Cross Ledge Light
Encyclopedia
The Cross Ledge Light was a lighthouse
on the north side of the ship channel in Delaware Bay
on the east coast of the United States
, southwest of Egg Island Point. It was replaced by the Elbow of Cross Ledge Light
and the Miah Maull Shoal Light
in the early 1900s and razed by the coast guard
in 1962.
s which delimits the northern boundary of the channel through Delaware Bay. A lightship
was placed here beginning in 1823, but the Lighthouse Board, encouraged by the success of the Brandywine Shoal Light
further down the bay, decided to construct a screw-pile lighthouse
on the shoal. Construction began in 1856 but was interrupted the following winter by floating ice, which destroyed the entire structure. The board reconsidered, and the lightship remained on station.
The Lighthouse Board remained convinced that a permanent light was needed at the spot, and in 1873 succeeded in getting Congress
to appropriate funds. Construction began the following year and was completed in 1875. Cross Ledge Light was unlike any other light in the area. It sat upon a hexagonal pier constructed of granite blocks, upon which sat an octagonal two story Second Empire frame house with the lantern at the crown of its mansard roof
. A fourth-order Fresnel lens
was installed. Before the house could be completed, the lightship, having taken refuge behind the Delaware Breakwater, was nonetheless dragged out to sea by ice in February 1875; it was able to resume station until the light was completed, however.
The light survived the years without serious incident, though much riprap
was placed about it over the years to protect it from the ice. In the end, however, it was made obsolete by the construction of new lights closer to the shipping channel. The activation of the Elbow of Cross Ledge Light
in 1910 marked the same shoal more effectively, and the Cross Ledge Light was abandoned in the same year.
The house remained intact over the years, and during World War II
it was used as target during practice bombing runs. Eventually the coast guard burned what remained in 1962, leaving the pier intact. Ironically, there is no beacon or other aid to navigation on the ruins, so that it is marked as a hazard on nautical chart
s, labelled "ABAND LH (ruins)".
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....
on the north side of the ship channel in Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay is a major estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the Northeast seaboard of the United States whose fresh water mixes for many miles with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It is in area. The bay is bordered by the State of New Jersey and the State of Delaware...
on the east coast of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, southwest of Egg Island Point. It was replaced by the Elbow of Cross Ledge Light
Elbow of Cross Ledge Light
The Elbow of Cross Ledge Light was a lighthouse on the north side of the ship channel in Delaware Bay on the east coast of the United States, west of Egg Island Point. It was destroyed by a ship collision in 1953 and replaced by a skeleton tower on the same foundation.- History :This light was...
and the Miah Maull Shoal Light
Miah Maull Shoal Light
The Miah Maull Shoal Light is a lighthouse on the north side of the ship channel in Delaware Bay on the east coast of the United States, southwest of the mouth of the Maurice River.-History:...
in the early 1900s and razed by the coast guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
in 1962.
History
Cross Ledge is part of a long system of shoalShoal
Shoal, shoals or shoaling may mean:* Shoal, a sandbank or reef creating shallow water, especially where it forms a hazard to shipping* Shoal draught , of a boat with shallow draught which can pass over some shoals: see Draft...
s which delimits the northern boundary of the channel through Delaware Bay. A lightship
Lightvessel
A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship which acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction...
was placed here beginning in 1823, but the Lighthouse Board, encouraged by the success of the Brandywine Shoal Light
Brandywine Shoal Light
The Brandywine Shoal Light is a lighthouse on the north side of the ship channel in Delaware Bay on the east coast of the United States, west of Cape May, New Jersey...
further down the bay, decided to construct a screw-pile lighthouse
Screw-pile lighthouse
A screw-pile lighthouse is a lighthouse which stands on piles that are screwed into sandy or muddy sea or river bottoms. The first screw-pile lighthouse was built by blind Irish engineer Alexander Mitchell...
on the shoal. Construction began in 1856 but was interrupted the following winter by floating ice, which destroyed the entire structure. The board reconsidered, and the lightship remained on station.
The Lighthouse Board remained convinced that a permanent light was needed at the spot, and in 1873 succeeded in getting Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
to appropriate funds. Construction began the following year and was completed in 1875. Cross Ledge Light was unlike any other light in the area. It sat upon a hexagonal pier constructed of granite blocks, upon which sat an octagonal two story Second Empire frame house with the lantern at the crown of its mansard roof
Mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
. A fourth-order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
was installed. Before the house could be completed, the lightship, having taken refuge behind the Delaware Breakwater, was nonetheless dragged out to sea by ice in February 1875; it was able to resume station until the light was completed, however.
The light survived the years without serious incident, though much riprap
Riprap
Riprap — also known as rip rap, rubble, shot rock or rock armour or "Rip-rap" — is rock or other material used to armor shorelines, streambeds, bridge abutments, pilings and other shoreline structures against scour, water or ice erosion.It is made from a variety of rock types, commonly granite or...
was placed about it over the years to protect it from the ice. In the end, however, it was made obsolete by the construction of new lights closer to the shipping channel. The activation of the Elbow of Cross Ledge Light
Elbow of Cross Ledge Light
The Elbow of Cross Ledge Light was a lighthouse on the north side of the ship channel in Delaware Bay on the east coast of the United States, west of Egg Island Point. It was destroyed by a ship collision in 1953 and replaced by a skeleton tower on the same foundation.- History :This light was...
in 1910 marked the same shoal more effectively, and the Cross Ledge Light was abandoned in the same year.
The house remained intact over the years, and during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it was used as target during practice bombing runs. Eventually the coast guard burned what remained in 1962, leaving the pier intact. Ironically, there is no beacon or other aid to navigation on the ruins, so that it is marked as a hazard on nautical chart
Nautical chart
A nautical chart is a graphic representation of a maritime area and adjacent coastal regions. Depending on the scale of the chart, it may show depths of water and heights of land , natural features of the seabed, details of the coastline, navigational hazards, locations of natural and man-made aids...
s, labelled "ABAND LH (ruins)".