A lightvessel,or lightship,is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times,the first modern lightvessel was off the Nore sandbank at the mouth of the River Thames in England,placed there by its inventor Robert Hamblin in 1734. The type has become largely obsolete;lighthouses replaced some stations as the construction techniques for lighthouses advanced,while large,automated buoys replaced others.
Leading lights,also known as range lights in the United States,are a pair of light beacons used in navigation to indicate a safe passage for vessels entering a shallow or dangerous channel;they may also be used for position fixing. At night,the lights are a form of leading line that can be used for safe navigation. The beacons consist of two lights that are separated in distance and elevation,so that when they are aligned,with one above the other,they provide a bearing. Range lights are often illuminated day and night.
The Baileys Harbor Range Lights are a pair of lighthouses arranged in a range light configuration,located near Baileys Harbor in Door County,Wisconsin,United States.
Brant Point Light is a lighthouse located on Nantucket Island. The station was established in 1746,automated in 1965,and is still in operation. The current tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 28,1987;it has the distinction of being the tenth light on the point,in addition to several range lights. Four of the others burned or blew down,two were condemned,two were unsatisfactory,and the remaining one stands unused.
United States lightship Nantucket (LV-112) is a National Historic Landmark lightship that served at the Lightship Nantucket position. She was the last serving lightship and at time of its application as a landmark,one of only two capable of moving under their own power. She served as the lightship for such notable vessels as the liners United States,Queen Mary,and Normandie.
Edgartown Harbor Light is a lighthouse located in Edgartown,Massachusetts,United States,where it marks the entrance to Edgartown Harbor and Katama Bay. It is one of five lighthouses on the island of Martha's Vineyard. The first lighthouse,a two-story wooden structure that also served as the keeper's house,was constructed in 1828. It was demolished,and replaced by the current cast-iron tower,in 1939. Originally located on an artificial island 1/4 miles from shore,the lighthouse is now surrounded by a beach formed,since 1939,by sand accumulating around the stone causeway connecting it to the mainland.
Long Island Head Light is an historic lighthouse on Long Island in Boston Harbor,Boston,Massachusetts. The current brick tower is the fourth lighthouse on the island.
Palmer Island Light Station is a historic lighthouse in New Bedford Harbor in New Bedford,Massachusetts,USA. The lighthouse was built in 1849 out of stone rubble. It was discontinued when the harbor's hurricane barrier was built in the early 1960s,as its location immediately north of the barrier was no longer an outlying danger and there are lights on either side of the barrier opening.
West Dennis Light is a lighthouse in West Dennis,Massachusetts. It was previously known as Bass River Light. It is owned by and sits on top of the Lighthouse Inn,a seasonal hotel.
Hospital Point Range Front Light is a historic lighthouse at the end of Bayview Avenue in Beverly,Massachusetts. It forms the front half of a range which guides vessels toward Salem Harbor. The tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Hospital Point Light Station on September 28,1987.
Deer Island Light is a lighthouse in Boston Harbor,Boston,Massachusetts. The actual light is 53 feet (16 m) above Mean High Water. Its alternating white and red light is visible for 9 nautical miles.
Stage Harbor Light is a lighthouse in Chatham,Massachusetts. It was built in 1880. It was discontinued in 1933,replaced by a skeleton tower 200 ft (60m) west which remains an active aid to navigation. The original light helped to mark a vessel staging area anchorage in deep water south of Harding's Beach used during periods of low visibility (fog) by vessels waiting to round Monomoy Point and Pollock Rip Channel. The lighthouse also lined up perfectly with the Chatham Twin Lights,making an effective range for Chatham Roads,the deep water channel crossing Nantucket Sound from south of Bishop &Clerks Reef off Point Gammon at Hyannis to the staging area. The original light is now a private residence. It sits at the entrance of what is still a busy harbor,used primarily by Chatham-based fishing fleets,sailboats from the Stage Harbor and Monomoy yacht clubs,and private craft owners.
The Nantucket Beacon formed a range with the Brant Point Light to guide vessels into Nantucket harbor. Operated at various times in the 19th century,it was deactivated sometime after 1870. This range was eventually succeeded by the Nantucket Harbor Range Lights,which are still in operation.
The Nantucket Cliff Lights,also known as the Nantucket Cliff Range Lights were a set of range lights on Nantucket. Over the years,there were several sets of range lights to lead ships into Nantucket Harbor. The first were built in 1838. The second,a pair of conical white towers which still exist-owned by the Gilbreth family of "Cheaper by the Dozen" Fame-although not on the same site,were discontinued in 1912. The Gilbreth Family purchased the two latter range lights in 1921.
The Ipswich Range Lights are a pair of range lights on Crane Beach in Ipswich,Massachusetts. They have a long and varied story. They were first built as two brick towers,542 feet (165 m) apart on a more or less east–west line in 1838. The movement of the sands led to shifting of the towers and by 1881 the rear tower,Ipswich Rear Range Light,was badly cracked. It was replaced by a cast-iron tower,while by 1867 the front light,Ipswich Front Range Light,had been replaced by a movable wood structure that could be shifted as the channel shifted. The front light was discontinued in 1932 and the rear light was replaced in 1938 with a skeleton tower. It,or its replacement,is still in service today. The 1881 cast-iron rear tower was loaded on a barge and shipped to Edgartown,Massachusetts,where it replaced the Edgartown Harbor Light that had been destroyed in the Hurricane of 1938.
The Hyannis Rear Range Light,also known as the Hyannis Harbor Light,was a lighthouse and,for part of its life,one of a pair of range lights adjacent to Hyannis Harbor. The Range Rear tower was built in 1849 and equipped with a 5th order Fresnel lens in 1856. In 1863 the original birdcage lantern was replaced with a new cast iron one. In 1885,a front range light was added on the Old Colony Railroad Wharf,and the two lights together served to leading vessels to the wharf. The 20 foot Range Rear tower is shorter than most lighthouses,as its purpose was just to guide ships to the wharf. In the early 1800s,the railroad extended from its current terminus at the Hyannis Transportation Center,down what is now Old Colony Road to Harbor Road,where it ended in the 300 foot wharf that was a busy area for shipping coal,lumber,grain and fish.
The Grand Island Harbor Rear Range Light is a lighthouse located off M-28 in Munising Township,Michigan. It is also known as the Bay Furnace Rear Range Light,Christmas Rear Range Light,or End of the Road Light. The corresponding front range light was replaced in 1968;the rear range light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. It is no longer an active aid to navigation.
The Hospital Point Range Rear Light is part of a pair of range lights in Beverly,Massachusetts. It is located in the steeple of the First Baptist Church of Beverly.
