Sharkfin Shoal Light

Lighthouse in Maryland, United States

Lighthouse

38°12′07″N 75°59′12″W / 38.2020°N 75.9868°W / 38.2020; -75.9868TowerConstructed1892

Foundationscrew-pileConstructioncast-iron/woodHeight44 feet (13 m)Shapehexagonal houseLightFirst lit1892Deactivated1964Focal height13.5 m (44 ft)

Lensfourth-order Fresnel lensCharacteristicwhite 6 sec flash with red sector

The Sharkfin Shoal Light was a screw-pile lighthouse located at the mouth of the Nanticoke River in Chesapeake Bay, US.

History

This light was constructed in 1892 to replace the Clay Island Light to the northeast.

During an accident on 21 December 1947, two men, Charles E. Palmquist and G. F. Cotte, died by Tangier Island in a boat departed close by from Sharfin Shoal Light that "burned on the water's edge".^[1]^[2] The investigation was led by Captain Morris G. Jory.^[3] The posthumous investigation was led by Lieutenant Commander Joseph R. Scullion.^[4]

Changed in 1950, the light pattern emitted from the lighthouse was altered to be "flashing every 10 seconds, flash two seconds, eclipse 8 seconds" with 600 white candlepower and 130 red candlepower.^[5] The change came into effect on October 27, and was switched from a manually operated station to an unattended, automatic station.^[6]

In 1964, the house was dismantled and a skeleton tower light placed on the foundation.

List of lightkeepers

Henry C. Sterling (April 1901-?)^[7]
(Assistant) Walter C. Carew (?-31 August 1904)^[8]
(Assistant) Addison S. Hall (December 1909-?)^[9]

References

^ "Two Seamen Die in Boat Blaze". The Daily Times. 23 Dec 1947. p. 1. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
^ "Two Believed Dead in Boat Fire". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 23 Dec 1947. p. 18. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
^ "SEARCH FOR TWO MEN BELIEVED LOST IN SHIP FIRE CONTINUES". The Daily Review (Clifton Forge). 23 Dec 1947. p. 1. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
^ "Two Men Believed Lost on Boat". Bristol Herald Courier. 23 Dec 1947. p. 8. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
^ "Two Lights in Bay Will Be Converted". The Virginian-Pilot. 15 Sep 1950. p. 15. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
^ "Sharkfin Local Light to Be Made Automatic". The Virginian-Pilot. 19 Oct 1950. p. 13. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
^ "Changes in Lighthouse Keepers". The Baltimore Sun. 17 Apr 1901. p. 10. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
^ "CHANGES ARE AUTHORIZED - Transfers and Appointments in Lighthouse Service". The Evening Star. 20 Aug 1904. p. 16. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
^ "The Lighthouse Service". The Evening Star. 10 Dec 1909. p. 19. Retrieved 28 May 2023.

"Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Maryland" (PDF). United States Coast Guard Historian's Office.
Sharkfin Shoal Light, from the Chesapeake Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society
de Gast, Robert (1973). The Lighthouses of the Chesapeake. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 165. ISBN 9780801815485.