A New Year Weight Loss Plan - For Alcatraz
By Sue Clark on Jan 2, 2008 in News 
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New Year Resolution For a Lighthouse
Alcatraz Island Lighthouse, the tower on the infamous former prison site, has been getting cranky, recalcitrant and positively obese. At least its 700 pound glass lens has. And so, for the New Year, the tower has resolved to shed a full ninety percent of its lens size. Becoming lighter does come with problems, though. There will be some dimming of the beam. But maybe the efficiency of this new size lens will more than make up for becoming a little less bright.
Coast Guard Aid To Navigation (AtoN) Petty Officer Ben Russell said in a story in the San Francisco Chronicle that they’ll be replacing the 200,000 candlepower, 700 pound glass lens that leaks oil from its transmission (that turns the light) and needs to be replaced every two years. That is, according to Petty Officer Russell, when parts can even be found.
“The light we’ve got now is troublesome and expensive to keep up,” he said. “Finding parts on the fly for (an old) light isn’t always fast or easy. They may be somewhere in the Coast Guard system, but they’re not always on my shelf.”
One Last Laugh
Put me on a diet, will you? I’ll show you who is boss.
The work to remove the old light began last week, but the Coast Guard has been having difficulty figuring out how to remove the lens, a DCB-24 Aerobeacon, installed in 1977. The old light was supposed to keep going until January, but perhaps in a touch of rebellion, the elderly motor quit running the last week in December, and has defied all efforts to repair her. So, the main light has been turned off and replaced with a tiny emergency beacon atop the tower, that can barely be seen.
The new beacon, type unknown at this time, will weigh only 70 pounds and is made of acrylic. The lamp is already operating at a few other West coast lightstations, and is slated to replace the older style in a few more. Its flash is not as brilliant as the aerobeacon, and will only be visible for 20 miles, as opposed to the current 22 plus miles.
A Long Life
Alcatraz first went into operation in 1854, and is one of the oldest continuously operating lighthouses on the West Coast. Wait, did I say continuous? Perhaps that’s the problem. Alcatraz really can’t lay claim to that because in 1970, for seventeen months she was taken out of service. The federal government shut off power to the island to try and force an end to the island takeover by native Americans claiming it as their own land, and leading to the successful civil rights movement of our native peoples. At that time, two lighted navigation buoys were placed at each end of the island, but even worse, her voice, the foghorn was silenced.
May The Lights Shine On
I’d like to wish my readers, subscribers and visitors a very Happy New Year. Thank you for reading.
Photo Credits:
- Alcatraz Lighthouse At Night by David Ehringer on Flickr
- Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Early Morning from the Pemaquid Point Association webcam
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February 23rd, 2008 at 5:18 am
Thats kind of funny.
From 700lb to 70lb in one short step - wish I could manage the same
My favourite lighthouse is the one at Neist Point on the Isle of Skye.
It has a cliff you need to descend to get there and a scary strip of land to cross, but the view is amazing when you get there.
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:40 am
Haha, getting down to only 70 pounds in one short step would be positively anorexic.
The Neist Point lighthouse is beautiful. Thanks for calling attention to it. Going up and down that cliff would be sure to help in any weight loss plan.