Dungeness Lighthouse after 1927
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Location | Sequim, Washington |
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Coordinates | 48°10′54″N 123°06′37″W / 48.18175°N 123.11029°WCoordinates: 48°10′54″N 123°06′37″W / 48.18175°N 123.11029°W |
Year first constructed | 1857 |
Year first lit | 1857 |
Automated | 1976 |
Foundation | Surface |
Construction | Brick, sandstone and stucco |
Tower shape | Conical |
Height | 63 feet (19 m) |
Original lens | Third order Fresnel lens (removed) |
Range | 18 nautical miles (33 km; 21 mi) |
Characteristic |
Alternating white flash every 5 seconds |
New Dungeness Light Station
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Location | On Dungeness Spit, about 7 miles (11 km) north of Sequim |
Area | 8 acres (3.2 ha) |
Built by | Isaac Smith |
Architect | Ammi B. Young |
Architectural style | Mid 19th Century Revival |
NRHP reference # | 93001338 |
Added to NRHP | November 30, 1993 |
Heritage | place listed on the National Register of Historic Places |
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Alternating white flash every 5 seconds
The New Dungeness Light is a functioning aid to navigation on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, located on the Dungeness Spit in the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge near Sequim, Clallam County, in the U.S. state of Washington. It has been in continuous operation since 1857, although the current lighthouse tower is 26 feet (7.9 m) shorter than when first constructed.
The New Dungeness Light was first lit in 1857 and was the second lighthouse established in the Washington territory, following the Cape Disappointment Light of 1856. Originally, the lighthouse was a 1½-story duplex with a 100-foot (30 m) tower rising from the roof. The tower was painted black on the top half and white on the lower section. Over time, the tower developed structural cracks, most likely from a combination of earthquakes and weather erosion. In 1927, the cracks in the tower were so severe that the district's chief lighthouse engineer, Clarence Sherman, noting the structural instabilities, feared that the tower would topple. It was decided that year that the tower would be lowered to its current height of 63 feet (19 m). With the new tower dimensions, the original 3rd order fresnel lens was too large for the tower. To save costs, the lantern room from the decommissioned Admiralty Head lighthouse was removed and placed atop the shorter tower. The newly painted tower was relit with a revolving 4th order Fresnel lens.
In the mid-1970s the Coast Guard decided to remove the Fresnel lens and test a DCB airport style beacon. The beacon only lasted a few years until it was replaced by a much smaller AGA-acrylic revolving beacon that provided the same range as the DCB, but with a 150-watt bulb instead of the 1,000-watt DCB bulb. In 1998, the Coast Guard replaced the AGA with a newer Vega rotating beacon.
The New Dungeness Light Station historic district, a 8 acres (3.2 ha) area comprising the lighthouse, the keeper's quarters and three other contributing properties was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.