Milwaukee Breakwater Light
 Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse | |
 | |
| Location | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 43°01′37.24″N 87°52′55.14″W / 43.0270111°N 87.8819833°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1926  |
| Foundation | Concrete |
| Construction | 1/4" steel plate, steel frame |
| Automated | 1966[1] |
| Height | Tower - 53 feet (16 m) |
| Shape | Square on square house |
| Markings | white with black lantern & parapet |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| Fog signal | HORN: 2 blasts ev 20s (2s bl- 2s si-2s bl-14s si). Operates from Apr. 1 to Nov.[2] |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1926 |
| Focal height | 20 m (66 ft) |
| Lens | Fourth order Fresnel |
| Range | 14 miles (23 km) |
| Characteristic | Fl R 10 seconds
Structure is floodlighted from sunset to sunrise. Submarine cable runs to Milwaukee Pierhead Light. Illuminated sign on channelward side of light structure worded CABLE CROSSING NO ANCHORING. |
The Milwaukee Breakwater lighthouse is located in the harbor of Milwaukee in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. It protects the entrance to the Milwaukee River.
This lighthouse is an active aid to navigation and is owned and operated by the United States Coast Guard. The steel tower has a square balcony and round lantern. The two-story steel Lighthouse keeper's quarters are in the Art deco style.[3] The structure rests on a 60 feet (18 m) by 54 feet (16 m) concrete pier, which rises more than 20 feet (6.1 m) above the lake's surface.[4] The tower rests 14 feet (4.3 m) above the second floor. The tower is 53 feet (16 m) tall overall and the red light has a focal plane of 67 feet (20 m) feet above Lake Michigan.[5] The lantern and parapet are painted black.[6]
In 1906, the original Fourth order Fresnel lens was transferred from the Milwaukee Pierhead Light.[7] The "helical barred lantern is also thought to have come from the pierhead light".[8] It was removed in 1994,[9] and is now an exhibit in Manitowoc at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum.
The lighthouse is situated on the north side of the harbor at the end of the breakwater. Because the shore and breakwater are disconnected, a boat is necessary to reach it. The tower and site are closed however, so the best view is from the parking lot at the end of East Erie Street, adjacent to the Pierhead Light.[10] Those who are interested in photographing it will need a zoom lens.[11]
This light is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[12]
Notes
- ^ United States Coast Guard list of Wisconsin lights, including Milwaukee Breakwater Light.
- ^ United States Coast Guard, Volume 7, Great Lakes Lightlist (PDF).
- ^ Lighthouse Digest, Wisconsin lighthouses, Milwaukee Breakwater Light, University of North Carolina.
- ^ Wobser, David, Milwaukee Breakwater Light, boatnerd.com.
- ^ Pepper, Terry. "Seeing the Light: Lighthouses on the western Great Lakes, database".
- ^ Lighthouse Digest, Wisconsin lighthouses, Milwaukee Breakwater Light, University of North Carolina.
- ^ Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Milwaukee Breakwater Light.]
- ^ Wobser, David, Milwaukee Breakwater Light, boatnerd.com.
- ^ Lighthouse friends, Milwaukee Breakwater Light article Note, however, that there are claims that the original lens is still in place. See, Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Milwaukee Breakwater Light.
- ^ Wobser, David, Milwaukee Breakwater Light, boatnerd.com.
- ^ See, Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Milwaukee Breakwater Light.
- ^ National Park Service, Maritime History Project, Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Wisconsin - Milwaukee Breakwater Light.
Bibliography and further reading
- Crompton, Samuel Willard & Michael J. Rhein, The Ultimate Book of Lighthouses (2002) ISBN 1592231020; ISBN 978-1592231027.
- Hyde, Charles K., and Ann and John Mahan. The Northern Lights: Lighthouses of the Upper Great Lakes. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1995. ISBN 0814325548 ISBN 9780814325544.
- Jones, Ray & Bruce Roberts, American Lighthouses (Globe Pequot, September 1, 1998, 1st Ed.) ISBN 0762703245; ISBN 978-0762703241.
- Jones, Ray,The Lighthouse Encyclopedia, The Definitive Reference (Globe Pequot, January 1, 2004, 1st ed.) ISBN 0762727357; ISBN 978-0762727353.
- Noble, Dennis, Lighthouses & Keepers: U. S. Lighthouse Service and Its Legacy (Annapolis: U. S. Naval Institute Press, 1997). ISBN 1557506388; ISBN 9781557506382.
- Oleszewski, Wes, Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses, (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) ISBN 0-932212-98-0.
- Pepper, Terry. "Seeing the Light: Lighthouses on the western Great Lakes".
- Putnam, George R., Lighthouses and Lightships of the United States, (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1933).
- United States Coast Guard, Aids to Navigation, (Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1945).
- United States Coast Guard, Aids to Navigation Historical Bibliography.
- Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia, Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1550463993.
External links
- Lighthouse Digest, Wisconsin lighthouses, Milwaukee Breakwater Light, University of North Carolina.
- Lighthouse friends, Milwaukee Breakwater Light article
- National Park Service Maritime History Project, Inventory of Historic Light Stations - Wisconsin - Milwaukee Breakwater Light.
- Satellite view of Milwaukee Breakwater Light, Google earth.
- Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Milwaukee Breakwater Light.]
- United States Coast Guard list of Wisconsin lights, including Milwaukee Breakwater Light.
- United States Coast Guard Volume 7, Lightlist (PDF).
- Wobser, David, Milwaukee Breakwater Light, boatnerd.com.
