154 Yorktown, VA Lightship Lens, HL 675, #405 of 4,000, made in China, box

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154Yorktown, VA Lightship Lens, HL 675, #405 of 4,000, made in China, box (#9), Certificate of Authenticity, tent card, uses 2 AA batteries or AC adapterUntil the invention of the refracted lens by French physicist Augustin Fresnel in 1822, illumination for lighthouses and vessels was dependent on lanterns and lamps with rudimentary reflectors. Ironically, it was at almost the same time that the "first outside vessel was placed off the coast of the United Station," in Chesapeake Bay, off Craney Island, at the entrance to the Elizabeth River.The light to warn mariners was suspended from the top of the mast, and either required that a seaman climb the mast to keep the oil filled and re-light wind-extinguished flames, or the lantern had to be raised and lowered by ropes. Needless to say, this was an important and tiresome task for the lightship crew.While the hazards of serving as a lighthouse keeper was harrowing for most, imagine the dangerous life of sailors serving on a lightship. Quarters were cramped, tours were long, and the duty was anything but safe. One sailor described a lightship as being similar to a barrel--continuously rolling and in motion. Sitting in open waters to protect incoming vessels from accidents, the lightship was in constant danger of the same fate.As technology advanced, it was the addition of electricity to illuminate the lens that made the difference for the lightship. In 1913 the first lightship was outfitted with "one parabolic silvered reflector mounted on a compound pendulum and revolved by an electrical motor to show a flash ever 10 seconds" using storage batteries to generate the current. In 1934, the Lighthouse Service equipped a lightship for remote control by radio of all facilities, including light, fog signal, and radio beacon, opening the door for complete automation.With the installation of the Fresnel Lens, lighthouses were able to cast their beacons to far greater distances, but placing these weighty lens systems on a lightship was not an easy task. Even the smallest of the lens--5th- and 6th-Order--were difficult to mount and maintain and had to be specially designed. In 1937, a 375mm duplex lantern was designed for use on a single-mast vessel.Between 1820 and 1983, 116 lightship stations were established. The peak was reached in 1909 when 56 lightships were in service; but by 1939 when the Coast Guard assumed responsibility for aids to navigation, the number was down to 30. Illuminated buoys, using technology not even imagined by the long ago lightship crews, now safely mark waterways approaches. In 1983, the Nantucket Shoals Lightship was replaced with a large navigational buoy, and the era of the lightship was ended forever.This lens, and examples of all manner of lens, lamps and lanterns, along with other navigational tools, can be seen at the Coast Guard Training Facility Aids to Navigation Department at Yorktown, VA.Professional home to the operational community, the National Aids to Navigation (NATON) School in Yorktown, VA designs and delivers training and workforce development for the men and women who maintain the constellation of buoys, beacons and lighthouses that mark the nation's waterways.Ultimately assuring economic security through navigation safety of the $4.6T Marine Transportation System, NATON serves as the center of expertise for the Office of Navigation Systems (CG-NAV) and the Boat and Cutter forces programs governed by the Assistant Commandant for Capability (CG-7) through formal resident and exportable training courses, readiness and standardization assessments of buoy tenders, support to development of policy, doctrine and Tactics, Techniques & Procedures (TTP) publications, and help desk response to requests for technical assistance from field units.MEASUREMENTS: L = 4"" x W = 4"" x H = 8"CONDITION: Very good. Displayed for a short time in glass-enclosed curio cabinet.Each piece will be double boxed and packed for a 30' drop should that occur in handling. Shipper only insures first $100 valuation at no a... read more

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