Lighthouse keeper

Lighthouse keeper

A lighthouse keeper is the person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning lenses and windows. Electrification and other automated improvements such as remote monitoring and automatic bulb changing made resident paid keepers residing at the lights unnecessary. In the US, periodic maintenance of the lights is now performed by visiting Coast Guard Aids to Navigation teams.

The last civilian keeper in the United States, Frank Schubert, died in 2003. The last officially manned lighthouse, Boston Light, was manned by the Coast Guard until 1998. It now has volunteer "keepers" whose primary role is to serve as interpretive tour guides for visitors. ["The Lighthouse Encyclopedia, The Definitive Reference", Ray Jones, 2003]

Recognition

To recognize the role of Lighthouse keepers in the nation's maritime safety, the US Coast Guard named a class of convert|175|ft|m|sing=on USCG Coastal Buoy Tenders after famous US Lighthouse Keepers. 14 ships in the "Keeper" class were built between 1996 and 2000 and are used to maintain aids to navigation, including lighhouses. [ [http://www.uscg.mil/datasheet/175wlm.asp USCG: About Us - Aircraft & Cutters ] ] The following convert|175|ft|m|sing=on WLMs are in service as of 2006:

*USCGC Ida Lewis (WLM-551); Newport, Rhode Island
*USCGC Katherine Walker (WLM-552); Bayonne, New Jersey
*USCGC Abbie Burgess (WLM-553); Rockland, Maine
*USCGC Marcus Hanna (WLM-554); South Portland, Maine
*USCGC James Rankin (WLM-555); Baltimore, Maryland
*USCGC Joshua Appleby (WLM-556); St. Petersburg, Florida
*USCGC Frank Drew (WLM-557); Portsmouth, Virginia
*USCGC Anthony Petit (WLM-558);Ketchikan, Alaska
*USCGC Barbara Mabrity (WLM-559); Mobile, Alabama
*USCGC William Tate (WLM-560); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
*USCGC Harry Claiborne (WLM-561); Galveston, Texas
*USCGC Maria Brey (WLM-562); Atlantic Beach, Florida
*USCGC Henry Blake (WLM-563); Everett, Washington
*USCGC George Cobb (WLM-564); San Pedro, California

References

Further reading

* Crompton, Samuel Willard & Michael J. Rhein, "The Ultimate Book of Lighthouses" (2002) ISBN 1592231020; ISBN 978-1592231027.
* Hyde, Charles K., and Ann and John Mahan. The Northern Lights: Lighthouses of the Upper Great Lakes. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1995. ISBN 0814325548 ISBN 9780814325544.
* 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.
* Oleszewski, Wes, "Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses", (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) ISBN 0-932212-98-0.
* Penrod, John, "Lighthouses of Michigan", (Berrien Center, Michigan: Penrod/Hiawatha, 1998) ISBN 9780942618785 ISBN 9781893624238.
* Penrose, Laurie and Bill, A" Traveler’s Guide to 116 Michigan Lighthouses" (Petoskey, Michigan: Friede Publications, 1999). ISBN 0923756035 ISBN 9780923756031
* Putnam, George R., "Lighthouses and Lightships of the United States", (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1933).
* Roach, Jerry, "Ultimate Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses", (2003).
* Thurston, Harry, "Against Darkness and Storm: Lighthouses of the Northeast" (Halifax: Nimbus, 1993).
* United States Coast Guard, "Aids to Navigation", (Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1945).
* Wagner, John L., "Michigan Lighthouses: An Aerial Photographic Perspective", (East Lansing, Michigan: John L. Wagner, 1998) ISBN 1880311011 ISBN 9781880311011.
* Weiss, George, "The Lighthouse Service, Its History, Activities and Organization" (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1926).
* Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, "Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia" Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1550463993.

External links

* [http://www.michiganlighthouse.org/bibliography_lightkeepers.html Bibliography on lighthouse keepers.]
* [http://www.michiganlighthouse.org/bibliography.html Bibliography on Michigan and other lighthouses.]
* [http://www.uscg.mil/History/weblighthouses/h_lhbib.asp United States Coast Guard, "Aids to Navigation Historical Bibliography".]
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  • lighthouse keeper — noun the keeper of a lighthouse • Hypernyms: ↑custodian, ↑keeper, ↑steward * * * ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ noun : one who maintains a lighthouse and operates the light and fog signals …   Useful english dictionary

  • lighthouse keeper — noun A person who tends a lighthouse …   Wiktionary

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