, on black pier
Tower height35 feet (11 m)
Focal height51 feet (16 m)
Original lensFourth Order Fresnel lens
Current lens9.8 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 (Red from 087 deg to 203 deg
Fog signalRemoved/ Original air siren and horn
ARLHS numberUSA-565
USCG number1-35395[1][2][3]
Heritageplace listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
Orchard Shoal Light Station, Old
Nearest cityStaten Island, New York
Arealess than one acre
ArchitectUS Lighthouse Board
NRHP reference No.06000864[4]
Added to NRHPSeptember 20, 2006

History
Old Orchard Shoal Light was 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
  1. 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.
  2. "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: New York". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
  3. "ARLHS World List of Lights". Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-24.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  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
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