Yerba Buena Light
Encyclopedia
Yerba Buena Lighthouse is a lighthouse
in California
,
United States
, in the San Francisco Bay
on Yerba Buena Island
, California
. In 1886 another fifth order lens replaced the previous one. In 1933, a tunnel was bored through Yerba Buena Island to serve as a link between the east and west sections of the Oakland Bay Bridge. The light was automated by the United States Coast Guard
in 1958. It is currently an active aid to navigation and not open to the public. Now that the lighthouse is automated, the former keeper’s quarters are now the home of the Coast Guard District Commander.
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...
, in the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San 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...
on Yerba Buena Island
Yerba Buena Island
Yerba Buena Island sits in the San Francisco Bay between San Francisco and Oakland, California. The Yerba Buena Tunnel runs through its center and connects the western and eastern spans of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. It has had several other names over the decades: Sea Bird Island, Wood...
, 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 island’s lighthouse connection began in 1873 when the Lighthouse Service moved the district's depot from Mare Island to the southeast side of Yerba Buena Island. In 1875 construction was completed on the 25 foot tower with a fifth order Fresnel lensFresnel 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...
. In 1886 another fifth order lens replaced the previous one. In 1933, a tunnel was bored through Yerba Buena Island to serve as a link between the east and west sections of the Oakland Bay Bridge. The light was automated by the United States 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 1958. It is currently an active aid to navigation and not open to the public. Now that the lighthouse is automated, the former keeper’s quarters are now the home of the Coast Guard District Commander.