Harbor of Refuge Light
Harbor of Refuge Light from the Cape Henlopen Ferry
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 Delaware
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| Location | Lewes, Delaware |
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| Coordinates | 38°48′52.6″N 75°05′32.6″W / 38.814611°N 75.092389°WCoordinates: 38°48′52.6″N 75°05′32.6″W / 38.814611°N 75.092389°W |
| Year first lit | 1926 |
| Automated | since December 1973 |
| Foundation | Sparkplug Style Cast-iron Caisson |
| Construction | Cast-iron |
| Tower shape | Conical |
| Height | 76 feet (23 m) |
| Focal height | 72 feet (22 m) |
| Original lens | Fourth Order Fresnel Lens |
| Current lens | VRB-25 |
| Range | 19 nautical miles (35 km; 22 mi) |
| Characteristic | white flash every 5 s |
| Admiralty number | J1280 |
| ARLHS number | USA-366 |
| USCG number | 2-1530 |
The Harbor of Refuge Light (originally Harbor of Refuge West End Light, though its east end counterpart has been long since discontinued) is a lighthouse built on the ocean end of the outer Delaware Breakwater at the mouth of the Delaware Bay, just off Cape Henlopen. It was built to function with the Delaware Breakwater East End Light in order to mark the National Harbor of Refuge.
In 1825, an act of Congress authorized the initial construction of a breakwater off of Cape Henlopen in order to create a harbor for ships in stormy weather. This breakwater was not completed until 1869. As shipbuilding advanced into the second half of the 19th century, this harbor was no longer sufficiently deep for the newer and larger ships of the US Navy. Thus an outer breakwater was constructed to solve this problem in 1892. The new breakwater was built about 1.25 miles (2.01 km) north of the original breakwater. Work on this 7,950-foot (2,420 m) breakwater was finally completed in 1901. The new safe harbor was called the National Harbor of Refuge.
The breakwater was first illuminated by a pair of temporary beacons placed at either end. The south end, where the current lighthouse stands, featured a white frame tower of 30 feet (9.1 m) with a “five-day” lens lantern exhibiting a red light. The tower, completed on January 1, 1902, also had a fog horn. Both beacons were destroyed in a storm the following year and were subsequently replaced.
In 1906 construction began on a permanent structure for the southern end of the outer breakwater. The brown, cylindrical, iron foundation was completed in 1907. The 52-foot (16 m) frame tower was white and hexagonal in shape, had three stories and lead colored trim topped with a black lantern. This structure was finally completed on November 20, 1908. The original plan had called for a brick structure, though this was changed to wood during the final planning. This initial lighthouse was fitted with a fourth order Fresnel lens, which flashed with white every 10 seconds. In addition a first-class fog siren operated by compressed air was installed. This station quickly proved to be ill-suited to the conditions, however. Storms threw waves completely over the top of the tower. The lighthouse was moved two inches off its foundation in an 1918 storm, and by another two inches in 1920. As a result, it was rendered uninhabitable and it was then dismantled by United States Lighthouse Service in 1925.
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Wikipedia