Carquinez Strait Light
Encyclopedia
Carquinez Strait Lighthouse is a lighthouse
in California
, United States
. It is originally approximately 20 miles inland from the mouth of the San Francisco Bay near Vallejo
, California
.
and the Napa River
, the Mare Island Light
was built at the southern end of Mare Island
in 1873. The United States Lighthouse Board
later realized that a light positioned offshore near the junction of the strait and river would better serve navigation in the area. The lighthouse was deactivated in 1951 and an automated beacon and fog signal were placed on the pier. After years of neglect, which included the smashing of the lens by vandals, the building was saved by investors who moved the residence to the Glen Cove Marina in Vallejo, California
.
Carquinez Strait Light Station is an automatic light station located at Vallejo, California between Suisun Bay
and San Pablo Bay
. It was first placed into operation on January 15, 1910. The original structure, a 28-room light house weighing 150 tons, was used until abandoned by the Coast Guard in 1951. New family quarters were constructed on top of the bluff overlooking San Pablo Bay and the entrances to Carquinez Strait and Mare Island Strait. On August 6, 1955, the original structure was taken off its pilings and put aboard a barge. It was then successfully towed two miles to its new location at Elliott Cove and converted into a resort. The new buildings were constructed in 1951 on top of the bluff The main family dwelling consisted of two 3~bedroom and two 2 bedrooms. The men assigned maintained and operated the light at the end of the breakwater and an automatic fog signal. In addition, the unit was responsible for providing emergency repairs on five aids to navigation in the vicinity of the station. A 24-hour lookout was maintained. On June 3, 1963, the Coast Guard personnel were transferred from the station and the light and fog signal were automated.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is originally approximately 20 miles inland from the mouth of the San Francisco Bay near Vallejo
Vallejo, California
Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
History
The first lighthouse to mark the entrance to Carquinez StraitCarquinez Strait
The Carquinez Strait is a narrow tidal strait in northern California. It is part of the tidal estuary of the Sacramento and the San Joaquin rivers as they drain into the San Francisco Bay...
and the Napa River
Napa River
The Napa River, approximately 55 miles long, is a river in the U.S. state of California. It drains a famous wine-growing region, called the Napa Valley, in the mountains northeast of San Francisco. Milliken Creek is a tributary of the Napa River....
, the Mare Island Light
Mare Island Light
Mare Island Lighthouse was a lighthouse in California,United States, on the north shore of San Pablo Bay at the entrance to Carquinez Strait, California-History:The lighthouse was razed in the 1930s...
was built at the southern end of Mare Island
Mare Island
Mare Island is a peninsula in the United States alongside the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait juncture with the east side of San Pablo Bay. Mare Island is considered a peninsula because no full...
in 1873. The United States Lighthouse Board
United States Lighthouse Board
The United States Lighthouse Board was the agency of the US Federal Government that was responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of all lighthouses in the United States...
later realized that a light positioned offshore near the junction of the strait and river would better serve navigation in the area. The lighthouse was deactivated in 1951 and an automated beacon and fog signal were placed on the pier. After years of neglect, which included the smashing of the lens by vandals, the building was saved by investors who moved the residence to the Glen Cove Marina in Vallejo, California
Vallejo, California
Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...
.
Historical Information from Coast Guard web site
- The Lighthouse Board relayed to Congress the need for a lighthouse between the San Francisco BaySan Francisco BaySan Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
and the Sacramento RiverSacramento RiverThe Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...
. On January 15, 1910 the Carquinez Strait Light was lit. - The lighthouse stood at the end of a 1.5 mile pier and was attached to a three-story residence.
- While in operation this site was used to test the vertical mushroom trumpet fog signals.
- The lighthouse was deactivated in 1951. An automated beacon and fog signal were placed on the pier at that time.
- After years of neglect, which included the smashing of the lens by vandals, the building was saved by investors who moved the residence to the Glen Cove Marina in Vallejo, California.
- The residence, without the tower, is used as the marina office and yacht sales showroom.
Additional Information
Taken from a December 1966 USCG press release:Carquinez Strait Light Station is an automatic light station located at Vallejo, California between Suisun Bay
Suisun Bay
Suisun Bay is a shallow tidal estuary at in northern California, USA. It lies at the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, forming the entrance to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, an inverted river delta...
and San Pablo Bay
San Pablo Bay
San Pablo Bay is a tidal estuary that forms the northern extension of San Francisco Bay in northern California in the United States. Most of the Bay is shallow; however, there is a deep water channel approximately in mid bay, which allows access to Sacramento, Stockton, Benicia, Martinez, and...
. It was first placed into operation on January 15, 1910. The original structure, a 28-room light house weighing 150 tons, was used until abandoned by the Coast Guard in 1951. New family quarters were constructed on top of the bluff overlooking San Pablo Bay and the entrances to Carquinez Strait and Mare Island Strait. On August 6, 1955, the original structure was taken off its pilings and put aboard a barge. It was then successfully towed two miles to its new location at Elliott Cove and converted into a resort. The new buildings were constructed in 1951 on top of the bluff The main family dwelling consisted of two 3~bedroom and two 2 bedrooms. The men assigned maintained and operated the light at the end of the breakwater and an automatic fog signal. In addition, the unit was responsible for providing emergency repairs on five aids to navigation in the vicinity of the station. A 24-hour lookout was maintained. On June 3, 1963, the Coast Guard personnel were transferred from the station and the light and fog signal were automated.