Point Hueneme Lighthouse is a lighthouse on the southeast entrance to the

Santa Barbara Channel The Santa Barbara Channel is a portion of the Southern California Bight and separates the mainland of California from the northern Channel Islands. It is generally south of the city of Santa Barbara, and west of the Oxnard Plain in Ventura Cou ...

, in

Ventura County Ventura County () is a County (United States), county in Southern California, the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 843,843. The largest city is Oxnard, California ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Map showing "light house reservation" October 1, 1888.
3 MR 13. ''Ventura County Recorder'' Retrieved September 8, 2014 fro
CountyView GIS
.

History

left, Original 1874 Lighthouse by Paul_J._Pelz,_USCG_photo.html" ;"title="USCG.html" ;"title="Paul J. Pelz, USCG">Paul J. Pelz, USCG photo">USCG.html" ;"title="Paul J. Pelz, USCG">Paul J. Pelz, USCG photo Point Hueneme Light is a , buff-colored 1940 Art Deco style tower on a fog-signal building on the

at the

Port of Hueneme The Port of Hueneme in the city of Port Hueneme, California, United States, is the only deep water harbor between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area. Located in Ventura County on the Santa Barbara Channel, the port complex not only se ...

. The original lighthouse was completed in 1874 at Point Hueneme after the construction of a in 1872.Later lengthened to When a storm destroyed the wharf in 1938, Oxnard Harbor District was formed and finished construction of the Port of Hueneme in 1940. The extant lighthouse structure was completed in 1941. The fourth-order

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships." The design allows the c ...

was used in both the original and the current lighthouse towers until 2013. In November 2012, the Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board voted to preserve the 1899 lens by retiring it from active service, so it can be displayed on a lower floor of the lighthouse and more easily viewed by the public. The original 1874 lighthouse was designed by Paul J. Pelz, who also designed Point Hueneme'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, Mare Island Light, in Carquinez Strait, California (demolished in the 1930s), Hereford Inlet Light in North Wildwood, New Jersey, and Point Adams Light in Washington State (burned down by the Lighthouse Service in 1912), all in essentially the same style.

Shipwreck

Point Hueneme Light was the site of an unrelated shipwreck. The veteran passenger liner '' La Jenelle'', once removed from her role as a cruise liner, lay at anchor off Port Hueneme on April 14, 1970 awaiting plans for conversion to a floating restaurant. The owners were attempting to cut down on moorage costs by leaving the vessel at anchor in the open ocean, directly offshore. With only one watchman aboard, the vessel fell victim to storm-tossed seas, causing the ship to slip her anchor cables. The California State Lands Commission became much concerned about the problem both from the standpoint of leaking oil and a menace to navigation. They voted unanimously to have the ship scrapped, "as is, where is," and accordingly put out bids. The big steel ship still remains but is being torn apart bit by bit by human and natural elements.

Lighthouse tours

The lighthouse is federal property operated by the United States Coast Guard. The U.S. Coast Guards Aids to Navigation Team Los Angeles/Long Beach(CG ANT LA/LB) is in charge of operation and maintenance of the lighthouse and Fresnel Lens. Members from the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, who are also members of the CG ANT LA/LB, are in charge of the tour and openhouse at the lighthouse. These members are recognized as Lighthouse Keepers by the USCG Auxiliary and Technicians by the CG. In March 2008, the City of Port Hueneme and Oxnard Harbor District dedicated a new "Lighthouse Promenade", beginning at the Hueneme Sunset Beach alongside the perimeter fence of the port to the lighthouse. The 1/2 mile stroll is on a flat, even surface and allows visitors to stroll along the beach. There are no public restrooms on property, the nearest public restrooms are at the promenade's entrance at Sunset Beach.Klampe, Michelle L. (March 21, 2008
"Waterfront Promenade officially opens today"
''

Ventura County Star The ''Ventura County Star'' (Marked online as VC Star) is a daily newspaper published in Camarillo, California and serves all of Ventura County. It is owned by Gannett, the largest publisher of newspapers in the United States. It is a successor t ...

Notes

References

External links

* * *Lighthousefriends.com
Point Hueneme Lighthouse
*Maritime Heritage Program

Inventory of Historic Light Stations: California Lighthouses. National Park Service {{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1874 Lighthouses completed in 1941 Lighthouses in California Transportation buildings and structures in Ventura County, California Art Deco architecture in California