Mare Island Lighthouse was a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, on the north shore of

San Pablo Bay San Pablo Bay is a tidal estuary that forms the northern extension of San Francisco Bay in the East Bay and North Bay regions of the San Francisco Bay Area in northern California. Most of the Bay is shallow; however, there is a deep water ch ...

at the entrance to Carquinez Strait,

History

Mare Island Light was built in 1873, deactivated in 1917, and demolished in the 1930s. The lighthouse was designed by

Paul J. Pelz Paul Johannes Pelz (18 November 1841 – 30 March 1918) was a German-American architect, best known as the main architect of the Library of Congress in Washington DC. Life and career Paul J. Pelz was born November 18, 1841, in Seitendorf (now ...

, who also designed Mare Island's sister stations,

Point Fermin Light Point Fermin Light is a lighthouse on Point Fermin in San Pedro, California. History The lighthouse was built in 1874 with lumber from California redwoods. It was designed by Paul J. Pelz who also designed Point Fermin's sister stations, East ...

in San Pedro CA,

East Brother Island Light East Brother Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse located on East Brother Island in San Rafael Bay, near the tip of Point San Pablo in Richmond, California. It marks the entrance to San Pablo Bay from San Francisco Bay. Built in 1874 and aut ...

in Richmond, California,

Point Hueneme Light Point Hueneme Lighthouse is a lighthouse on the southeast entrance to the Santa Barbara Channel, in Ventura County, CaliforniaUSCG.html" ;"title="Paul J. Pelz, USCG">Paul J. Pelz, USCG photo Point Hueneme Light is a , buff-colored 1940 Art Deco ...

in California (replaced in 1940),

Hereford Inlet Light The Hereford Inlet Light is a historic lighthouse located in North Wildwood in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States, situated on the southwestern shore of Hereford Inlet at the north end of Five Mile Beach. Its construction was completed ...

in North Wildwood, New Jersey, and

Point Adams Light Point Adams Light was a lighthouse near the mouth of the Columbia River on the Oregon Coast of the United States. The lighthouse was designed by Paul J. Pelz, who also designed Point Adams's sister stations, Point Fermin Light in San Pedro, Calif ...

in Washington State (burned down by the Lighthouse Service in 1912), all in essentially the same style. 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

Carquinez Strait Light Carquinez Strait Lighthouse is a lighthouse in California, United States. It was originally approximately 20 miles inland from the mouth of the San Francisco Bay near Vallejo, California. History The first lighthouse to mark the entrance to C ...

opened in 1909 to replace this light in purpose, but in an offshore location, between the two channels. A Navy Direction Finding Station was later erected on the site in 1942, run by U.S. Navy radio operators stationed at Naval Radio Station, Mare Island. The station was closed in 1945 after World War II ended and a Navy Radio Beacon was installed.

Gallery

Image:USCGmareisland 1879print 75.jpg, 1879 Print – U.S. Coast Guard Archive Image:USCGmareisland nodate 1 300.jpg, View from pier looking ashore and up at light station – U.S. Coast Guard Archive Image:USCGmareisland nodate 2 300.jpg, View from atop mountain down at the light station and pier – U.S. Coast Guard Archive

References

External links

U.S. Naval High Frequency Direction Finding Sites during World War I and World War II. Part 2
* Lighthouses in the San Francisco Bay Area Carquinez Strait San Pablo Bay History of Solano County, California Lighthouses completed in 1873 Transportation buildings and structures in Solano County, California Mare Island {{California-struct-stub

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links