Guard Island Light

Infobox Lighthouse


caption =
location = Tongass Narrows entrance, Clarence Strait, Alaska
coordinates = coord|55|26|45|N|131|52|52|W|region:US_type:landmark
yearlit = 1924
automated = 1969
yeardeactivated =
foundation = Concrete
construction = Concrete
shape = White Square tower on oil house
height = 74 ft above sea level
lens = Fourth Order Fresnel lens
range = 17 nm
characteristic = Flashing white 10s Emergency light (Fl W 6s) of reduced intensity when main light is extinguished.
admiralty = G6046
ARLHS = ALK-008
USCG = 6-22300The Guard Island Light is a lighthouse located on a small island near the entrance to the Tongass Narrows, in Clarence Strait in southeastern Alaska. The western entrance to the Behm Canal also lies nearby.

History

Construction of the Guard Island Lighthouse began in the summer of 1903 and was completed by September 1904. The 34-foot wooden tower housed a fourth order Fresnel lens that produced a fixed white light. However, the wood used for Guard Island Light Station, as well as for several other Alaskan lighthouses, soon deteriorated in the harsh weather conditions. By the 1920’s, all the lighthouses except Eldred Rock were falling apart, and in 1922, Congress authorized the reconstruction of Guard Island Light. In 1924, the dilapidated light tower was replaced with a new single-story rectangular tower of reinforced concrete. The station was automated by the Coast Guard in 1969. It is believed to be the largest light house in that exact location, but this has yet to be reliably proven.

External Links

* [http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblighthouses/LHAK.asp United States Coast Guard Lighthouses of Alaska]
* [http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=823 Lighthouse Friends — Guard Island Lighthouse]
* [http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/lighthouse/ak.htm Lighthouse Digest — Alaska]