Repairing A Lighthouse Lens
By Sue Clark on Feb 18, 2008 in Featured 
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Katrina Damaged Fresnel Getting A Rehab
Besides demolishing the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum in Biloxi, MS, Hurricane Katrina took one final blow at the Ship Island Lighthouse Fresnel lens. When searching through the rubble, museum members found the Fourth Order Fresnel lens had been smashed by a wall. The beautiful, beehive style lens was in pieces underneath. But St. Augustine Lighthouse Conservators Joe (It’s Like Watching Paint Dry) Cocking and Nick (Never Say Die) Johnston have undertaken the Humpty-Dumpty like task of putting the pieces back together.
The Hard Luck Lighthouse
If any lighthouse deserves this moniker, it surely must be Ship Island in Mississippi. It was originally commissioned in 1848, but because of a land dispute, wasn’t actually completed and lit until November 1852. After that, its troubles began.
- 1861 (January): Confederate troops from Mississippi seized Ship Island and “all facilities” on the island.
- 1861 (September): The island was retaken by Union forces and became the headquarters for the Union Navy’s Gulf Blockading Squadron. The retreating Confederate forces burned the interior of the lighthouse and removed the Fresnel lens, presumably to New Orleans.
- 1862 (November): The lighthouse was repaired and returned to service.
- 1886:The old tower and keeper’s dwelling were condemned and a new tower and dwelling were built.
- 1901: the old tower had fallen into the Gulf.
- 1947: Keeper’s house destroyed by hurricane.
- 1964: Light was automated.
- 1971: New skeleton tower built.
- 1972: Old light tower burnt to the ground.
- 2000: A replica of the old tower was erected on the old tower’s foundation, sponsored by the Friends of Gulf Islands National Seashore. The U.S. Navy Seabees did the actual building.
- 2005: Hurricane Katrina swept the lighthouse replica out to sea.
The Lens
In my opinon, there is nothing more beautiful than a Fresnel lens. It is the heart and soul of a lighthouse, and to try to fit the forty pieces back together is an amazing undertaking. It’s not like you can just put them back any which way. Every lens was specifically hand created, with the prisms carefully placed to reflect the light from within. And you can’t just use Crazy Glue on these. A special epoxy is needed, that replicates the original, and must be hand glued into place. If it isn’t, the risk of damage to the Crown glass is almost guaranteed.
A quick note about the greenish tinted Crown glass: It’s a soda and lime glass used to make lenses and prisms. It has a lower refractive index and less dispersion than flint glass, but is more durable. It is resistant to scratches, but more prone to chipping.
The cost of the restoration is estimated to be around $132,000 USD. There are only a few people in the U.S. qualified to restore these jewels, and as someone who can stare into these beauties for hours, I am thrilled that the restoration is underway.
Photo Credits
- Ship Island Postcard Smithsonian Institute Online Public Domain Image
- Ship Island Lighthouse Lens Lighthouse Friends.Com
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