Whale Rock Light was a

sparkplug lighthouse A caisson lighthouse (also referred to as a sparkplug lighthouse, or bug light) is a type of lighthouse whose superstructure rests on a concrete or metal caisson. Caisson lighthouses were developed in the late nineteenth century as a cheaper alter ...

marking Whale Rock, a dangerous island in the entrance to the West Passage of

Narragansett Bay Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering , of which is in Rhode Island. The bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. Sma ...

Washington County, Rhode Island Washington County, known locally as South County, is a county located in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of the 2020 census, the population was 129,839. Rhode Island counties have no governmental functions other than as court administrativ ...

. The rock is now marked by ''Whale Rock Lighted Gong Buoy 3''.

History

The lighthouse was built on the rock in 1882. It was destroyed in the

New England hurricane of 1938 The 1938 New England Hurricane (also referred to as the Great New England Hurricane and the Long Island Express Hurricane) was one of the deadliest and most destructive tropical cyclones to strike Long Island, New York, and New England. The storm ...

when it was dislodged from its foundation, killing keeper Walter Eberle. Part of the lighthouse foundation remains and the remains of the lighthouse are underwater nearby.

References

Lighthouses in Washington County, Rhode Island Narragansett Bay Lighthouses completed in 1882 1882 establishments in Rhode Island 1938 disestablishments in Rhode Island {{US-lighthouse-stub